There are many inventions that are credited to China like gun powder, ink, printing press, porcelain...; Egyptians for mathematics and alphabet; Americans with cars, airplanes and everything else. Is there an invention that is of Japanese origin?

natto

Don't think Americans invented the car... I think the Japanese invented the CD though.. and of course they invented pretty much everything Japanese too! (sushi, samurai, ninja, etc..)

I was thinking about things that are not really cultural but major inventions that the world at large uses today. Electricity, telephone, mathematics, computers, airplanes, cars... Anyway, no big deal, I was just curious.

I think it was the Romans who invented concrete, so they can't take credit for that... apart from that I have absolutely no idea.

I recall someone saying, perhaps it was over on this board, that the West has always been very good at fundamental physics, while Japan is good at the applied variety... example: the basic principle of the LCD was invented by a Frenchman in the 1900s, but it was the Japanese who brought LCD to the masses in the form of display units you can buy at Dixons.

Calculus.

Sony

Yellow taxis!

A serious recent example would be the blue LED.

Shuji Nakamura - Blue Laser Inventor:
http://www.japansociety.org/global_affairs/event_corp_note.cfm?id_note=355972041

Taro,

Who is Japan's most fun wacko?

Captain Japan wrote:Taro,

Who is Japan's most fun wacko?

Japan's most fun folks are those cheerful Chanters.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned: concrete.

[quote="Jack"]There are many inventions that are credited to China like gun powder, ink, printing press, porcelain...]

Actually, mathematicswas around long before the Egyptians;
Carswere invented by the Germans;
Aeroplanesby the French.

The Japanese invented . . . TANSOKU.



And, of course, there's also the now famous lists of Useless Japanese Inventions aka "Chindogu"

Mosaiced (sp.) covered porn and who can forget... bukkake!

MSG ANYONE?

That lovely taste that brings out the herpes like bumps on the tongues of every ramen eater from here to Timbuktu. Ode to MSG, how I love thee. You make my skin rash brighter and my bum hole wider.

J peeps invented the karaoke machine.

kaiten sushi (conveyer belt sushi).

Trains that run on time.

".....and it was good". God.

Sorry, trains that run on time are copyrighted by the Swiss.

Wow, I actually remembered one!

If you're in mechanical engineering you will know about certain tests to ascertain the shear strength, ductility and some other properties of metal alloys... a lot of these were invented by Japanese engineers in the 1930s, the most famous example being the Fukui test.

methamphetamine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphetamine#History

The Love Hotel

amdg wrote:methamphetamine

I had half a mind to start a thread about methamphetamine a while back but never quite got around to it. On the left of the picture below is Akira Ogata, who first synthesized crystal meth.



It was sold in Japan under the name 「]Here's one article about meth use among Korean Americans[/URL] which uses that term.



As this article says, there were initially restrictions on sale of Philopon but, during wartime, it was freely given to troops during to keep them sufficiently wired for action. After the surrender, unused supplies were readily available to the civilian population and the first epidemic of drug use lasted for around 10 years. The second epidemic started around 1970 at the time of student riots and marked the beginning of the major involvement of the yakuza. The bubble era still saw use of stimulants but the early 90's marked another big upswing. Here's a 2001 paper in annoying PDF format (or click here for the HTML version) which gives details of some of the varieties of drug which turned up in the country.

amdg wrote:methamphetamine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphetamine#History

Good read. I was unaware that one could use a suppository to injest meth...I guess I got something to do over the New Year's Holiday.

I think sumo has it's roots in mainland Asia. Koreans got something similar, Mongolians too. Some say the Japanese originally came from/via the Asian mainland. Maybe sumo too...

Iraira wrote:Good read. I was unaware that one could use a suppository to injest meth...I guess I got something to do over the New Year's Holiday.

As a corollary to the old saw, why fart and waste it, when you can burp and taste it, J-docs seem to feel, why take your meds orally when you can go the anal route? Not that meth is a med or anything, but predictably they made a su-po out of it.

PS: if you want to get a J-nationalist all hot 'n bothered, tell them that those J-lads who fought so bravely during WWII were generally addled out of their gourds on meth - as were most kamikaze pilots, one surmises.

Catoneinutica wrote:PS: if you want to get a J-nationalist all hot 'n bothered, tell them that those J-lads who fought so bravely during WWII were generally addled out of their gourds on meth - as were most kamikaze pilots, one surmises.

Well, he could come back with the observation that, during the Viet Nam war, American soldiers used more amphetamines than the rest of the world did during WWII.

Mulboyne wrote:Well, he could come back with the observation that, during the Viet Nam war, American soldiers used more amphetamines than the rest of the world did during WWII.

Yeah, but we're proud of that..

GJ

Mulboyne wrote:Well, he could come back with the observation that, during the Viet Nam war, American soldiers used more amphetamines than the rest of the world did during WWII.

Indeed, but it's received wisdom in Japan that the US is a hotbed of drug-crazed lunacy, so they're already inclined to perceive every 'Nam vet as being akin to Dennis Hopper. But to sully the valour of the proud Sons of Nippon by pointing out the inconvenient truth that a great many were strung out on meth whilst fighting for Mom and the Emperor is to act the provocateur to many-a nihonjin.