All Ping

Black hamburgers have been around for about a year now, ever since Burger King launched its Premium Kuro Burger in Japan. It has black buns and dark ketchup, but the meat patty and vegetables retain their natural colors. But the people over at Vegas Premium Hot-Dogs, in Akihabara, Tokyo decided to one-up the giant fast-food chain by creating a food item that is entirely black as charcoal. 

Vegas was already famous for the size of its delicious hot-dogs, which span over 30 cm in length, but ever since they introduced the Black Terra Hot-Dog, in March, their popularity has grown even more. You would expect clients to be turned off by the rubber-like sausage, but apparently people who see this delicacy advertised on the billboards in front of the fast-food joint just can’t resist the urge to try it.

Photo: Imgur

By now, you probably think the images have been manipulated in Photoshop, but I can assure you the Black Terra Dog is very real. So how is a food that looks like rubber safe for human consumption? Some people claim the buns and sausage are infused with squid ink for coloring, but according to a number of reports in the Japanese media, Vegas Premium Hot-Dogs actually uses edible bamboo charcoal powder, which is used as a food dye throughout Asia. I know it looks bad, but apparently it doesn’t alter the taste at all and it’s good for your health.

The Black Terra Hot-Dog costs ¥600 ($6) and is just one of the three delicious treats sold by Vegas Premium Hot-Dogs.

Photo: Akibun

Although Japan is one of the world’s leading car manufacturers and its public transportation system is probably the most advanced on the planet, the bicycle is still a very popular means of getting around in the busy traffic. Unfortunately parking spaces are at a premium, and owners are often forced to leave them on the sidewalk where they become obstacles for pedestrians. 

To solve this problem, Japanese company Giken Seisakusho, which specializes in tidal and flood protection systems, created ECO-Cycle, a series of five underground storage bicycle storage facilities where owners can safely “park” their bikes in just 8 seconds. The buried cylindrical structures are only seven meters wide, but deep enough to safely store up to 200 two-wheel vehicles each.

                                                                                                                                                                                  Photo: The Yomiuri Shimbun

Bicycle riders have to pay a monthly subscription to gain access to ECO-Cycle, and they are issued a personal card. Whenever they want to park their bikes, all they have to do is position them in front of one of the above-ground booths and swipe their card through a reader. A mechanical arm clamps it in place, the booth door opens and the bike disappears underground. The whole process takes just 8 seconds, and retrieving the vehicle is just as fast. Ever since the solution was implemented in Konan Hoshi No Koen Park, in 2010, illegally parked bicycles have mostly disappeared from the area.

“Steel boards are inserted into the ground to create a cylindrical shape, and the soil inside is then removed. We can do this in only two months,” Shotaro Yano, head of the Giken’s underground development division, says about the advantages of ECO-Cycle. “As soil pressure is evenly distributed (thanks to the cylindrical shape), the parking facility is reasonably earthquake resistant. As a carrier device is placed in the center, the distance the bikes have to be moved is minimized.” The construction of an underground bicycle storage unit costs 150 million yen ($1,5 million). Including those under construction, there are currently 43 ECO-Cycle facilities at 16 locations across Japan.

        Photo: Danny Choo