General

Japan’s terrific number of train otaku have already been treated to a carriage-themed clock, and now, these timetable obsessed citizens can sensibly save their money in this uniquely designed depository which, in these financially volatile times, may well be about as safe as a real bank.

Based on Tokyo’s Yamanote loop line, the product cleverly allows its proud owner to pop their money through the roof of the carriage.

Plus, if that wasn’t enough, the lights flash on and off,

along with the doors actually opening,

and closing.

Details which undoubtedly make it a must buy; however, incredibly it has one more tantalising trick — the ability to play train station melodies from a selection of stops on the line. A few examples of which can be heard by watching this dazzling live demonstration.

A final flourish that means Japanese train aficionados can now happily save up for their next trip while at the same time still feel like they are traveling on a train.

Does life get any better?

With Japan’s seemingly forever faltering economy, and the fact that the country’s once famed job for life system has been slowly slipping away for a considerably long time, vocational-based colleges now seem conspicuously more common — the pursuit of practical skills seen as equally crucial as other kinds of education for carving out a career.

A trend that Tokyo Academy is obviously intent on making the most of, although sadly its much touted male nurse major has failed to fire many people’s imagination.

Its cutie doctor course on the other hand has managed to maintain much more interest.

Maybe.

For reasons unknown — although it may well have something to do with late teens in tiny tartan skirts — the Japanese high school girl look is one that is often copied and clandestinely catered for, along with the availability of a veritable cornucopia of costumes aimed at pandering to such passions.

Meaning that such raiment features regularly in magazines,

and maybe even more so in men’s minds,

although generally it doesn’t involve the inclusion of brief-baring blokes, Sesame Street-style silliness and a pipe protruding from the model’s mid-rift.

Or maybe I just lack imagination.

(image via the FG Forums)

The likes of Starbucks and McDonald’s are certainly easy to criticise, as they almost criminally continue to make cut and paste copies of countries, and conceivably even continents. An issue that is particularly pertinent in Tokyo, with one or the other — and quite often both — seemingly battling it out on every busy block.

However, when one is far away from home, familiar places and especially products are now and again nice to have nearby, although being British, fish and chips shops are decidedly few and far between, and coming across the comforting treat of a toasted crumpet is tantamount to lighting upon long lost treasure. Yet that said, it’s not exactly impossible to get merchandise from the motherland, with the availability of certain beers and possibly even a bit of public school buggery for those with a penchant for such practices.

Plus, on days when one is in the doldrums, it’s always nice to know that no matter where one is in the world, the never ending fun of novelty breasts is never far away.