In Japan, there is a tradition of eating soba noodles on New Year's Eve to bring good luck.
The robotic pet, such as Sony's Aibo, has become a popular form of entertainment and companionship for people who cannot keep real pets.
Ghost in the Shell, created by Masamune Shirow in 1989, is a popular anime and manga series that explores themes of cybernetics, artificial intelligence, and the nature of humanity.