Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

Sports

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Furtive photographers foiled?

In attempt to keep one step ahead of the nation’s furtive photographers, Japanese manufacturer Cramer Japan has produced some anti-peeking pants that block see-through snaps of female athletes.

Infrared rays it seems can pass through most materials, which has led many perverted picture takers to adapt their equipment accordingly. A recent increase of such ‘technology’ at sporting events prompting the previously mentioned pants from Cramer — the first piece of clothing in a line that will go by the name of Shot Guard. Company president Takashi Hakazono boasting that such products should make athletes feel more at ease, which “will probably release them from the fear of not knowing when or by whom they will next be photographed, and allow them to concentrate on their events, leading to better results.”

Japanese shot guard

A claim that these young ladies from the Japanese Olympic swimming team seem to agree with, as it finally allows them the chance to relax after a work out in the gym,

Japanese model risa kudo

or a practice in the pool.

Japanese models mao miyaji/yoko mitsuya

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Soporific sport

While Japanese mobile phone operator Softbank has recently been in the headlines over the hullabaloo surrounding the allegedly large sums of money paid to Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt for their work in the company’s current ad campaign, its affiliate Softbank Players has, after much speculation, taken the much less media friendly option of bailing out debt-ridden sport Banei horse racing.

banei japanese horse racing

A peculiar pastime that, for those who don’t follow the sport, involves huge horses pulling even heavier weights up a track that is seemingly designed to slow proceedings down even further.

The racecourses Banei-Keiba are 200-meter-long straight separate courses with two humps in the middle. The whole course is covered with over 30-centimeter deep sand, and horses starting from the starting gate clear the 1-meter high first hump and next fight over the 1.5-meter high second hump. Steel sleighs pulled by the horses are loaded with weights, and horses compete with each other by pulling the over 500-kilogram sleighs.

There again, with the right marketing, Banei does have the potential to be popular with those suffering from heart problems or sleeping disorders — its preposterously ponderous pace and complete lack of excitement possibly making it more effective than beta-blockers or sleeping pills. The 4-minute video below offering a suitably soporific sample.

Arguably the only brief moment of interest — which mercifully happens early on — is the mention of the unusually named horse, Super Clinton. A clip of which, if you are really that interested, can be seen here.

Finally, for those who have watched the video in its entirety, driving or operating heavy machinery is not advisable until you have fully recovered your senses.

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Bikini-clad bottom battlers

With sumo’s popularity gradually waning, now is perhaps the perfect time to think about introducing a new, more attractive national sport to the Japanese masses — like bikini bottom wrestling for example.

bikini wrestling

An activity that cleverly continues sumo’s blink-and-you’ve-missed-it bouts and a distinct lack of clothing, yet at the same time is far more appealing and perky.

Although with its fast-paced action, the regular use of replays to accurately judge the winner would probably be necessary, with slow motion and pause facilities a must.

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J-League jamboree

Even though the Japanese J-League season recently came to an end, and the video below is hardly new, Tokyo Times has never been terribly topical, so it’s worth a look anyway.

japanese soccer commercial

Plus, as well as being very funny, it is a commercial promoting Ajinomoto stadium — the home of FC Tokyo, and somewhat less famously, the location for this site’s decidedly long in the tooth top of the page banner. Which, unlike the promo, is lacking somewhat on the lady front.

ajinomoto stadium

Enjoy.

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Dog fighting diversion?

Perhaps hoping to take some of the heat off their whale hunting and dolphin killing countrymen, the residents of Kochi in western Japan held one of their traditional dog fighting contests over the weekend, with tenacious Tosa dogs tackling each other’s, erm, tackle.

tosa dog fighting

The fights themselves, whilst far from affable, are thankfully not to the death, with a set of judges scoring the animals on temperament, stamina and injuries inflicted, allowing successful entrants to gradually work their way up the ranks — the top slot being reserved for the Yokozuna.

Like this cuddly looking companion for example.

tosa_yokozuna.jpg

For a bit more in-depth info, this post in the Tokyo Times archive is possibly worth a peek.

Or not as the case may be.