Photographs from a small group of islands
As the Japanese economy continues to struggle, finding oneself suddenly out of work is a distinct possibility. And should this unfortunate situation arise, you’ll find yourself down at the Hello Work office.
Yes, as serious a situation as unemployment is, the place dealing with benefits and charged with helping you back into gainful employment has the comedy name hello work.
How on earth did they come up with this name?
Even coming from Britain – which is supposed to be a nation of dog lovers – the current fad for all things dog related in Japan has taken me completely by surprise.
It has to be said that doggie clothes of all descriptions and prices have been available for a long time. As have restaurants offering dog menus – compete with mineral water and special dishes. Plus for the truly demented dog lover, wedding services are an extravagant option. I’m not joking either. The dog wedding I witnessed on TV had the full works. Including dog guests, an aisle (of sorts), and a foreign ‘religious man’ to oversee the proceedings.
The latest craze however is renting a dog. For a rather steep 1,575 yen (7.5 pound), you can take your dog of choice (so long as it’s a cute Chihuahua, toy poodle, or miniature dachshund) for an hour’s walk. Puppy the World in Odaiba – one of the shops that offer this service – supplies customers with a leash, some tissues, and a plastic bag should the dog need to do a spot of business along the way.
Now personally, if I was paying that much just to take a dog for a walk, I wouldn’t expect to be cleaning up its excrement too. However the shop’s happy customers don’t seem to mind this one bit. On the contrary in fact, as it all seems like an enjoyable part of the experience. A 25-year-old woman called Akaike saying, “I want to raise a dog in the future, so this is like practicing.”
And for those who want to do some serious practicing, for a hefty 10,500 yen (50 pound), customers can take a dog home for a ‘sleep over’. With the kind people at Puppy the World supplying a day’s pet food, a water dish, and a cage for the animal to sleep in.
If this is all too sickly and sweet for you, I should add that despite shops such as Puppy the World, dog rearing in Japan does have a darker side. Dog fighting is still legal here, and whilst it’s not as popular as it used to be, fights are still held annually. For a bit more information, click on the picture of the cuddly little Tosa below.
As the Japanese take a rather relaxed approach to town planning, finding your way to someone’s house, a restaurant, or bar can be a tricky endeavor to say the least. More often than not a map is a necessity, as are numerous telephone calls, as you inevitably find yourself going round and round in circles.
Because of this, using landmarks is essential. Now in this department I’m quite fortunate as I live near a school and a well-known karaoke complex, so people usually have no trouble finding my humble abode. Yet I’m nowhere near as lucky as the people that live in an apartment building I came across yesterday. First off they can say, “My place is above the opticians.â€
Or to make things really easy, they can simply point out that they live below the giant gorilla.
Police in Osaka have launched a manhunt for a knife wielding trouser thief. Now whilst stealing trousers may not seem like the worst crime in the world, it’s a little worrying when they are taken from someone who happened to be wearing them at the time.
Last Tuesday night, an unsuspecting 18-year-old cook was leaving a public toilet when he was confronted by the thief. At knife point the young man was forced to remove his trousers (which also contained a mobile phone and 10,000 yen [50 pounds] in cash), and give them to the armed criminal. After being handed the trousers, the plunderer, who was described as about 30, fled the scene clutching his ill-gotten leg wear.
Unfortunately this left the victim trouserless in a city centre public toilet. Not an ideal situation to say the least. After hiding out in the restroom for a while, the cook eventually mustered up the courage to venture out and rushed to a nearby store where he somehow managed to borrow a pair of trousers. Unfortunately the report didn’t give any details about how he explained his predicament, but one can only imagine how embarrassing the whole situation must have been.
At the incredibly tacky, yet surprisingly popular Yokohama Curry Museum, a curry-flavoured cocktail is now available. The drink is called Karetini, and is based on gin. But to live up to its billing it contains curry spices and red pepper.
I have to admit that I’m not a big cocktail fan, but this new concoction sounds particularly unappealing. Plus an official of the museum claims, “it will cause you to perspire” which is not something I generally look for in an alcoholic beverage.
Lets just hope it’s not one of those cold sweats that usually precede projectile vomiting.