Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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Fancy feline

Selling for even more than ebay listed PlayStation 3s, the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo has a platinum Hello Kitty figure for sale from Tuesday; the 5.6 centimetre cat priced at a staggering 18.9 million yen (82,000 pound). A figure that perhaps not surprisingly makes it the most expensive Hello Kitty figure in existence.

platinum hello kitty

Feline fanatics however are advised to get there early, as the platinum pussy is a one-off. Plus with the added option of attaching ribbons and using the object as a pendant, interest is expected to be intense.

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Tokyo tormentor

Police in Saitama Prefecture, just north of Tokyo, charged a 20-year-old on Monday for violating the animal protection law after allegedly killing a cat and then posting pictures of the dead pet on the internet.

The unnamed man is suspected of capturing the unfortunate animal in a nearby park, and then repeatedly stomping on it in the bathroom of his Tokyo apartment — the disturbing deed later recorded on a camera-equipped mobile phone.

Numerous complaints about the images eventually spurred the police into action; however regardless of the rather unsavoury nature of the incident, the accused appears utterly unrepentant, telling investigating officers that he finished off the feline out of a sense of justice because cats torment squirrels and mice.

A sentiment that despite garnering huge support amongst Japan’s large rodent population is expected to have somewhat less of an effect on the nation’s judiciary.

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Not so jolly Japanese

A six-month study that questioned young people in 14 countries, found that only 43 percent of those aged between 16 and 34 admitted to feeling happy with their lives. The MTV Networks International survey concluding that those from developing nations are far more likely to feel light-hearted about their lot in life, with Indians topping the tinkled pink table.

The Japanese on the other hand miserably moped in last, a meagre 8 percent of those asked claiming contentment.

Not that you’d ever guess.

miserable japanese

(click image for mega-sized miserableness)

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Norika nuptials

Despite her somewhat advanced age in youth-obsessed Japan, model, actress and all-round celebrity Norika Fujiwara has still managed to cause a media melee of sorts with the announcement of her upcoming marriage to comedian Tomonori Jinnai. After something of a whirlwind romance, the pair are expected to tie the knot early next year, with speculation already rife in regards to what the 35-year-old former beauty queen will wear on her big day.

Many pundits it seems expect Fujiwara-san to opt for a simple and relatively traditional white outfit.

norika fujiwara

Others however are predicting a more rebellious and risqué approach, quite possibly in red.

norika fujiwara

Whilst a few have even suggested something completely different altogether, with bold and black rather controversially being banded about.

norika fujiwara

Her husband-to-be on the other hand will probably wear a suit.

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24 Karat card

With Tokyo retailers beginning to build up to the big push that is Christmas and New Year, famously flashy jeweller Ginza Tanaka has once again easily outdone the opposition; this time by producing a 24 Karat gold Christmas card, which at 30 million yen (133,000 pound) is a little on the pricey side — although it does ‘pop-up’.

gold christmas card

Potential purchasers should be aware however that with a weight of 6 kilogrammes,

gold christmas card

postal charges could be quite costly.