General

Police officers in Higashikurume were thrown into a panic over the weekend, when a construction worker carried a live World War II bomb into their police box.

The man had found the unexploded bomb whilst working on a building site about 700 metres away. He was then instructed by his boss to take it to the police and let them deal with it.

The officers in charge were not surprisingly shaken up by the unexpected arrival. And after evacuating the nearby area, they called in bomb disposal experts to take it away. They later confirmed that the bomb was indeed live, and had its detonator intact. Meaning that if it had been put down incorrectly, it could have exploded at any time.

In a bid to stop such an incident occurring again, the police issued this warning.

“It’s extremely dangerous for people who have no idea about explosives to hang around near bombs”

Wise words indeed.

When it comes to images of Tokyo, it’s generally the neon and concrete ones that get most attention. And with old buildings being demolished at a frightening pace, more traditional structures are becoming less and less noticeable. But thankfully not non-existent.

Hemmed in between the station and some apartment buildings, I saw this beautiful old house today.

But the title also hints at the new, as there was another building that caught my eye. The preposterously titled, and rather imaginatively deigned, Green Peas pachinko parlour.

Welcome to modern Japan!