Current Affairs

Apr 16 2008 13 Comments

Tokyo intimidation?

With the new school year in Japan now well and truly underway, teachers up and down the country will be keeping their eyes peeled for any bullying, especially after the number of cases that needed dealing with doubled in 2007.

However, despite the ongoing issue and the catastrophes it can cause, one or two schools don’t seem to be taking it as seriously as they perhaps should. This Tokyo kindergarten in particular appearing to almost promote,

rather than prevent,

such practices.

(click images for bigger, bouffanted bullies)

Feb 24 2008 7 Comments

Tokyo midday murkiness

With the ongoing poisoned gyoza scandal, and the recent football-related fracas, Japan’s abundant China bashers must think it’s their birthday.

And now, to top things off, there could even be a haze-like hat-trick, as yesterday Tokyo was hit with what may well have been an unwelcome return of the seriously unsightly Chinese yellow sand.

Unless of course it was just dust of domestic descent.

Jan 30 2008 12 Comments

More Japanese whaling whoppers?

With more of a hullabaloo than ever this year over Japan’s annual whale hunt, Prime Minister Fukuda recently felt the need to enter the fray by declaring, “I don’t think it is right for the discussions to turn emotional, especially with the recent violent act against the Japanese research vessel … so we should try to continue with our efforts to try to explain that we are engaged in this research whaling activity from a scientific viewpoint.”

Something of a standard statement from Japan it has to be said, although sentiments within the country itself send out much more in the way of mixed signals, as to some, whaling is regarded as mainly about rights rather than research. The banner below brashly brushing off the party line by boasting that whale is Japanese food culture.

Which, whether right or wrong, really begs the question as to how much is about science,

compared to that of sustenance,

and sheer single-mindedness?

Jan 16 2008 3 Comments

Japanese whale whoppers

In the last few months, Japan has come under ever increasing criticism over its ‘scientific’ whale hunts, with Australia in particular condemning the culls. However, while it is difficult to condone the killing of such incredible cetaceans, it simply cannot be said that the Japanese don’t take their research seriously, with very little of the mammals left ~~untast~~ untested.

And while critics claim that the results from non-lethal techniques could prove to be equally as productive, proponents opine they would be far less palatable.

Dec 28 2007 10 Comments

Genuine Japanese?

With a slew of food-related scandals throughout Japan, and the nation’s pension problems persisting, the kanji officially considered most apt for this year is that depicting ‘fake’. The newly chosen symbol, as tradition demands, carefully composed by a Buddhist monk.

A profession that rather ironically is also frequently faked for money making purposes, with ‘beggars’ near stations and outside department stores often derided as dodgy.

But that said, what percentage are impostors is probably impossible to say, as without close-quartered consideration, who can confidently conclude whether these fellas are cosplay crooks,

or cloistered converts?

I certainly can’t.

Dec 04 2007 3 Comments

Japanese feline-based fodder?

With one Japanese purveyor of packed lunches now offering whale curry, and the nation’s newly expanded ‘scientific hunts’ potentially set to provide humpback burgers, public opinion outside Japan has been far from positive to say the least.

So, perhaps in a bid to make the munching of marine-based mammals seem a little less monstrous, a number of imaginative individuals have customised the popular Japanese winter dish nabe,