Google Asia Pacific Blog: Japan

Keeping it un-real with today’s Doodle in Japan

Monday, September 12, 2016

Today on our Japan homepage we pay homage to Takizo Iwasaki, the man who has helped many a diner decide what to order at the restaurant, thanks to his re-invention of wax and plastic replica foods.

The practice of creating sampuru — derived from the English word "sample"— dates back to the 1920s. Takizo Iwasaki, however, is credited with making the plastic truly fantastic with his creation of a perfectly “cooked” omelet made of wax in the 1930s. Urban legend has it that when Takizo presented his creation to his wife, she couldn't tell the difference between the sampuru and the real thing!
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Many of the world’s replica food continues to be made in Takizo’s home city of Gifu. The visual feasts continued to be handmade to maintain the quality of the sampuru and the unique dishes that each restaurant requests — although plastic rather than wax is now the material of choice.

Today's Doodle features the original omelet which changed the landscape of sampuru forever and marks what would have been Takizo Iwasaki’s 121st birthday.

Posted by Miki Matsushita, Product Marketing Manager, Japan

Making Google a little bit FASTER across Asia

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Did you notice your email sending just a bit faster this morning? Maybe your favorite YouTube video loaded more quickly? Or perhaps your BigQuery result returned even faster than usual?

Well, that could be because we've just started bringing a new high-speed undersea cable online in Asia.

Back in June, the six-member FASTER Consortium began beaming light through the FASTER cable, the world's fastest fiber optic undersea cable to date, which connects the United States and Japan. We wanted to spread this lightning fast connectivity a little bit farther, though.

So, to extend the benefits of this Trans-Pacific link to the rest of Asia, we invested in a cable that links FASTER in Japan on to Taiwan, where our largest data center in Asia provides millions of people across Asia with quick access to our tools and services, at speeds of up to 26 terabits per second.

But wait, what does 26 terabits per second even mean?

You may not notice right away, but this new cable should help Google products and services load more quickly across the region. It should also improve the reliability and consistency of this speedier experience, since the cable was strategically built outside of tsunami zones to help prevent network outages related to natural disasters.

With more people coming online every day in Asia than anywhere else in the world, we’ve been working hard to invest in the infrastructure needed to make the Internet work for all of us who live in the region. That’s why we’ve built two data centers in the region and have already expanded our facility in Singapore. It’s also why we’re investing in these undersea cables – to make everyone's computing just a bit faster and to bring people around the world just a bit closer together.

Posted by Yan Tang, Network Resource APAC Regional Lead, Google

Summer road tripping in Japan with Android Auto

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

School’s out for the summer and while some plan way in advance, others are still thinking about ways to entertain the family during the holiday months. If you’re in or headed to Japan, you're in luck. The good ol’ family road trip just got a lot more exciting now that Android Auto has come to Japan.

Cars from manufacturers like Audi, Honda and VW, sold in Japan are already equipped to run Android Auto in country. With Android Auto you get the best of the Google services you love like Search, Maps and Google Play Music straight to your dashboard. When you connect your Android smartphone to the car navigation system or display audio, the app will be displayed on the vehicle’s screen. All you have to do is install the Android Auto app on your phone running Android 5.0 Lollipop or later, and voilà, you’re off!

Gone are the days when you switched between your phone screen and your dashboard

While the kids might be playing games in the back seat, you can access the best of your apps safely within the comfort of the Google experience—including music and navigation—without taking a finger off the steering wheel.

The journey begins now. Use Google voice to dial-up your friends hands-free and let them know you are on your way to pick them up.

Let your friend know you’re on your way to pick her up without touching your phone!

As any experienced road-tripper will know, once you’re in the car you will need a soundtrack to get you wherever you’re going. Being able to listen to the hits through music services such as Google Play Music and AWA without having to DJ by hand will bring a whole new level of fun to any road trip experience.

Stream your favorite tunes while you ride with Android Auto

Most importantly, safety is at the heart of every journey with Android Auto. Eyes-free technology like Google Voice and spoken directions combined with integrated controls (like steering wheel buttons) reduce interruption to your drive. It also means you can keep your eyes on the road without missing any of Japan’s best carscapes.

With your smartphone connected, you can use navigation apps, send messages, and phone contacts without having to fumble with your phone.

Hands-free navigation and voice controls with Google Maps

Android Auto first launched in the U.S. in 2015 and since then it has expanded to over 30 countries including Australia, New Zealand, India and now Japan with more than 100 car models supporting it.

