Odd

It’s not uncommon to see young women in restaurants or coffee shops dabbing their faces with (for want of a better description) grease removing paper. And as the humidity begins to rise, getting rid of this unwanted and shiny substance is deemed ever more necessary; with the little pieces of paper used becoming almost transparent due to an excess of, erm, facial matter.

One manufacturer however claims that not only will its product result in the skin being nice and dry, it will even feel like that of a baby. And what better way to emphasise this than by using the photograph of a toddler on the packaging?

On closer inspection though, I’m not sure that the little chap pictured was the ideal choice. Far from it in fact. As whilst he may have a cute little face, rather worryingly he appears to have the upper torso of an old man. Plus an unusually large left hand.

Or do all babies look like that?

An unnamed teenager was arrested on Wednesday for stealing the wallet of a 46-year-old company employee. But this was no ordinary theft, as the incident occurred when the two met for a date. And it was no ordinary date either, as the youngster was a 16-year-old boy in a miniskirt trying to pass himself off as a woman.

How the man and the miniskirt wearing youth planned the date wasn’t disclosed, but theft was the only thing on the boy’s mind. In cahoots with another male, he demanded a fee upon meeting his date, and when the man handed over his wallet the young chap promptly ran away. Although presumably not very quickly considering what he was wearing.

This was when the accomplice stepped in. Feigning innocence, he stopped the man from giving immediate chase and asked what was wrong. After a brief explanation, the two then searched for the boy, but the planned interference had stalled the man long enough to allow his date to demurely flee the scene.

All in all a relatively interesting story, but thankfully one promoted to memorable by a police statement. As the investigating officer’s comment on the incident was, “Men don’t realize when other men dress up as girls.”

A gentleman who perhaps knows more than he’s prepared to give away…

In what hopefully isn’t a new craze amongst, erm, the crazed, a man was arrested on Monday for keeping a high school girl prisoner for 22 days. Less than a week after the capture of another man for a disturbingly similar abduction.

Dried fruit vendor Takayuki Kawamoto met his 17-year-old victim through a mobile phone matchmaking site, and then kept her captive with the use of handcuffs. Even using them during trips out in the car together, when Kawamoto would handcuff his victim to the steering wheel if he needed to get out.

After his arrest he told the police, “I kept her prisoner because I wanted to be with her.” And if in any further proof was needed in regards to the abductor’s inability to grasp basic social norms and dating techniques, he allegedly ordered the girl to fall in love with him. Threatening to kill her if she didn’t.

Kawamoto’s shift from love to laziness however was his downfall, as forcing the girl to work at his dried fruit stall allowed her a shot at freedom. A chance the young woman took, managing to flee to a nearby police box before Kawamoto could recapture her.

And as an added bit of oddness, Kawamoto shared an apartment with his mother and brother. Neither of who appear to have raised any questions (or indeed an alarm) in regards to their family member and his confined cohabiter.

In a crime that doesn’t lend itself to the colours blue or white, a 24-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday for holding a woman captive for over three months. With, as you’ve probably already guessed by the laboured opening sentence, the use of a collar.

It appears that Yasuyoshi Kobayashi became acquainted with his 19-year-old victim through the internet, and the pair eventually got together in a Tokyo hotel sometime in early March last year. But for the unfortunate young lady things quickly turned sour, as Kobayashi attacked her with repeated punches to the face before confining her in the room.

The unbalanced oppressor (who is alleged to have demanded he be referred to as master) then moved the woman to his home, and with the continued use of a collar kept her there until June 19. A momentous day for the victim, as when her tormentor’s guard briefly dropped, she successfully escaped.

During questioning, Kobayashi unbelievably told the police that despite the long time span he doesn’t remember the incident. An approach he’d be advised to adopt in the future when he finds himself confined for considerably longer than three months.

Working in a state-run junior high school, I’m well aware of how difficult some students can be. But that said, a 39-year-old Kagoshima teacher’s approach to discipline and class participation could be described as drastic to say the least.

During an art class on April 13, the teacher in question asked the students what colours they could name. But unfortunately for one boy, by the time it came to his turn most of the colours he knew had already been mentioned. The resultant pause as he desperately tried to think of an unused colour angered his decidedly impatient instructor, and before he knew it the teacher took out a paper cutter and shouted, “I’ll slash you if you can’t answer!”

Presumably the boy did answer, as there was no report of bodily harm, but that didn’t stop a disgruntled parent complaining to the school’s headmaster. And in a bid to diffuse the situation, principle Fukumoto said, “We are sorry for terrifying children.”

After admitting to the allegations, the cutter-wielding teacher apologised to the student and his parents. Bravely justifying his behaviour by claiming, “I did it to speed up the class.”