Photographs from a small group of islands
The arrival of autumn means that the summer’s horrid humidity is something we won’t have to suffer anymore. Well, until next year anyway. But as well as enjoying a stroll to the station without perspiring like the proverbial pig, there is also the added bonus of Mount Fuji becoming visible from Tokyo once again.
And thankfully there always seems to be someone with a camera (and more importantly a good vantage point) to capture the sight far better than I could ever hope to do.
The 22nd typhoon of the year is expected to hit Tokyo and the surrounding area in a couple of hours (6pm). And experts are predicting it will be the strongest to hit the region in over a decade. By noon tomorrow, we have been told to expect about 250 millimetres of rainfall.
It’s not pleasant, that’s for sure.
Although I am fortunate in that a (typhoon proof and licensed) convenience store lies around the corner from where I live. Just near enough to make a quick beverage dash.
[Edit]
It’s arrived. And just like the trains, it was on time.
A man was fatally stabbed in Osaka last week following an argument with a stranger. But the disagreement wasn’t over a woman, money, or even politics. No, it was over the issue of urinating in public.
The victim, 38-year-old Takayuki Nishio, was drinking in a park with friends after a game of amateur baseball. But the argument started when Yoshio Maeda was walking his dog in the same area, and spotted one member of Nishio’s group relieving himself.
Why Nishio-san was singled out is unknown, but a slanging match broke-out between him and Maeda. All pretty innocent up to now, but following the argument the deranged dog walker went home and picked up a knife. Then promptly returned to the park and stabbed the unfortunate Nishio in the stomach, resulting in his death a few hours later.
There are surveys for most things these days, so I guess Toto Corp’s investigation into the toilet habits of men should come as no surprise. And in its peeing poll, the nation’s largest toilet manufacturer discovered that 23.7% of Japanese men sit down to urinate.
Reasons for the increase in sitters (up from about 14% three years ago) are said to be varied, but most of them seem to centre around cleaning, and the poor aim of many men.
An unnamed and newly married 24-year-old company employee who was interviewed fell into the latter category. A recently converted sitter, he went on the record saying, “It’s my job to clean the toilet and I used to find my aim wasn’t too good, Once I’d gotten used to sitting, I learned to relaxâ€
Toilet researcher (yes, you read that right) Junichi Hirata has a different take on the burgeoning trend. After presumably extensive research, the men’s room master blames the increase on the spread of Western toilets. Hirata-san highlighted the decision in the 1960’s to move away from Japanese toilets as being the turning point, leading to a massive decrease in numbers. And eventually to the position we find ourselves in today, with the Western-style toilet being considered the norm.
But the trend for sitting could bring about other changes, and not just cleaner bowls and drier floors. Urinal sales are said to be plummeting, with figures down 60,000 from four years ago. And even underwear designers are taking note. The opening at the front of men’s underwear is quickly becoming superfluous, with catalogue clothing seller Cecile Co. having less than half of their stock offering such access. A presumably straight-faced company spokesman was quoted as saying, “With so many guys in their teens or 20s sitting down every time they use the toilet, the demand for briefs with openings just isn’t there anymore.”
This trend has ruffled a few feathers though. Chiba Institute of Technology Associate Prof. Yoshiyuki Ueno (who has studied toilets for an astonishing 3 decades) is not at all happy about it. The professor immediately went on the offensive, forcefully proclaiming that, “Men are structurally designed to piss standing up.†And if this wasn’t enough, he went on to say, “I wouldn’t recommend anybody sitting down on a Western-style toilet to urinate. I advocate bringing back household urinals and solving problems regarding cleanliness by getting guys to be responsible for cleaning up.”
So there you go.
And here is a picture of such a non-betraying Boyfriend’s Arm Pillow.
I thought for a while about attempting a witty comment. But looking at the picture again, does it really need one?