Posted by Shinobu Nakao, Android Auto, Strategic Partner Development Manager

“The Searching Planet” exhibition at Japan’s Miraikan

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Opening today at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo — known locally as the Miraikan — is a new exhibit called “The Searching Planet.” Using the museum’s famed “Geo-Cosmos” earth-shaped display, this video art uses icons and graphs to show how people are searching the Internet all around the world. Geo-Cosmos normally shows scientific data about the earth, but “The Searching Planet” will provide a window into human behavior — our hopes, curiosities, and moments of surprise.

Most of all, the exhibit shows that despite our differences, the globe is often united in the same hobbies, interest in major news moments — and surprisingly, the same foods.

Pizza is the most widely searched food across the planet

Searches for [brexit]

If you can’t make it to the Miraikan, you can explore “The Searching Planet” as a Chrome Experiment on your phone or computer. For the next 10 days, we are giving away special Google Cardboards at the Miraikan as gifts, but if you have one, you can use your phone to view the site in 360-degrees.

Posted by Mai Fukue, Product Marketing Manager, Google Japan

Now you can find the butcher, the baker and the yukata maker with Google Maps

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Tourists from around the world are flocking to Japan in increasing numbers. According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, over 2 million tourists came to Japan in April, which is the highest number on record. If you’re one of the many visitors who doesn’t speak or read Japanese, it can be tricky to find your way around.

Say you’re shopping in downtown Tokyo. Although Google Maps can you tell you the English and Japanese names of stores like Matsumoto Kiyoshi or Lawson, these don’t tell you what kind of stores these are. Are they cosmetics stores, fashion boutiques, ramen restaurants or stationery stores? The list of possibilities is endless. (Which is how long it can feel to switch between apps to look things up too!)

From today it’s easier to see what kind of store you’re looking at in Google Maps. Now you’ll be able to see if you’re looking at a bookstore, laundromat, pizza restaurant or toy store in Google Maps. This way you’ll know that you can pick up a late night snack at Lawsons or some cosmetics at Matsumoto Kiyoshi.

There are more than 1,000 types of businesses available and this feature will be available in 19 languages. These include Arabic, Basque, Bulgarian, Catalan, Dutch, English, French, Galician, German, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Thai.

These categories are rolling out over time and will appear in Google Maps when you arrive in Japan. We hope this new feature makes exploring Japan easier with Google Maps—and good luck finding that yukata!

Posted by Herman Sheremetyev, Software Engineer, Google Maps

Tōhoku in pictures: Five years after the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami

Monday, March 7, 2016

This week marks the fifth anniversary of the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami. The most powerful quake recorded in Japan’s history, it devastated coastal areas across northeastern parts of the country. For the last five years, Google Maps has been capturing 360-degree, panoramic imagery of these areas with Street View cameras, as well as aerial photographs. These snapshots show what has changed in the aftermath of the disaster—and what hasn’t.

You can now see updated Street View imagery from 59 cities, 19 towns and 4 villages from the Ibaraki, Iwate, Fukushima and Miyagi prefectures, which was collected between June 2015 and January 2016. Part of the “Great East Japan Earthquake Digital Archive Project," this is the third Street View imagery update since the disaster.

By using Street View technology to record, exhibit and archive the damage, we hope to give people—both those who used to live there, and those who have never been—a way to see and understand the destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami. It may also give future generations a vivid way to understand and remember what happened.

One of the areas most affected by the disaster was Fukushima prefecture. Naraha in Fukushima was an evacuation zone until September of last year, but is now being rebuilt and repopulated. The people of Naraha wanted to capture this rebuilding process, so they borrowed the Street View Trekker as part of the Trekker loan program so they could show the world what Naraha looks like today and share their hopes for the future.

In addition to the updated Street View imagery, we also have satellite and aerial imagery of the coast stretching from Hachinohe to Iwaki from before and after the disaster. As this timelapse with scenes from the Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures shows, the road to recovery is a long one.

Miyako was one of the areas most devastated by the tsunami, with waters reaching at least 37.9 meters above sea level. As this timelapse shows, the seaside town was filled with homes and businesses before the earthquake struck in 2011. Everything was swept away by the tsunami. Clearing the rubble from the disaster took years; today, most of the new houses are being built on top of the mountain, not by the sea, in case of a future tsunami.

View of Miyako from 2009 to 2016

You can see all this imagery, as well as Street View images of these areas from before the disaster on the Google Maps "Memories for the Future" page.

