The piece of paper below was handed to me by a colleague to explain an unusually large bandage; protecting what turned out to be an intricately injured digit.
Or more accurately, an intricate and gloriously injured digit.
Photographs from a small group of islands
The piece of paper below was handed to me by a colleague to explain an unusually large bandage; protecting what turned out to be an intricately injured digit.
Or more accurately, an intricate and gloriously injured digit.
Wednesday saw the start of the government’s summer saving campaign, with bureaucrats and politicians being encouraged to dress casually in a bid reduce energy consumption. The relaxed dress code has rather optimistically been dubbed Cool Biz, and to mark the occasion, the nation’s wavy-haired Prime Minister ditched his jacket and tie for a relatively tasteful Okinawan shirt. Although the lack of neckwear must have been slightly distressing for Mr. Koizumi, as he appears to have made up for its absence with a rather large and gaudy rosette.
Despite the Prime Minister leading the way, not everyone was ready to ditch the tried and trusted shirt and tie. One bureaucrat from the Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry showed a distinct lack of initiative by saying, “We haven’t received any specific orders from our bosses. Today is the day when we are supposed to change to summer wear, so I want to decide later (whether to go without a jacket and tie) while looking at what my colleagues do.” With another man from the same department grumbling, “It cost more to buy clothes that look nice without a tie.â€
However such dull and unimaginative approaches to the new campaign appeared to have been shattered earlier in the day, when Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura said, “I’m surprised that my clothes have created such a stir.” Conjuring up images of the 61-year-old politician cutting a dash in a stylish Versace outfit. Or perhaps wowing young officials with a daring Vivienne Westwood design.
Yet sadly (and rather predictably) this wasn’t the case. Quite the opposite in fact. Machimura-san it turns out wore a lackluster blue business suit and a checkered shirt. A look — and the reaction to it — that says a great deal about the state of Japanese politics and the pedestrian approach to policy making.
Living in Japan and possessing a singing voice that warrants a stretch behind bars means that evenings out with colleagues or acquaintances can be fraught with danger. One simply never knows if (although sadly it’s usually when) the battle cry of “Lets go to karaoke!†will rear its ugly little head.
This spine chilling suggestion for the vocally challenged requires an immediate and effective escape plan. Perhaps a feigning of tiredness, or even a boldfaced lie involving family members, sickness, and an urgent need to return home. Basically anything will do, as long as it results in a night of karaoke crooning avoidance.
Such cowardice has thankfully served me well up to now, but the evil engineers at TASCAM have released the terrifying Karaoke Man on to a vapid and voracious market.
This innocent looking but malevolent device allows users to cut the vocals from any CD. Which combined with the supplied microphone creates a light and portable karaoke machine. A gadget that is destined to appear when least expected and even less desired.
This is a frightening prospect indeed, and one that will require a serious rethinking of evasive strategies. One possibility is the claim of a mysterious yet especially virulent throat condition. A disease so baffling that karaoke singing in any shape or form is liable to be fatal.
Rather extreme I admit, but these are troubling times for a westerner without the ability to warble.
On Monday, the Kanagawa Prefectural Government deemed the hugely popular Grand Theft Auto 3 a harmful publication, and promptly submitted a report to the prefectural authorities to ban sales of the game to those under the age of 18.
This is an unusual move in itself, but even more so considering it comes over 18 months after the game’s Japanese release, and 350,000 sales down the line. A decision that immediately brings to mind the words, horse, stable, and long since bolted. Especially as the game’s two (arguably more violent) sequels were not even mentioned in the report.
Despite this ludicrously late response, the resolution could potentially have long lasting effects, as it is the first game in Japan to be designated as a harmful publication due to the violence it depicts; with members of the child welfare council claiming it has the “potential to induce youths to feel like doing something cruel.â€
The decision has understandably had a mixed response, but Akio Mori of Nihon University is especially pleased. The author and teacher saying, “There’s no doubt young boys’ brutal incidents have been caused under the influence of violent games. We should restrict sales of games in which splattering of blood is commonplace.â€
Young lovers of such games living in Kanagawa need not worry too much though. Even if the sale of Grand Theft Auto 3 becomes restricted, a quick trip to nearby Tokyo will easily solve the problem. Plus there’s still the huge amount of extremely violent and sexually explicit manga to peruse. Which can be conveniently purchased just about anywhere, by just about anyone.
There are tattoos, and then there are tattoos, and the young lady pictured below is undoubtedly sporting those of the latter variety.
However not to be outdone, her body art loving friends are the proud owners of some equally impressive but more manly designs.
The look perfectly complemented by some equally manly underpants.
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.