General

With Japan seemingly obsessed with celebrity as much as the rest of the world, it’s not surprising that many companies use famous faces to sell products or push particular brands.

Cosmetics giant Shiseido for example has wisely secured the services of young model Yuri Ebihara. Her advertising campaign for Anessa proving very popular indeed, especially as it involves Ebihara-san bounding along the beach in a bikini.

Whilst thankfully more modestly dressed, baseball star Hideki Matsui is a similarly effective figure for Mizuno. Godzilla’s strength and success overseas further solidifying the sports equipment maker’s standing.

Yet whereas cosmetics and the like are easily matched to a comely or crowd-pleasing celebrity, it’s a little more difficult for some products/services. Like Japanese online property pioneer Mother’s Auction for example. The company’s gruelling quest eventually seeing it secure the services of singer and writer Akihiro Miwa.

A man of many talents it has to be said, but a purveyor of property might be pushing things a little bit.

With maid cafes now mainstream, and Tokyo’s Akihabara district absolutely teeming with them, it has obviously becoming more and more difficult for such role-playing retreats to make ends meat. A point probably proven by the diversity of such places now open for business, as after starting out as merely entertaining eateries, there are now reflexology and religion-based options; and even variations for the ladies, with butler and princess-themed places.

A situation that has possibly prompted what would appear to be the latest innovation, which is to pay for the company of a maid — the most expensive option being for the young lady to go to the customer’s home and spend the night there. Yet despite a price tag of 40,000 yen (320 dollars), this only involves ‘sleeping beside him’ and does not allow for any funny business whatsoever.

Plus for those on a slightly tighter budget, Soine de Maid-san also offers a ‘Date Course’, with prices ranging from 8,000 yen for 90 minutes to a much more cost effective 20,000 yen for a full 5 hours. And thankfully for any fellas feeling a little frustrated after their fun but far from furtive escapades, there is always the option of a quick visit to the far less modest Hand Maid, which, as its name suggests, is designed to help beat off any built up tension.

(Info direct from Danny, who must surely be the only man to have had a maid massage whilst sporting a Stormtrooper suit)

Whilst it has been scientifically proven that bikini-clad Japanese babes find Stormtrooper suits simply irresistible, it now appears to be similarly true that schoolgirls in Tokyo go doolally over Darth Vader. A phenomenon that may (or indeed may not) result in a slew of similarly suited predators prowling the Japanese capital.

For more pictures of the definitely not dodgy Darth Vader Danny out and about in Tokyo, simply click here.

Whether it was due to global warming or not isn’t clear, but Tokyo enjoyed a pleasantly warm winter this year, which, for the millions of residents living in poorly insulated apartments, was very welcome indeed. In fact, so temperate were the temperatures, that the capital went entirely without snow — the first time this has happened for 131 years according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.

But those mild months could well mean that Japan needs to brace itself for an especially sultry summer, and with the mercury already rising, protection will be paramount. A topic that admittedly is not usually covered on Tokyo Times, but the recent discovery of a Japanese product called Anessa has prompted such a post.

Now whilst it’s supposed to be good for the skin and so on, much more importantly it offers perfect protection for young ladies who enjoy running along the beach in a bikini. An especially noble pastime it has to be said, but one that has sadly been neglected of late; however the arrival of Anessa will hopefully make it fashionable again — maybe even helping it gain entry into the Olympics at some point.

And what’s more, showering between bouts of bounciness on the beach is also ok.

Presumably meaning that despite even the most rigorous of rubbing, it thankfully won’t come off too quickly.

Perhaps.