Posted by Wakaba Ohkura, Google Street View Program Manager

Happy “Nyan Nyan Nyan” Day

Monday, February 22, 2016

The Japanese word for two, ni, sounds pretty close to the Japanese word for meow, nyan.
Since 1987, Japan has been celebrating Cat Day on February 22 (2-22) — or “nyan, nyan, nyan." This is a fitting "holiday" for a country with the world’s highest rate of cat ownership.
To mark this auspicious feline occasion, we thought we would highlight some of our favorite cats across the web.

First, we turn to Street View for a glimpse of the Station Master of Kichigahara Station in Okayama prefecture. It’s not uncommon in Japan for cats to be appointed as honorary Station Masters. Here our Street View camera caught Kotora (“small tiger”) taking a quick nap after a fierce morning of making sure the trains ran on time:

While over in Fukushima prefecture we captured Station Master, Bus, keeping a watching gaze over Ashinomaki Onsen Station:

If you’re looking for a perfect place for a cat party this Cat Day, there is nowhere better than the Cat Islands. There are a number of “Cat Islands” in Japan. Here on the island of Aoshima, where the cat population vastly outnumber the human population, the feline residents make the most of morning sun:

While over at Tashirojima Island, a cat island in the Sendai Bay in Tohoku, the cats are a huge drawcard for tourists. After seeing, feeding and touching the furry residents, many stay in cat-themed cottages designed by famous manga artist Machiko Satonaka:

If you’d like to mark this year’s Cat Day with your own digital tribute, you can join the feline fans over at the mobile game, Neko Atsume. Over the last year this cat gathering mobile app, which lets you leave out food and toys for virtual cats in your virtual yard, has drawn as more global search interest than Japanese cultural icon Godzilla.

And Japanese Cat Day would not be Cat Day without a tribute to Maru — the most famous feline on the Internet, master of the box and the LOLs:

Happy Cat Day!

Posted by Yukiko Naganuma, Street View Program Manager, Google Japan

Hacking away on Google technology in search of the next big idea

Friday, February 12, 2016

Over the course of the last two months, we invited app developers from across Asia to hack away on projects that could result in impactful technologies. Google HackFair started in Korea four years ago, and since then we have seen developers in six other countries find creative ways to solve local and global problems. They came up with some pretty amazing big ideas and showed us what’s possible using Google platforms like Android, Chrome, Cardboard, Tango, TensorFlow, and Google Maps.

Exactly 224 projects came out of the latest series of Hackfairs. Here are just a few highlights of the uses of Google technology that inspire our communities:

Pakistan: A smart collar for cows helps farmers manage their livestock better, with geo-location, exercise tracking, and temperature tracking to help maximize dairy yields.

Indonesia: An automated watering system for farmers that controls agricultural watering systems anytime, anywhere using Android and Google Maps.

Korea: Cardboard-enabled remote-control car that makes you feel like you are really in the driver's seat using Android and Cardboard.

Philippines: An app that connects to a weight scale to automatically record weight for shipping. To bypass human error in pen-and-paper records, a business owner self-learned Android programming in order to make this app for his own business.

Thailand: BitShadowPlay is an interaction experiment that recognizes classic shadow puppets and transforms the shadows into animated depictions of the actual animals using our latest machine learning service, Tensorflow.

Vietnam: A smart vehicle-counter for more accurate vehicle tracking on the road or in parking spaces. This can be helpful to organizations wishing to optimize operations and traffic, such as at hospitals, hotels, shopping malls, and municipalities.

Indonesia: An Android-based visual programming software that helps you control your own robots easily using Google Voice Control and Android.

Japan: A robot that moves based on your voice commands. Added bonus - you can see the world from its perspective using Google Cardboard.

Follow your local Google Developers Group to find out about the next Hackfair in your community, or speak to your local GDG community to host one next year. Alongside the exhibitions, community members can also share their projects and research. They can even conduct workshops which makes this a great event for collaborative teaching and learning!

Posted by Sami Kizilbash, Developer Relations Program Manager, Google

Hey hey, it’s the Monkeys...of Street View

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

We’re pretty excited about the Year of the Monkey. What’s not to love – there are monkeys EVERYWHERE! In the mall, at the office, on TV.

But we wanted more. So as things slowed a bit at the office this week with the approach of Lunar New Year holidays, we started a little virtual monkey hunt to find as many of the ‘Monkeys of Street View’ as we could.

It’s been tons of fun – and you’re probably here after seeing a few of the ones we found already (scroll down a bit more to see these monkeys in all their Street View glory):

That’s great, we’ve found a few. But we really can’t get enough of these monkeys, so we’re asking for your help.

