Tokyo Times

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Television

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(Not so) Mobile Suit Gundam

Forget your impressive but decidedly diminutive robots such as Asimo, EMIEW, and nuvo. Instead, welcome the new titan of robot technology: The Land Walker.

land walker

This colossal beast stands an impressive 3.4 metres high, and weighs a whopping 1-ton. Plus, with the use of four pedals in the cockpit, it can be manoeuvred forward, backward and sideways, although admittedly it’s not what you’d call swift, strolling at a somewhat sedate 1.5 kph.

However, any concerns about speed can be instantly dismissed by the fact that the Land Walker is equipped with two air guns positioned next to the cockpit, allowing the driver to fire sponge bullets at flabbergasted onlookers who dare to mock the machine’s lack of pace.

The robust robot was designed almost single-handedly by 32-year-old Masaki Nagumo, who works for the company Sakakibara Kikai, based in Japan’s Gunma Prefecture. Nagumo’s aim it turns out was to develop a device like those in the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam, saying, “I wanted to see a robot on which people ride and operate, like Gundam.”

gundam land walker

For other Gundam fans, Sakakibara Kikai will happily make the Land Walker to order. The only stumbling block (apart from shipping I suppose) is that it costs a cool 36 million yen (180,000 pound). But fear not those on a tight budget, as the company says the price will be lowered if enough people place orders.

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Overly optimistic?

“The ideal man for me must be gentle, kind to people, never give up, be warm-hearted, family-oriented, sports-minded, and like kids.”

Actress Aya Ueto on what type of man she’d like to marry.

aya ueto

As pretty as she is, with those kind of requirements I think young Ueto-san is going to end up very disappointed.

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Media miscreants

Public broadcaster NHK has recently been having a torrid time due to a well publicized embezzlement scandal, and allegations of censoring a program due to governmental pressure. And now to add to its woes, a company employee has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old high school girl on a Tokyo commuter train.

It turns out however that 36-year-old Ko Sasaki’s ignominious arrest might be merely the tip of a very large iceberg. As a blacklist currently being circulated details numerous cases of disciplinary action within the company over the last 6 years. Incidents involving prostitution, peeping Toms, molestation, and sexual harassment.

Due to the disproportionately large number of cases, I’ve only listed a few below. Most of which never made the news, and the majority of the perpetrators escaped prosecution due to pressure allegedly asserted by NHK.

nhk japan

October 1999. An employee was dismissed and fined 500,000 yen (2,500 pound) after paying for sexual favours from a high school student he met through a telephone club.

May 2000. A department manager caught stealing ladies underwear from a nearby stadium locker room. The man was eventually dismissed, but charges of breaking and entering were dropped.

February 2001. A department manager again, which makes you wonder what kind of training they are given. This one was found guilty of molesting a female student on the train. He was suspended from work for 5 days (although there’s no mention of demotion) and penalized 50,000 yen (250 pound).

November 2001. An employee caught filming up a woman’s skirt at a train station. Resulting in a 5 day suspension and a similar 50,000 yen fine.

February 2003. Another upskirt aficionado. This worker was rumbled whilst in action with his digital camera. He too was suspended for a week, but received a heftier penalty of 200,000 yen (1,000 pound).

July 2003. More train groping to finish off with. This media molester received a 5-day suspension and a 50,000 yen fine.

Never a dull moment at NHK eh? Apparently many of the suspensions were/are covered up so fellow staff members don’t find out. But with this information now doing the rounds, any employee taking a couple of days off for a bout of the flu will surely have tongues wagging upon their return.

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Abominable in blue

Television and media star Asami Ishikawa (or talent to use the often overly generous Japanese translation), was out yesterday promoting her 2005 spring and summer collection.

Now as I can hardly be labeled a fashion guru, I’m probably not qualified to make any comments. But her choice of outfit doesn’t appear to bode well for the new clothing line-up.

asami ishikawa

The dress was designed by Yumi Katsura (if that means anything to you) and goes by the name of Blue Sensation.

The blue part fair enough. The sensation bit on the other hand…

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Non-compulsive cleaners

A few years ago I saw a TV programme about people who were incapable of throwing things away. And I don’t just mean stuff like old clothes, magazines, electrical stuff etc. No, I mean everything. Whether it’s an old pizza box, an empty can, or the remnants of last night’s dinner, some people it seems are simply incapable of discarding rubbish.

The show in question treated those afflicted with a mixture of sympathy and sensation. And admittedly the apartments they visited were both disgusting and fascinating at the same time. It’s difficult to explain, but literally tiny passageways had been carved out amongst the huge mass of rubbish and unused items. Likewise, little clearings were created for sleeping and eating. I dread to think what those abodes smelled like, and as a place to live they looked absolutely vile. Not to mention uncomfortable.

Now whilst not exactly Mr. Tidy, I’ve been to some houses that I would class (and I’m being kind here) as something of a mess. But compared to those homes shown on the TV, their owners could almost be described as sufferers of a compulsive cleaning disorder.

So is there a point to any of this? Well yes. Sort of. Out and about the other day I came across a house that reminded me of the aforementioned TV programme. The neighbourhood it’s situated in has an area for leaving the daily/weekly garbage literally just around the corner, but the front garden looks like this.

unclean.jpg

What it’s like inside is anybody’s guess, but as appalling as it probably is, for reasons unknown I’d like to have a quick look around.

I think.