Odd

I’ve long since given up trying to understand the Japanese obsession with all things Disney. The desire to posses the company’s merchandise and make numerous trips to Tokyo Disneyland appears to be almost genetic. Even Emperor Hirohito, somewhat surprisingly, is said to have been the proud owner of a Mickey Mouse watch. Several reports even claiming he was buried with it.

The recent actions of 25-year-old Manabu Furuya however almost make a Mickey Mouse loving Emperor seem acceptable. Quaint even. As finding himself down to his last 10,000 yen (50 pound) — but at the same time desperate to take his girlfriend to Tokyo Disney Sea — the deranged devotee robbed a pub where he used to work.

Yet fleeing the scene with 150,000 yen in his pocket, he was confronted by pub employee Takahiro Dono. And in a bid to escape, Furuya stabbed him. An attack that sadly proved to be fatal.

A tragedy though that failed to get in the way of Furuya and his Disney themed date. The day after the theft and murder, he happily went to Disney Sea as planned.

He may have even bought a watch.

Whilst remaining illegal, dueling once again appears to be in vogue when it comes to settling disputes. As despite the arrest of several youths last year for breaking the 1889 law forbidding such practices, 12 teenagers from Tokyo and nearby Yokohama were recently apprehended and charged with causing bodily injury and dueling.

It turns out the duels were over the sale of a motorbike, and six pairs were formed to fight each other and resolve the disagreement. The rules of each bout stating that hair-pulling was (understandably) forbidden, and the contests would continue until one person gave up, or alternatively a severe pummeling resulted in an opponent ceasing to move. An added clause also ruled that fighting to the death, whilst not compulsory, was acceptable.

When the police arrived on the scene, one dueler had suffered injuries to his arm and head, yet the protagonists were decidedly unrepentant. One of the teenagers asking, “What’s wrong with hitting each other with consent?” A question that understandably cut no ice with the arresting officers.

For anybody interested in the results, the upstarts from Yokohama were beating the kids from the capital by 3 wins to 2. Meaning they were very close to victory when the police arrived, and (whilst I’m not sure about dueling etiquette) will presumably be awarded the victory by default.

It’s not uncommon to see young women in restaurants or coffee shops dabbing their faces with (for want of a better description) grease removing paper. And as the humidity begins to rise, getting rid of this unwanted and shiny substance is deemed ever more necessary; with the little pieces of paper used becoming almost transparent due to an excess of, erm, facial matter.

One manufacturer however claims that not only will its product result in the skin being nice and dry, it will even feel like that of a baby. And what better way to emphasise this than by using the photograph of a toddler on the packaging?

On closer inspection though, I’m not sure that the little chap pictured was the ideal choice. Far from it in fact. As whilst he may have a cute little face, rather worryingly he appears to have the upper torso of an old man. Plus an unusually large left hand.

Or do all babies look like that?

An unnamed teenager was arrested on Wednesday for stealing the wallet of a 46-year-old company employee. But this was no ordinary theft, as the incident occurred when the two met for a date. And it was no ordinary date either, as the youngster was a 16-year-old boy in a miniskirt trying to pass himself off as a woman.

How the man and the miniskirt wearing youth planned the date wasn’t disclosed, but theft was the only thing on the boy’s mind. In cahoots with another male, he demanded a fee upon meeting his date, and when the man handed over his wallet the young chap promptly ran away. Although presumably not very quickly considering what he was wearing.

This was when the accomplice stepped in. Feigning innocence, he stopped the man from giving immediate chase and asked what was wrong. After a brief explanation, the two then searched for the boy, but the planned interference had stalled the man long enough to allow his date to demurely flee the scene.

All in all a relatively interesting story, but thankfully one promoted to memorable by a police statement. As the investigating officer’s comment on the incident was, “Men don’t realize when other men dress up as girls.”

A gentleman who perhaps knows more than he’s prepared to give away…

In what hopefully isn’t a new craze amongst, erm, the crazed, a man was arrested on Monday for keeping a high school girl prisoner for 22 days. Less than a week after the capture of another man for a disturbingly similar abduction.

Dried fruit vendor Takayuki Kawamoto met his 17-year-old victim through a mobile phone matchmaking site, and then kept her captive with the use of handcuffs. Even using them during trips out in the car together, when Kawamoto would handcuff his victim to the steering wheel if he needed to get out.

After his arrest he told the police, “I kept her prisoner because I wanted to be with her.” And if in any further proof was needed in regards to the abductor’s inability to grasp basic social norms and dating techniques, he allegedly ordered the girl to fall in love with him. Threatening to kill her if she didn’t.

Kawamoto’s shift from love to laziness however was his downfall, as forcing the girl to work at his dried fruit stall allowed her a shot at freedom. A chance the young woman took, managing to flee to a nearby police box before Kawamoto could recapture her.

And as an added bit of oddness, Kawamoto shared an apartment with his mother and brother. Neither of who appear to have raised any questions (or indeed an alarm) in regards to their family member and his confined cohabiter.