If you also find yourself with some downtime over the holiday, go ahead, go on a little virtual monkey hunt of your own on Street View and share any you find with us on G+, Twitter or Facebook with the hashtag #MonkeyView. We’ll be sure to give some +1’s and likes to our favorites, and we’ll add the best of them to the embeds below (complete with credit to the monkeys' finder, aka you!).

To give you a head start, here’s a map of where Street View is available...see anywhere where there might be some monkeys?

Here are the ones we’ve found on Street View so far:

We can't wait to see how many more monkeys you find. Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Posted by Cynthia Wei, Google Street View Program Manager

All things Made in Japan

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Japan is legendary for craftsmanship — a tradition that goes from ceramics, textiles, and wordworking all the way to modern day cameras, whiskey, and even blue jeans. The long history of crafts in Japan shows a deep understanding of aesthetics and an unmatched attention to detail. Today it is easier to view Japan’s unique and beautiful crafts through a new exhibition on Google Cultural Institute called “Made in Japan.”

“Made in Japan” brings over 80 different crafts from all across the country together in a single destination online. From the delicate yamaga paper lanterns, to Kyoto boxwood combs, you can zoom in to discover these crafts in minute detail, and learn about the untold stories behind them. When you’re done, you might even be able to tell the difference between Edo Makie and Wajima lacquer ware, or Kutani and Kyo Satsuma ware.

Edo Makie and Wajima lacquer ware

The art of lacquer making began nearly 10,000 years in Japan. Over time, different regions and “schools” developed their own styles. Here are examples from Edo, or present-day Tokyo, on the left, and Wajima, in the north of the country, on the right. Edo Makie is recognized as a luxury lacquer that’s used for special occasions, whereas Wajima, known for its durability, is used regularly in the home.

Nishijin Woven Textiles

The story of each kimono begins with the weaving of its cloth. Nishijin textiles, produced in Kyoto, feature brilliantly dyed silk interwoven with gold and silver threads into complex and skillful patterns. Learn about every step in the process of making these prized textiles, from creating design sketches of the weave, to dyeing the silk thread, and finally the weaving process itself.

Kyo Satsuma ware

As its name suggests, this delicate and ornately designed ceramic ware was crafted in Kyoto but was inspired by a style developed in Satsuma, on the southern most island of Japan. Zoom in to admire the meticulous detail painted by artists in these mid-19th century wares.

Bonsai

Bonsai may well be one of the better known Japanese traditions, but did you know that every aspect of these miniature gardens has its own special significance? In this exhibit, discover the different elements of a bonsai, including what an ideal branch distribution (“edukubari”), and tapering of the truck (“kokejun”) look like.

With this special new collection, we hope many more people around the world can discover and fall in love with all things “Made in Japan”. And perhaps in some small way, by preserving these crafts online, we also hope to contribute to reviving these traditions for many more generations to enjoy.

Posted by Shinobu Yamazaki, Strategic Partner Manager, Google

More Asian art at your fingertips

Friday, January 22, 2016

Most museums need to keep their treasures a good distance from meandering visitors’ hands. On the Google Cultural Institute, we invite visitors to use their fingertips to get as close to our exhibits as possible. Today, five years after the Cultural Institute opened the door to its virtual galleries, we’re bringing new exhibits from nearly 30 partners across Asia Pacific online. With this, viewers can now explore more than 6 million objects from over 1,000 partner institutions from around the world.

Here are some “must-sees” from across the region that we think the Cultural Institute can help you experience in a completely new way, and in extraordinary detail.

Japan: Tanto Sword, signed "Kagemitsu", known "Kenshin Kagemitsu" (1323), Saitama Prefectual Museum of History and Folklore

Sometimes keeping artifacts behind glass is simply the safest thing to do, like with this early 14th century “tanto” short blade sword. But on the web, thanks to super high resolution “gigapixel” photo capturing technology, you can safely zoom into both sides of the blade, examining it in super high resolution as if you were holding it in your bare hands. You’ll notice a five-character Japanese inscription on one side, and a Sanskrit character on the other. These inscriptions suggest is was presented as an offering to Chichibu Shrine. Years later, the famous warlord Kenshin Uesugi prized the sword for its excellent craftsmanship.

Australia: Burke and Wills expedition by Sidney Nolan (1948), Canberra Museum and Gallery

The first painting in Sidney Nolan’s Burke and Wills series depicts the explorers Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills who, from 1860-1861, endeavored to cross Australia, but tragically died before reaching their final destination. In this painting Nolan emphasizes the heroism and stoicism of the two intrepid but ultimately tragic explorers, whose story has become one of Australia’s national legends.

