Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

Odd

8 Comments

Beastly backpacks

For Japanese elementary school students, these bulky and bland bags are standard issue; kids the length and breadth of the country weighed down with their colossal size and cumbersome design.

japanese school bags

Yet for parents looking for something just a little bit different, help is finally at hand, this collection of beast-skinned backpacks offering a real alternative.

japanese animal bags
(click image for added animality)

As a mid-range introduction, the wild boar option could be a wise move — its furry finish a definite plus point. And it’s a snip at only 500,000 yen (2,436 pound).

wild boar skin bag

However for those on the look out for a bag with a little more class and colour, the zebra clad carryall is ideal; although priced at a steady 1 million yen (4,853 pound), it’s not for the faint-hearted.

zebra skin bag

Yet for the truly ostentatious, this heady mix of snake and frog skin is arguably unbeatable — the inclusion of a liberal amount of gold further adding to its allure. Plus with a price tag of 1.3 million yen (6,307 pound), it’s guaranteed to cause something of a stir on the school bus.

snake skin bag

And if you somehow remain unconvinced, just look how cute they are.

animal school bags

Altogether now: One, two, three, awww!

11 Comments

Plastic pussy (paw)

Perhaps realising that the limited edition Kamen Rider belt isn’t exactly going to send share prices soaring, toymaker Bandai has decided to re-release the nekonyanbou, its famous cat’s paw toy. A bizarre little plaything that first saw the light of day 20 years ago; rather surprisingly shipping over a million units.

platic pussy

As the picture clearly shows, each nekonyanbou moves in a way similar to a real cat’s leg/paw — albeit a severed one. And if that’s not enough to have you immediately rushing to the shops brandishing bank notes, it’s available in different colours too.

Once purchased, the plastic paw can be used in a variety of inventive and fun ways. For starters, there’s the ability to scratch unsuspecting colleagues’ necks. Something of a hoot at lunch time apparently.

platic pussy

Or for the even more playful, there’s always the option of a bit of feline flirtation, although admittedly this does require the extra purchase of some silly ears. Oh, and a second nekonyanbou.

platic pussy

And for those tired out from such frivolity, the multipurpose mitt is ideal for, erm, lazily grabbing ever so slightly out of reach cups of coffee — or indeed tea.

platic pussy

Finally, there’s also this.

Whatever it may be.

6 Comments

Post-traumatic stress

How individuals deal with stress can vary wildly, with newspapers and magazines continually adding to the available options with all manner of methods and management techniques. Yet whereas many people opt for a bit of sport or subduing the senses with alcohol, Yoshiaki Kobayashi’s rather unorthodox approach is to shove a load of ice cream into the nearest postbox.

japanese postbox
a postbox

The 42-year-old stressed out salary man was picked up by the police last Friday after ‘posting’ a large dollop of chocolate ice cream; however after similar incidents in the same area involving ice cream of an undisclosed flavour and liquid soap, the police are questioning Kobayashi further over his possible involvement.

some ice cream

But whilst the investigation is still ongoing, Kobayashi-san has already admitted to the allegations concerning Friday night’s shenanigans, telling the officers in charge, “I was frustrated because my job was not going well. I wanted to vent my anger.” An act that unfortunately for Kobayashi violated the Mail Law, and also resulted in some letters becoming, to quote the police, “dirtied”.

3 Comments

Kamen chameleon

Toymaker Bandai has set the world of men in their 30s and 40s alight with news of the imminent release of a Kamen Rider belt, the fashion item practically identical to the one sported by the 1970s superhero; a device that whilst not only easy on the eyes, also doubles as a transforming mechanism — changing our man into an all-conquering defender of justice.

kamen rider

Hoping to cash in on a nostalgia boom of sorts, Bandai is shamelessly targeting men who were children when the programme first aired, a price tag of a whopping 31,500 yen (150 pound) amply proving this.

kamen rider belt

Yet whilst seemingly a bit on the pricey side, the belt does have a windmill-like contraption built into the front, which when pushed whizzes around quite quickly. And as if this wasn’t enough, it also changes colour too, dazzling onlookers with its red, blue and white lights. Or at least pale blue and orange anyway.

kamen rider belt

Bandai initially plans to produce around 10,000 of the belts, with hopes for more should sales warrant it. Plus with the product accommodating those from a relatively svelte waist of 85 cm, to a gut-busting-and-geek-accommodating 110 cm, sales are expected to be swift.

kamen rider geek

11 Comments

Harem scare ’em

A man in western Tokyo is currently under police investigation due to his unusual living arrangements, the 57-year-old sharing his home with a staggering ten women. Yet despite all the ladies being in their 20s and 30s, officials have stressed that Hirohito Shibuya is not being pushed to divulge his phenomenal pulling power. Rather, they are looking into a claim that one woman was told not to spill the beans about the situation after she refused an invitation to join, Shibuya-san allegedly threatening her by saying, “You will be in danger if you tell this to anybody”.

Japanese playboy

The group’s unusual set-up started in February 2000, when Shibuya divorced his wife and started living with several women. An incident he has never looked back from, as after a few more marriages and divorces he has continued to increase his number of partners, the majority of those who have divorced him opting to stay on at the house — most of them also choosing to retain his family name.

In a residential area where curtains must be continually twitching, neighbours maintain that shifty Shibuya stays at home every day, whereas the young women go out each morning — presumably to work. Although this is not to say that the 57-year-old is nothing but a lazy ladies man, as he claims to practice fortune-telling from the house. A profession that appears to have played a major role in creating this unconventional situation in the first place, the middle-aged mystic telling investigators that, “After starting fortune-telling at home, female clients have gathered around me, and now we lead a communal life, just like polygamy”.

Shibuya further added to his mystique — whilst at the same time hinting at a secret that could net him a fortune — by saying, “I realised that I can attract women by reciting a charm”.

A statement that going off appearances could well be true.

*Update: It has since been reported that during a search of the house investigators found a stun gun and tear gas spray, suggesting that Shibuya-san backed his charms and captivating good looks with rather more forceful measures.

Categorized: Odd

8 Comments

Toy terror

Youngsters that kick up a fuss after not getting their own way rarely make the news, but Mrs. Ichikawa’s son did a lot more than throw a tantrum after his request for more dolls was turned down; as unable to control his temper, the feisty young fella angrily set fire to his futon, resulting in the family home being burnt to the ground.

Realising the error of his ways, Hiroyuki Ichikawa did try and rectify the situation, promptly turning himself in at the police station. The futon felon tearfully telling the officer in charge, “I argued with my mother after she refused to grant my request to buy me dolls. I started the fire to vent my frustration.”

An excuse that may not save young Hiroyuki from prosecution — or indeed ridicule — as at 27-years-old, he’s probably a little too old for tantrums.

And dolls.