General

Now I’m taking a wild guess here, but I think Cut K might be a barbershop.

Well, it’s that time of year again, and not only is it Christmas Eve, but Tokyo Times’ first birthday. What on earth I was thinking starting a blog on December 24th is anybody’s guess, but start I did. And perhaps more surprising is that once I started I didn’t stop.

I have now been blogging longer than I was a boy scout, a would-be guitar legend, and gym member all combined. An achievement that (by my unexacting standards) I’m quite proud of.

But enough of me patting myself on the back. As it’s Christmas Eve I’d like to take the opportunity to wish all Tokyo Times readers who celebrate Christmas (in whatever form) a very happy day tomorrow.

And as a bit of festive cheer, here’s one of the many decorations brightening up Ginza at the moment.

*Tree kindly brought to you by Chanel. Maker of cosmetics, cologne, and, erm, Christmas trees.

Once autumn and (especially) winter arrive, Mount Fuji is often visible from Tokyo. You aren’t going to catch a glimpse of the majestic mountain when you are just walking down the street, but from a decent vantage point, some pretty fine views can be had.

And if you happen to live in a luxurious high-rise apartment downtown, you may be lucky enough to look upon this wonderful sight from your no doubt spacious balcony.

Not to be outdone however, I found that by standing on my tiptoes and looking through the top corner of my living room window, Fuji-san was visible in all its hazy, distant, and electrical wire obscured glory.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning last week, police in Saitama (just north of Tokyo) were informed about a potential break-in at a consumer credit card company branch.

Three officers quickly arrived at the scene, and found a man attempting to destroy an ATM. But using the steel bar he was trying to damage the machine with, the thief attacked the policemen, prompting one of the officers to fire 2 shots at him.

Needless to say both shots missed (although sadly we don’t know by how far), and the quick-footed criminal managed to escape on a nearby bicycle. Yes, not a high-powered sports car, but a bicycle!

Embarrassed police are now searching for the man, who they describe as in his 20s or 30s and wearing a black jacket. That should narrow it down a bit eh? Perhaps he also had black hair and Asian features.

Above is a leaked copy of top police marksman Kenji Watanabe’s latest outing at the shooting range.