Zoom in to appreciate the sparse desert landscape, against which the protagonists are portrayed on their camel and horse, boldly staring out at the viewer as they remain oblivious to their fate.

India: Radha and Krishna (ivory) (1955), Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum

In the mid-20th century, artisans in Trivandrum (present day Thiruvananthapuram) were influenced by Europe’s naturalism movement. This ivory dancing figure depicts Radha and Krishna — lovers who are bound together and symbolize a combination of the feminine and masculine aspects of God — set against a realistic portrayal of nature, with flowers and birds adorning the lovers.

Thailand: Journey to the Next World VII by Prateep Kochabua (2009), Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Bangkok

Prateep Kochabua’s surrealist works have earned him the nickname of Thailand’s Salvador Dali. In this piece that depicts the journey to the afterlife, use the zoom tool to see a familiar face. You can catch a glimpse of the artist on the bottom right with a tiger asleep on his back, painting a portrait of Vincent van Gogh.

Posted by Kate Lauterbach, Program Manager, Google Cultural Institute

#YouTubeRewind 2015: Asia’s top memes, spoofs, and songs

Thursday, December 10, 2015

As we wind up the year, we look back at what captured audiences across Asia Pacific in 2015. This year, local YouTube creators dominated the trending lists in each country, showing that local creativity and culturally relevant videos are still what prompt viewers to press play. From wacky musical numbers to heartwarming stories of homecoming, here’s a glimpse at what had Asia glued to their smartphones this year.

Kids

Korea: [Pororo Sing Along Collection S2] Pororo Songs for Children

Pororo the Little Penguin is one of Korea’s beloved animated characters — so much so that he’s even earned the nickname “Pororo the President.” This 40-minute compilation of songs features Pororo and his friends singing 14 tracks and has kept millions of kids entertained.

Australia: Peppa Pig - 9 Episode Compilation 2! by theofficialpeppa

Popular kids’ animation Peppa Pig took the top spot this year in Australia’s trending videos list, proving how popular kids’ content is Down Under, as we saw during the recent launch of the YouTube Kids app there.

Parody songs

Vietnam: [Mì Gõ Đặc Biệt] Parody MV Vợ Người Ta - Phan Mạnh Quỳnh by Ghiền Mì Gõ

Remade from a popular song depicting a young man crying over his ex-girlfriend’s wedding, this Vietnamese creator spiced up the story of Vợ Người Ta with creative twists on characters — less dramatic and a bit more hilarious. It’s more addictive than you think: as of writing, the video Vợ Người Ta racked up watch times equivalent to 128 years.

Indonesia: SYAHRINI STICKER PARODI (edhozell + ekagustiwana) #parodisyahrini

Local YouTuber and comedian Edho Zell collaborated with musician Eka Gustiwana to create a video that went viral, clocking over 3.2 million views. Edho and Eka tapped into the country’s unabashed love of celebrity parody, and combined it with Indonesians’ favorite activity: chatting online with friends to create a song inspired by stickers.

India: AIB : Every Bollywood Party Song feat. Irrfan

Comedy kings AIB team up with Bollywood legend Irrfan Khan to send up archetypical Bollywood party songs (that often lack context in the film itself) — and the result is oh so catchy.

Eye-catching ads

Malaysia: Home - #lundangtonewcastle

Boy meets girl, over long distance: Malaysian Airlines made a heartwarming love story about a U.K.-born Malaysian boy who falls in love with a girl in Malaysia, based on real interviews with real people.

Philippines: For Our #1 Lolas | NIDO FORTIGROW | Nestlé PH

Get ready for a tear-jerker as this Nestlé ad reminds us of where sassy women get their strength from: their #1 lolas, aka grandmas.

New Zealand: Men In Black Safety Defenders #AirNZSafetyVideo

Air New Zealand does it again: their safety videos are already the stuff of legends. This time their viral video had stars from the All Blacks, New Zealand’s national rugby team, rapping in-flight safety tips to the “Men in Black” theme song.

Performances

Japan: Egusplosion - エグスプロージョンチャンネル

In this video, dance team Egusplosion comically explains a historical event called the “Honnoji Incident.” Their catchy rap tune and quirky dance moves have captured the hearts of Japanese students who’ve had to prepare for history exams. Check out the live version they did at the recent YouTube FanFest with Japanese YouTube star Hikakin. Egusplosion saw four more of their videos in this year’s top ten trending list for Japan.

