Tokyo Times

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Books

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Book bother

Presumably realising that a brief book burning bash would raise more than a few eyebrows, prefectural officials in Fukui city instead opted to simply remove books they disagreed with from a local library.

It appears that those in charge of promoting gender equality in the region felt that some books were too radical. So radical in fact, that the idea of readers making their own minds up was simply inconceivable, resulting in around 150 books being taken off the shelves. Some of the titles deemed dangerous including one on how to divorce, another on the subject of making schools free of gender and the wonderfully named ‘A Theatre Under The Skirt’ by Chizuko Ueno, a Tokyo University professor and expert in gender studies.

However after some assembly members rumbled the dirty deed, the books appear to be on their way back, library head Riyuko Sadaike rather unconvincingly saying, “We removed the books just to check their contents. We will return them to the shelves as soon as possible as we have received the protest.”

All in all a rather unsavoury affair, although as an isolated incident it’s hardly indicative of a return to ‘the bad old days’. No, surely for that to be the case we would have to see the likes of people clamouring for a change in the country’s pacifist constitution, the forcing of public employees to sing the national anthem and high-ranking ministers suggesting the emperor should visit the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine.

Oh, hold on a minute…

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Butlers and boy love

Tired of their manga and maid loving male counterparts having all the fun, Japan’s growing number of female otaku (geeks) have decided to hit back — the opening of a ‘butler cafe’ graciously getting things going.

swallowtail butler cafe

The Swallowtail coffee house in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district is decked out like an English manor house, with customers subserviently greeted with a “Welcome home, Madam.” A concept that may seem a little odd, but it’s one that appears to have a ready-made audience, Emiko Sakamaki, the woman behind the eatery, explaining, “When I visited a ‘maid cafe’ last year, I thought there should be a cafe with a similar concept for women. And I saw people post some messages on the Internet that they wanted such a butler cafe. I thought the cafe could be accepted.” And accepted it has been, with tables being fully booked until May 12, the management asking customers to make reservations online to guarantee themselves a table.

Swallowtail’s vast majority of visitors it seems are women in their 20s and 30s, with Ayako Abe of K-Books — which runs the cafe and has several shops that sell manga depicting love between beautiful youths — explaining the market for such establishments by saying, “Our shops’ prime target customers are not women in their teens and 20s, but those in their 30s and 40s who got used to ‘boys’ love’ comics while they were young, and come to the stores with their daughters.”

Not that any such ‘boy love’ goes on whilst beverages are being served, with Swallowtail’s handpicked group of 20 ‘butlers’ having spent a month studying about various kinds of tea leaves and how to make a good cuppa. A training program however that may need a few minor adjustments, with visitor Noriko Suzuki commenting, “The butlers looked nervous serving tea and cake, but I liked the ambience of the coffee shop. I felt like I was peeking into the world of girls’ manga comics dealing with butlers.”

A focus on the cafe’s decor and atmosphere that Sakamaki-san believes differentiates the likes of Swallowtail from the decidedly less sophisticated places catering for males. “Men would not mind if maid cafes use cheap tables and pipe chairs as long as the waitresses are pretty”

A comment that may,

maids japan

or may not be true.

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Rogue radishes

News-starved residents of Tokyo are currently going crazy over the appearance of a ‘daikon’ (Japanese radish) in the city’s Higashikurume district, the robust root vegetable miraculously pushing its way through the asphalt by the side of a road.

gutsy daikon

The radish’s emergence in an urban area without a hint of greenery has needless to say surprised many locals, with a Government official speaking for the majority by excitedly exclaiming, “I have no idea how the seed got here.” Yet sporting leaves that span the width of a human hand, and boasting a respectable diameter of 4 centimetres, the dynamic daikon can even be seen from the road, immeasurably brightening the morning trips of thousands of commuters.

This daikon dementia follows a similar incident in Aioi, Hyogo Prefecture, where an equally courageous radish recently appeared — local residents even going as far as naming it ‘Dokonjo Daikon’ (gutsy radish). A heartwarming tale that ultimately ended in tragedy, as a callous criminal sliced off the top of the vegetable; however its remains were rushed to a nearby agricultural research centre, where officials are still trying to bring it back to life. Town spokesman Jiro Matsuo tearfully stating, “People discouraged by tough times were cheered by its tenacity and strong will to live.”

Yet if the unthinkable happens and the daikon dies, it will continue to live on, its story having been painstakingly immortilised in a 48-page book; a project in no way designed to cash in on the radish’s tragic story, with an Aioi Municipal Government official claiming that with ‘Ganbare Dai-chan’ (Hang in there, little daikon), “We want to reproduce the radish and add a new page to its history.” Author Ayumi Miyazaki, who laboured for a full two months to produce the masterpiece, also adding that she hopes the book will leave a lasting impression of the radish as it grew through the asphalt.

daikon book

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Atom and Anne

As popular as manga now is, it has simply never appealed to me. Yet that’s not to say that I don’t appreciate it as an art form, and in Japan especially, it is used to introduce a whole host of ideas and issues. Invariably garnering a much wider audience than the more traditional text-only format.

That said, some things one would presume don’t really need the manga treatment. The story and message resonating strongly enough without pictures. Or in the case below, the cute contrast of perennial favourite Atom Boy.

anne frank

Yes, The Diary Of Anne Frank is available not only in manga format, but Atom Boy, his sister Uran, and the dodgy looking Dr. Ochanomizu kindly help the story flow. The cheery little chaps guiding the reader along in their usual jaunty and jolly manner.

anne frank japan

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Literary Livedoor

During a recent financial battle between brash new internet start-up Livedoor, and frumpy old Fuji Television, the IT company’s public relations official Ayako Otobe became something of a celebrity. Resulting in the perky professional being labeled ‘beautiful face’.

Not wanting to be known as just a pretty face though, Otobe-san has just released a book of essays on her job and business policies. A body of work that contains 40 hints on positive work techniques, including insider knowledge on such pressing concerns as fashion and make-up.

ayako otobe book

However in an effort not to put-off potential readers with such a highbrow offering, Otobe has kindly written the book using simple language. Urging book buyers, “If you believe in yourself as you proceed, your dreams will certainly be fulfilled. I want lots of people to read this and feel happy,”

To spread interest in the product even further — but in no way a cheap ploy to significantly boost sales by cashing in on the ‘beauty factor’ — the book also includes some photographs. So many in fact that they take up the first 16 pages of the book. And in keeping with the business theme and the idea of getting on in life, one photo is of Otobe-san in her, erm, bathrobe.

Sales, needless to say, are expected to be brisk. Yet bathrobe aside, is she really so ‘beautiful face’?

ayako otobe