Young Inventor Gets Patent for His "Umbrella Ghost" - Kids in Action - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Yamamoto Ryota, a sixth-grader at Okuda Elementary School in Toyama City, has developed a warning device to stop people from leaving their umbrellas behind in shops and restaurants. Thanks to his invention, Ryota has become the first elementary school student in Japan to be granted a patent.

Smileys - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
People always keep in touch. But while many people who were reluctant to write letters now send large volume of electronic correspondence, it is said people have grown away from the warmth of handwritten messages. Perhaps to make up for some of the facelessness, emoticons (emotive icons) created with symbols and the letters of the alphabet are often used to convey a range of emotions. Writers can show everything from pleasure and sadness to anger and embarrassment. When accompanying a text message, these "smileys" can fill in the emotional gaps in electronically transmitted text.

Inventions - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Some of the most outstanding entries in a nationwide invention contest for kids were shown at a Tokyo department store from March 13 to 18. On display were the 10 works that won the Grand Prize along with 185 others, chosen from among the 684 submissions. Most of the items were made using everyday objects and were inspired by real-life experiences or contact with nature.

Solar Bikes - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This summer, fourth graders at Jozan Elementary School worked on a special project. They turned old, battered bicycles into bicycles driven by solar power - the power of the sun. 95 kids from three classes proved that even children can achieve something great if they work together.

Cellphones - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
On July 21, a group of teenagers got a rare opportunity - they stood in front of an adult audience and presented their proposals on how society can make better use of mobile phones.

Summer - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
For Ayako Shimizu, a fourth-grader in the city of Akikawa, Tokyo, summer vacation is a time for coming up with inventions.

Astronaut - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Takao Doi became the first Japanese astronaut in history to venture outside his spacecraft on November 24 (November 25 Japan time) when he and fellow crew member Winston Scott from the United States successfully rescued a satellite that had gone out of control.

Net - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Many "pupils" from across the country are enrolling in an elementary school on the World Wide Web. They are not only "attending" classes at the Website but are doing homework and gathering for various events, such as a field day.

Plants - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A researcher in Ibaraki Prefecture has developed a system that can "hear" what plants are saying. The messages sent by the plants are being used to determine when and how much to water them.

Space - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Nearly 6,000 elementary and middle school students across Japan duplicated two scientific experiments that Japanese astronaut Chiaki Mukai conducted aboard the U.S. space shuttle Discovery on her voyage in late October and early November 1998.

Mars - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Anyone who's ever dreamed of traveling to other planets can now do perhaps the next best thing: have an inscription of your name make the journey for you.

Islands - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Elementary and middle schools on four small islands off the coast of Toba City, Mie Prefecture, are being linked by computer with major ocean-related institutions around the city.

Wheelchair - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A brother and sister attending an elementary school in Kyoto won a special prize in a recent wheelchair design contest. They became the youngest winners in the event, launched in 1989.

Telescope - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Since Galileo invented the telescope in the early seventeenth century and impressed the world with eye-opening astronomical discoveries, constant efforts have been made to get clearer, more precise images of the universe.

Mountains - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Children attending an elementary school in Yuki, a mountainous community in Hiroshima Prefecture, are publicizing the charm of their school and its natural surroundings through an Internet Web page and inviting kids from other parts of the country to come study with them.

Poem - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
A total of 144,781 verses were submitted in a contest to complete a tanka poem whose first half was written by Chiaki Mukai, Japan's first female astronaut, while she was aboard Discovery on her second space shuttle mission in November 1998.

Shuttle - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Four Japanese schools have been selected to participate in an education program to be carried out by astronaut Mamoru Mori during his second mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor, scheduled to be launched in October 1999, the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) announced.

TV - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Fifteen elementary and middle school children in Tokyo recently met to discuss plans for television programs that they are producing on their own for the Children's Broadcasting Station, supervised by the Ministry of Education. The station went on the air in September.

Pain-Free Injections - Hi-tech - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Kids Web Japan Kids Web Japan Hi-tech Pain-Free Injections Painful injections using needles may soon become a thing of the past! search Web Japan > Kids Web Japan > Hi-tech > Pain-Free Injecti

Getting Around by Personal Helicopter - Hi-tech - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Kids Web Japan Kids Web Japan Hi-tech Getting Around by Personal Helicopter Have you ever thought that you'd like to fly? The power of engineering makes this exciting dream possible! Flying Like a Be