Thailand: The Voice Thailand - หนอยแน่ - กลับไม่ได้ ไปไม่ถึง

Music-obsessed Thailand watched a lot of videos from hit talent-spotting show The Voice—this video “Noi Nae” alone was watched over 10 million times.

Unique tunes

Hong Kong: BOMBA - 音樂故事

Hong Kong creators and filmmaking collective BOMBA dominated Hong Kong’s trending video lists this year with six out of ten of the city’s most popular videos. Their modern musical, 音樂故事 or Music Story, strings together classic lines from Cantopop hits over the past few years to tell the story of an unrequited love. Real enthusiasts should try to take this on karaoke-style.

Taiwan: 驚喜合唱民歌四十 Flash Mob Chorus at Ban Qiao Rail Station

A musical horde descends upon one of Taiwan’s busiest rail stations to sing some of Taiwan’s iconic “Campus Ballads,” a genre of music popular among Taiwanese from the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. No doubt this video prompted many memories — and singalongs — for Taiwanese viewers everywhere.

Singapore: Unbelievable - I so stunned like vegetable (Spouse For House 2 MV)

So popular that “stunned like vegetable” became a new Singlish phrase, this song was created to promote Mediacorp Channel 5’s sitcom Spouse For House. Singaporeans grooved so much to the humorous — and dare we say it — unbelievable lyrics and dance moves that this video shot to the top of the trending charts. Walau-eh!

These are just some of the top YouTube hits from 2015 in Asia Pacific. Check out our YouTube Rewind channel for more of this year’s favorite videos from around the world, including a mashup of the top videos on YouTube — this time, featuring a look back at ten years’ worth of YouTube moments. You can also visit google.com/2015 next week for Google's annual look at the people, places and events that captured the world's attention.

Posted by Gautam Anand, Director of Operations and Content, YouTube Asia Pacific who recently watched “YouTube Rewind: Now Watch Me 2015”

Performing Arts take center stage on the Cultural Institute

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Have you ever wondered what it’s like backstage at the opera? Or how it might feel to dance under the glare of a concert hall’s spotlight? With a new virtual exhibition of performing arts on the Google Cultural Institute, you can experience all of this with the click of a mouse. And we’re also giving you front row seats to some of the world’s leading performances. So sit back and get comfortable as we dim the lights and take you through a world tour of performing arts…

You can browse performances and everything that goes on on- and off-stage at more than 60 institutions—including the world famous Carnegie Hall, to the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Berliner Philharmoniker. Moving east, I’ve selected some highlights from our partners in Asia-Pacific—the Queensland Performing Arts Center in Australia, the Dilli Gharana and Natural Streets For Performing Arts Foundation in India, Aomori Nebuta Matsuri in Japan, and the National Theatre of Korea, National Gugak Center and Kukkiwon in Korea.

Start with a tour of the Queensland Performing Arts Center and its lovely venues, indoor and out.

Left: QPAC’s Melbourne Street Green is a great place to enjoy free music outdoors on a Friday night; Right: The view of the stage from QPAC’s Concert Hall balcony.

Get lost in a sea of colored lights amidst the floats Aomori Nebuta Matsuri. The lantern floats at this annual Japanese summer festival in Aomori prefecture stand up to 10 meters tall and are made of fragile traditional paper wrapped around a bamboo frame. They depict Japanese gods, mythological and and historical figures.

In Korea, see how the demonstration team of Kukkiwon, the sport’s global headquarters, reinterprets the ancient martial art of taekwondo, presenting it alongside traditional music to create a special performance.

You can also learn about the Dilli Gharana, an ancient form of music from Hindustan in India.

Ustad Chand Khan Sahab giving a lesson to Ustad Iqbal Ahmed Khan. The portrait at the back is of Shams-e-Maousiqi Ustad Mamman Khan Sahab.

The Google Cultural Institute was founded in 2011 to bring the world’s treasures to anyone with an Internet connection. Starting in partnership with a handful of renowned museums, we’ve since joined forces with 900+ institutions to include historic archives, street art, and 200 wonders of the world. Now you can also visit dozens of the world’s stages together in one place—across mobile, tablet and desktop at g.co/performingarts and on the Google Cultural Institute website.

