Fotopedia: Japan

APP OF THE WEEK:Gen cert, Fotonauts Inc, iPod Touch (also iPhone, iPad)

“Welcome to Japan, where the past and the future seem to meet in a parallel universe.” This app’s poetic greeting, in a nutshell, is why so many Westerners are fascinated by the Land of the Rising Sun; Sci-fi images of ultramodern Tokyo contrast with the country’s rich cultural legacy. Fotopedia: Japan is essentially a photo album with informative captions. From the snow-caked Hakone to the neon-soaked Dotonbori via the temples, there are samurai processions, geishas (well, modern women dressed as geishas) and sumo wrestlers. Fotopedia (the Wikipedia of photos) is a great resource, and the pictures are consistently beautiful, even ones of unglamorous locales such as crowded train stations and scaffolding-choked houses. A less generous viewer might view this as an extended ad from the Japanese tourist board, but considering what the country has suffered this past year, it’s a nice reminder that it shouldn’t be defined by its tragedy. For the iPad it’s like a guidebook crossed with an attractive coffee table book – only much, much cheaper.