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Tokyo Times

Disturbingly altered dolls

With digital cameras of one description or another now commonplace, there’s the ever increasing problem of what to do with all the resultant pictures — bar printing off the odd one and leaving the rest on the computer until its hard disk dies and neatly nixes the problem. An issue ...

Posted on August 27, 2008 at 10:02 AM

Preposterously pampered pooches

In a desperate attempt to revive Japan’s decidedly drooping birth rate, the government is looking to provide further financial help for check-ups and the like. However, despite such measures, many people seem to be increasingly turning to pets instead of progeny, with miniature dogs seen as most desirable. A trend ...

Posted on August 26, 2008 at 10:29 AM

Whale warning?

In a stunning breakthrough, a group of Japanese researchers from Tokai University have managed to train a beluga whale to ‘speak’; the cetacean in question managing to link its own sounds to specific objects — cleverly creating ‘words’ of sorts. An incredible achievement that has prompted Takashi Murayama, a professor ...

Posted on August 25, 2008 at 9:50 AM

Sumo insensitivity?

Having just returned from my summer hiatus in the homeland, it’s rather surprising to find that an admittedly not particularly good but fairly prominent poster campaign by HSBC, is bothering some of the more sensitive members of Britain’s Japanese community. A problem that has even prompted Godfrey King, director of ...

Posted on August 24, 2008 at 5:17 AM

Japanese drinks #6: Pocket power

A fair number of Tokyo’s train stations now boast juicer stands, which sell freshly squeezed juice that, rather appropriately, can be happily supped while standing. These relatively recent additions offering the chance of some welcome relief after a particularly packed commute, or even some help with a horrible hangover. However, ...

Posted on August 22, 2008 at 9:33 AM

Devious Tokyo dentists?

With the Japanese capital not exactly suffering a dearth of dentists, competition is understandably quite intense, resulting in some rather dexterous dentist-related deftness. As, no sooner had the cannily named and naughtily nearby Delicate Dentist opened its doors, than it was craftily countered by the bold claims of this confident ...

Posted on August 21, 2008 at 6:24 AM

Lousy Japanese laundrette

Tokyo is often touted as a titan when it comes to technology, but while some citizens may well manage their manga on a mobile, or even seek out solace with silicone sirens, others have to make do without even that far from modern workhorse, the washing machine. A situation that ...

Posted on August 19, 2008 at 9:21 AM

Accommodation culmination

Many of Tokyo’s plentiful apartments are, it has to be said, decidedly on the dull side, with concrete and conformity most common. A rather sorry situation that means even the most modestly imaginative structure can be passed off as the pinnacle of perfection. Even a structural summit of sorts. ShareThis

Posted on August 18, 2008 at 3:17 AM

Appropriately named pachinko?

Considering how packed the nation’s pachinko parlours are, and in particular at the weekend, some of the popular pastime’s premises are rather aptly named. Especially, it would seem, for those trying to escape the pressures of work, or, in this predominantly male dominated world, the wife. Yet, for a gambling ...

Posted on August 15, 2008 at 9:24 AM

Sad looking cycles

Japan has such an abundance of basket bearing bicycles, that all too often they are indifferently discarded. And sometimes, the sight of one scrapped cycle can lead to several others seeing their service come to a similarly sorry end. That said, it’s not just basic bikes that suffer such a ...

Posted on August 14, 2008 at 9:13 AM

Disney’s delicious delectables?

Disney, and in particular its maddening little mouse, have a preposterously powerful grip on the Japanese psyche, with Tokyo Disneyland being the most visited theme park in the world. The mindboggling number of visitors almost allowing somebody to be singled out as a weirdo if they haven’t been welcomed into ...

Posted on August 12, 2008 at 9:09 AM

Japanese hand homage?

With Tokyo boasting a positive plethora of places offering all sorts of services, this hair salon, regardless of the spelling error, may well be sending out some seriously wrong signals. ShareThis

Posted on August 11, 2008 at 9:04 AM

Melancholy machines

Japan’s legendary legions of vending machines are nothing short of a modern marvel, as they diligently dispense their wares with barely a breakdown to bleat about. An almost fastidiously unflagging fortitude that somehow makes the odd disused dispenser so mysteriously miserable. Or maybe it’s just me. ShareThis

Posted on August 8, 2008 at 8:54 AM

Hopeful Japanese hostesses?

Come again? ShareThis

Posted on August 7, 2008 at 9:49 AM

Tutankhamun tech

There’s no denying that sleeping bags are handy things to have, but for true versatility, a Tutankhamun version is truly the type to try. As, not only will it keep one warm in all kinds of weather, but it is apparently the perfect companion for a whole host of people, ...

Posted on August 5, 2008 at 9:00 AM

Tranquil time out #31

Traditionally dressed tots at Japanese festivals are far from uncommon, although in this particular case, rather than sneaking a peek at her parents, she may well have been peering at a prodigious pink penis. ShareThis

Posted on August 4, 2008 at 8:00 AM

Japanese wig woes

When it comes to facial hair, most Japanese men aren’t hugely hirsute, with more than a few having to make do with the likes of manufactured moustaches. Yet baldness on the other hand doesn’t appear to be that big of a problem, which, while great for the majority, makes it ...

Posted on August 1, 2008 at 9:17 AM

Cute concession

Japan’s obsession with all things cute, and the fairly recent convergence of this trend into cuddly little canines kitted out in all kinds of clothing, is an easy practice to poke fun at. However, that said, it could be a sign that I’m getting soft, or possibly because as a ...

Posted on July 31, 2008 at 9:11 AM

Japanese bar game bother

As far as the Feather bar’s sign goes, could it have been a simple lack of A’s, over-exuberance due to an excess of E’s, or the simple dearth of a dictionary? ShareThis

Posted on July 29, 2008 at 9:07 AM

Japanese doll demeanor?

For Japanese men with a penchant for plastic, there are a vast array of dolls to dabble with, whether it be at home, or in a hotel. The nation’s ladies on the other hand, should they have such a hankering, will have to make do with this somewhat catatonic casanova. ...

Posted on July 28, 2008 at 9:04 AM