Whether these concrete shoes outside a diminutive drinking den are mere decoration.
Or instead a thinly veiled threat to those without enough money.
Is not altogether clear.
Concrete coercion?
General
Plastic pussy (paw)
Perhaps realising that the limited edition Kamen Rider belt isn’t exactly going to send share prices soaring, toymaker Bandai has decided to re-release the nekonyanbou, its famous cat’s paw toy. A bizarre little plaything that first saw the light of day 20 years ago; rather surprisingly shipping over a million units.
As the picture clearly shows, each nekonyanbou moves in a way similar to a real cat’s leg/paw — albeit a severed one. And if that’s not enough to have you immediately rushing to the shops brandishing bank notes, it’s available in different colours too.
Once purchased, the plastic paw can be used in a variety of inventive and fun ways. For starters, there’s the ability to scratch unsuspecting colleagues’ necks. Something of a hoot at lunch time apparently.
Or for the even more playful, there’s always the option of a bit of feline flirtation, although admittedly this does require the extra purchase of some silly ears. Oh, and a second nekonyanbou.
And for those tired out from such frivolity, the multipurpose mitt is ideal for, erm, lazily grabbing ever so slightly out of reach cups of coffee — or indeed tea.
Finally, there’s also this.
Whatever it may be.
Art attack
Accused of breaking Aichi Prefecture’s rather long-winded ‘government ordinance aimed at providing youth with a wholesome upbringing’, two men in their early 20s have been arrested for tattooing underage girls.
Both Kiyoe Namikawa and Yusuke Ushijima have admitted to the allegations, which involve the latter tattooing a 16-year-old’s wrist and the former painstakingly etching a heart and cross above the breast of a 15-year-old junior high school student.
Taking a slightly different approach than Japan’s more traditional tattooists, the two budding artists created their masterpieces with a safety pin, a needle and a few dabs of ink. One of them attempting to explain his behaviour and at the same promote his talents by boasting, “She asked us to do it because it looked cool.â€
However a rumour that the young men were all set to give the two lucky ladies cutting edge and as-cool-as-can-be anchors on their forearms has yet to be confirmed.
Physical graffiti
In the land of manga and traditional tattoos, this bit of street art is decidedly disappointing. Those responsible even omitting the obligatory pubic hairs — and perhaps more worryingly the gonads.
Thankfully the effort below is a different story altogether.
Toy terror
Youngsters that kick up a fuss after not getting their own way rarely make the news, but Mrs. Ichikawa’s son did a lot more than throw a tantrum after his request for more dolls was turned down; as unable to control his temper, the feisty young fella angrily set fire to his futon, resulting in the family home being burnt to the ground.
Realising the error of his ways, Hiroyuki Ichikawa did try and rectify the situation, promptly turning himself in at the police station. The futon felon tearfully telling the officer in charge, “I argued with my mother after she refused to grant my request to buy me dolls. I started the fire to vent my frustration.”
An excuse that may not save young Hiroyuki from prosecution — or indeed ridicule — as at 27-years-old, he’s probably a little too old for tantrums.
And dolls.