Posted by Kate Lauterbach, Program Manager, Google Cultural Institute

Finding Asian treasures in The Museum of the World

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

The British Museum opened its doors in 1759, offering free access to its 70,000 objects to all “students and curious persons.” The Google Cultural Institute has now made 4,500 of the museum’s eight million objects available for students, curious persons or anyone else with an Internet connection to see. For many who live in Asia-Pacific, this is a chance to pore over treasures from their region in far greater detail than even those in the museum can. Here are some of my favorite artifacts from Asia and Oceania:

The Admonitions Scroll by Gu Kaizhi (China, 6th century)

This 6th century Chinese scroll has been captured in super high-resolution—what we call gigapixel imagery—to give you a closer and more intimate view than you could ever get with the naked eye. Due to its fragile nature, it is displayed at the museum for only a few months of of the year; on the Cultural Institute, it can be accessed all year round. It tells the story of an instructress of the imperial court, who guides the ladies of the imperial family about correct behavior.

Gigapixel imagery enables users to experience the Admonitions Scroll in a way they would never be able to offline. The complete work can be seen on the left, and zoomed in detail on the right.

Miniature of Mughal Prince (India, 1610)

This miniature painting shows an encounter between a member of the Mughal elite and a holy figure. Measuring just 10.5cm wide and 22cm high, the fine details of this artwork are best seen close up—or by zooming in to the image on the Cultural Institute. You’ll be able to appreciate the incredible detail both in the foreground and background, and rich and subtle colors with a close and accurate depiction of nature.

Zoom in on the Cultural Institute to admire the fine details of this miniature painting.

Kakiemon elephants (Japan, 1650-1699)

These colorful porcelain elephants, which stand about one foot high, were made on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. How did the potters know what they were making, when real elephants would not have been seen in Japan at this time? It’s likely that these were ordered specially by merchants of the Dutch East India Company for export, commissioned by design as ornaments for European mantelpieces.

Zoom in to admire the overglaze coloured enamels decorating these elephants

Moon jar (Korea, 1600-1800)

White, minimalist forms are not a modern invention. These “moon” jars were prized during the Joseon dynasty in Korea, symbolizing the Neo-Confucian ideals of purity and integrity. Play the audio guide to find out the fascinating history behind how this particular moon jar found its way into the British Museum’s collection.

Bark etching of a kangaroo hunt (Australia, 1800-1899)

The British Museum is home to one of the oldest surviving Aboriginal bark etchings. The etching is made of bark from a eucalyptus tree which was blackened by smoke from a fire. Zooming into the artifact, you’ll see that the sooty surface was incised to depict figures armed with boomerangs, spears and clubs hunting a kangaroo.

Carved Wooden Figure Known as A’a (Rurutu, 1700-1850)

This wooden statue from the island of Rurutu in Polynesia was presented to English missionaries in the early 19th century as the local population converted to Christianity. It has inspired several artists of the twentieth century, including the poet William Empson whose Homage to the British Museum drew a contrast between the religious power of the figure and its secular surroundings.

There is a supreme God in the ethnological section;

A hollow toad shape, faced with a blank shield.

[...] At the navel, at the points formally stressed, at the organs of sense,

Lice glue themselves, dolls, local deities,

His smooth wood creeps with all the creeds of the world. [...]

Being everything, let us admit that is to be something,

Or give ourselves the benefit of the doubt;

Let us offer our pinch of dust all to this God,

And grant his reign over the entire building.

The British Museum is not only worth a visit for the objects in its collection—it has some impressive architecture too. You can experience the Great Court and a view of the reading room, which was used for research and writing by Sun Yat-Sen, Bram Stoker and Karl Marx.

Go on a private tour of the museum whenever you want! This is the Queen Elizabeth II Great Court. The famous architect Lord Norman Foster transformed the Museum’s inner courtyard into the largest covered public square in Europe.

Through a special microsite called The Museum of the World, visitors to this virtual gallery can explore and make connections between developments across the world’s cultures.

Clicking on an artifact from India in the 16th century shows connections between related developments across the world’s cultures around the same period in history

The Museum of the World gives visitors a new way to experience the British Museum’s collections, providing a wealth of knowledge about the exhibits with just a few clicks of the mouse. Each artifact on virtual display is accompanied not just by a caption, but also a map identifying where the object hails from, an audio guide, and links to related cultural objects online.

Posted by Piotr Adamczyk, Program Manager, Google Cultural Institute

Chopin briefly beats Shopping in search, largely thanks to Asia

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

For one brief moment in the world of Google searches last night, Chopin beat shopping. And that’s largely thanks to Asia.

The International Chopin Piano Competition draws a larger crowd than you might think. Here’s the chart of search interest in the competition, the composer and online shopping. As the finals were livestreamed online, people rushed to check out the performances and see who won.

Poland hosts the competition every five years in honor of one of its most famous composers and Poland generates the most search interest in the competition. But then Japan and Korea show the most search interest in the world behind Poland, far above the U.S. or France.

