Photographs from a small group of islands
Despite Japan’s declining birthrate, the government confirmed this week that Tokyo’s population has reached a record high of over 12 million. 12,378,974 to be exact.
Thankfully the city’s extensive train network should still be able handle the extra numbers. There’s still plenty of room to squeeze a few more in.
Recently over 500 people took part in an event hosted by The society to Preserve the Tradition of Whale Eating. Presumably in a bid to maintain the traditional way of eating whale. Whatever that may be. In a curry? Or perhaps with pasta?
Yet despite the ban on whale hunting, the government affiliated Japanese research institute catches hundreds of whales every year as part of its research program.
To research the best sized steaks for take-away plastic containers perchance?
Due to the history between the two nations, and the more recent worries of nuclear weapons, you wont be surprised to know that Kim Jong-Il is a popular topic on Japanese TV. And with North Korea’s illustrious leader celebrating his 62nd birthday just recently, the bouffanted one was treated to something akin to a TV special.
We were shown the usual pictures of mass celebrations, but more intriguing were a few biographical details that the presenter mentioned. Now we all know that Kim Jong-Il is prone to the occasional fib, but nobody is perfect. I think we’ve all been guilty of embellishing our CV now and again, or talking up a past performance.
Yet one so called fact was a little too hard to swallow. According to government sources, Kim Jong-Il’s best round of golf was a mind boggling 34. That’s 38-under-par. And in the same round he managed 5 hole-in-ones! If that wasn’t enough, supposedly it was his first ever game too.
The thing is, if it is actually true, what on earth is he doing troubling himself with all the problems involved in running a poverty stricken country? With a talent like that, he could make an absolute fortune on the PGA Tour. He’d certainly give that young upstart Tiger Woods a run for his money.
This week, Masaki Kinoshita was given a 14 month suspended prison sentence for spraying anti-war graffiti on a public toilet wall in Tokyo. With Japan’s troops now in Iraq (which creates all kinds of constitutional questions), and the frustration that Mr. Kinoshita must have obviously felt, I still can’t condone such actions.
But in summing up, the Judge came out with this statement. “He virtually covered the whole wall with large characters, and spoiled its beauty, resulting in a situation capable of making users uncomfortable and unhappy.”
Now I’m guessing the Judge doesn’t use public lavatories very often, as the word beauty is not a word one usually associates with such places. And as for feeling uncomfortable and unhappy, I thought that was a normal reaction upon entering a dark, damp, and foul smelling public convenience.
Apparently not.
Gyudon (basically rice topped with beef) is a popular cheap meal in Japan, and there are a few restaurant chains that center their business almost solely around it. But the recent ban on imported U.S. beef has meant that many outlets have had to stop selling it.
Unfortunately some customers aren’t taking it very well. Two days ago, 35 year-old Masaaki Mori entered his local gyudon restaurant at 9 am. After swiftly drinking two bottles of beer (obviously an early starter), he ordered a bowl of gyudon. This is when the trouble started, as after being told that the shop had run out of beef, our disgruntled customer kicked up a bit of fuss. Banging his fists on the counter and shouting his displeasure to all and sundry. The man seated next to him told him to be quiet, so our beef loving brawler slapped him on the face, and for good measure grabbed the hair of another customer who tried to intervene.
After his arrest, Mr. Mori told police officers that he “thought the restaurant was still serving gyudon. I felt angry as they said it had stopped serving the dish.”
Since the incident, it’s rumoured that the nation’s gyudon restaurants have upped their security to code orange until further notice.
In a bid to produce environmentally friendly energy, the government has been increasing the number of wind-powered generators in Hokkaido, northern Japan. A positive move most people would no doubt agree.
However some natural conservation organizations think differently, as last week an endangered eagle (designated a natural monument no less) was found dead near one of the generators. Apparently severed by the blades. Due to this, the groups have urged caution in building more wind-powered generators. Claiming that during times of poor visibility, birds can’t always see them.
Looks like it’s back to burning coal then.
