Photographs from a small group of islands
With what appears to be a bid to boost the already oppressive nature of a Japanese government building, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Tokyo has disallowed discourse in its elevators. In fact, even a wary wee whisper is considered out of line, as silence only is suggested.
A move that has allegedly been watched with interest over at the Ministry of Culture, with rumours abound that it is all set to ban smiling and eye-contact in its building from April.
The Japanese love of mayonnaise is nothing new, with the egg-based dressing used on a whole host of foodstuffs — fried chicken being the top choice by all accounts. Yet a new restaurant in Nagoya has taken this love to a whole new level, basing the whole menu on mayonnaise; the establishment making sure there are no mistakes in regards to its methods by naming it Mayomayo.
For creamy connoisseurs not able to quite finish off a whole tub in one sitting, the restaurant offers a ‘bottle keep’ service, allowing customers to write their name on the unfinished container and have it kept for a month.
Meaning those whose cholesterol levels have dipped from hazardous to merely high can quickly pop back in and boost it back up. A nice dish of mayonnaise tofu perhaps doing the trick.
Or for something on the sweet side, a cone of mayo ice cream could be ideal.
A devotion to dressing that some of the restaurant’s regulars appear to take a little too far, rather worryingly combining creamy consumption with cosplay.
(via the FG forums)
Following in the footsteps of Ueno Zoo, workers at western Tokyo’s Tama Zoo held a training exercise this week to practice capturing animals that may break-out during a natural disaster or an especially audacious escape bid. And, like their downtown counterparts, the staff utilised the latest in make-up methods and animatronics technology to make the drill more realistic.
Perhaps understandably, the ultra life-like orang-utan outfit sported by Morita from marketing put the fear of God into the majority of those present, but eager to please her new employer, recent recruit Nakamura-san risked life and limb by bravely attempting to coax the confused animal back towards its enclosure.
The rampaging beast’s refusal to play along however resulted in the arrival of gun-wielding young Goto-san,
who, as the rest of the staff cowered behind protective fences, promptly halted the primate’s potter about.
A result that whilst delighting zoo officials had a decidedly different affect on two visiting school children.
Although the Japanese indulge in a spot of dog fighting now and again — albeit on a small scale — indulging the dog itself is far more common, with the likes of mud baths and canine size kimonos. A trend that has recently been taken even further by El Perro, a Tokyo based aqua fitness centre.
Here, pampered pooches can receive remedies for bone and sinew problems, along with a nice splash about in the pool.
And for those looking for something a little bit extra, post-paddle pool-side ear massages are an extravagant option.
Plus, for a pet a little on the plump side, weight loss programmes are available, with the company’s website highlighting the diary of Momo — El Perro’s dieting dachshund.
A touching story that has seen the once colossal canine lose almost half its weight, slimming down from a sizeable 26.8 Kg to a rather more svelte 14.5 Kg. Quite an achievement in just under a year.
However the centre’s plan to stop at nothing to please its customers has led to reprehensible rumours regarding alleged genital licking and arse sniffing services; an issue Tokyo Times attempted to get to the bottom of, but a phone call regarding such practices was met with nothing but a stony silence — neither quashing nor confirming the allegations.
“I spent the money at video game arcades. I murdered them so I could steal some money.”
Third-year University student Shimura is now being grilled further about the incident, which resulted in 61-year-old Shinichiro Nomoto and his 86-year-old mother being murdered at their Tokyo home in late January. An investigating officer reiterating the senselessness of the crime by confirming that the 21-year-old student had frequented game arcades for several years; however how much Shimura-san’s Dance Dance Revolution honed dexterity will benefit him in the prison showers,
remains to be seen.