Within Korea, search interest in the competition even beat out K-Pop boy band Exo.

And no wonder: check out the winning performance from Korea’s Seong-Jin Cho at the 17-minute mark in the video below.

You can watch all the performances on the Chopin Institute’s YouTube channel and dive into the history of the competition and into Fryderyk Chopin’s history via two online exhibitions on the Google Cultural Institute.

Detail of gigapixel image of Fantaisie-Impromptu cis-moll [Opus 66] (1833 - 1834), Fryderyk Chopin’s autograph composition dated 1835 (collection: Narodowy Instytut Fryderyka Chopina)

Tune in for the broadcast of the winners’ performances on October 21, starting at 7pm Central European Time.

Beauty is in the eye of the video creator

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

YouTube is often the first place people turn to for beauty tips. But did you know just how many types of beauty videos there are? There are tutorials, product reviews, lookbooks and even transformation videos, just to name a few.

If you’re wondering what the difference is between these, you’re about to find out with the help of some of Asia’s top beauty creators — and you might be surprised to learn that some formats are more popular in certain countries over others.

Japan: The Product Review

Sasaki Asahi

Product review videos are pretty straightforward — they give viewers detailed information on products and how they’re used. Some creators keep viewers in suspense by “unboxing” the product before beginning the review.

In Japan, young people especially love finding out about “100 yen makeup” (essentially makeup purchased at one-dollar shops) — who says makeup products have to be expensive?

Korea: The Tutorial

Next up there’s the quintessential beauty video format, the tutorial.

So Young’s Beauty Room

The popularity of Korean music and dramas around the world means that everyone—well, a LOT of people—want to look like a K-Pop star. No wonder then, that Korean makeup creators’ tutorial videos are so popular.

SSIN, one of Korea’s top YouTube creators, puts an interesting spin on these star look videos by uploading how-tos for how to look like male stars. Check out this tutorial for getting mega K-pop idol G-Dragon’s smouldering look:

Australia: The Lookbook

Wengie

If you’ve ever wondered how a piece of clothing might look on you or how to style an outfit, then “lookbook” videos are for you. For instance, Australia’s Wengie will show you three ways to wear high-waisted denim shorts or outfits that’ll take you from day to night.

Hong Kong: The Vlog

Hong Kongers love watching behind-the-scenes videos about their favorite YouTube creators. One of these is Hana Tam — over half of her videos are vlogs, giving her fans a candid glimpse into her busy life, such as this video here.

Multi-talented Hana hasn’t just limited herself to beauty tutorials, like this smoky eye how-to, but has also done music covers and travel vlogs as well.

Taiwan: The Giveaway

It is a truth universally acknowledged that everyone loves giveaways. This is a surefire way of engaging more fans with your channel “in real life,” as it were, and of connecting your fans on different social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram and cross-pollinating by mentioning them on a YouTube video.

Here is Taiwanese beauty creator Peri’s New Year’s lucky draw giveaway video:

Southeast Asia: The Haul

Momay from SpokeDark TV

A haul is what you get when a YouTube creator, like Thailand’s Momay, goes on a shopping spree and shows off all her purchases. Now you may ask how a haul is different to a product review. Hauls generally involve multiple products — often from the same store or the same type of product — and the videos show how all the items work together.

Beauty videos are not just for the ladies. Guys, in case you’re wondering what’s in it for you, there are also plenty of grooming videos to check out: take a look at videos by TheMorusaism and Chotin0707.

With these successful creators as well as region-wide searches for new talent like Beauty Bound Asia, this is truly an exciting time for Asia’s beauty creators. We look forward to seeing what amazing videos Asia’s beauty creators are going to be making next.

Posted by Dave Powell, Director, YouTube Online Partner Development, Asia Pacific

Liftware comes to Japan

Friday, October 2, 2015

In Japan, millions of people live with Parkinson's or Essential Tremor which cause involuntary movement and make everyday tasks, like eating, hard.

Liftware is a stabilizing handle designed to help people with hand tremor eat more easily. Now, Liftware is available in Japan here through our partner France Bed.

A similar video is available in English here.

Liftware automatically stabilizes in your hand, so that the utensil shakes 70% less than a regular fork or spoon. This means you can worry less about spilling, and focus more on enjoying mealtimes with family and friends.

Liftware includes two parts: a stabilizing handle and a utensil attachment, like a spoon. The battery lasts through several meals and it’s portable, so you can take it with you.

Posted by Daniel Lee, Business Operations Manager, Liftware

Asia Pacific Blog