Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

Underwear

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Eco bra

Triumph International, famed maker of both the Haruurara and maiko themed bras, has upped the ante even further by producing a completely recyclable design made specifically for the Expo 2005 Aichi Japan.

The slightly unusual looking item of underwear is made from corn, Deccan hemp, and paper. But sadly for anyone interested in acquiring one, they are for the Expo only, and will not be made available to the general public.

And after that rather pointless and decidedly dull preamble, here’s a picture of said bra. The only reason for this rather lame post.

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Perverted police

From the number of reports that make the news concerning policemen and unlawful sexual activities, it would almost appear that deviancy is a requirement for entrance. Whether it be sex with under-age girls, groping, or unconventional photography, the police force appears to have more than its fair share of perpetrators.

But judging by recent events, this deviant disease seems to have spread to those merely associated with the police. As a 48-year-old accountant who worked for the Kyoto prefectural police has been caught taking photos up the skirt of a 36-year-old woman in Osaka. The man had hidden a digital camera in a shopping bag, and then proceeded to follow his victim around the streets and then into a bookstore. Presumably all the time partaking in his special brand of photography.

Despite their own poor record on such matters, the police force said they were outraged by such activities. With a spokesman saying, “Using hidden cameras to take photos of people is unacceptable behaviour for anybody, let alone an employee of the police force. We’ll do what we can to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”

Whilst not fired for his actions, the accountant handed in his resignation after being issued a severe reprimand. And although not reported, it was presumably accepted. Perhaps after he’d explained to similar minded officerｓ his camera-in-a-shopping-bag technique and more importantly the mistakes he made getting caught.

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Sharapova panty perverts

The obsession in Japan with pilfering, purchasing, or peeking at schoolgirls underwear is relatively well documented. Well, it is on this site anyway. But in a slight break from convention, a foreign non-schoolgirl has come to the attention of the nation’s panty perverts. And perhaps surprisingly, it’s all thanks to tennis.

The women’s game is relatively popular in Japan, but audiences are mostly made up of ardent female sports fans. Or perhaps that should be were. As this year’s AIG Japan Open has changed all that. Attendances swelled to around twice their usual size, with 70% of the ticket buyers being male. The vast majority of these fans armed with every photographic device known to man.

Yes, Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova was in town, and the chance of a peek at her panties was an opportunity many underwear aficionados were simply unable to resist. The finesse of the tennis star’s backhand or the power of her volley was irrelevant to the camera-carrying horde. Her underwear-revealing serve was all (and everything) they had come to see. One reporter even grumbled that, “when she served, everyone got ready to take photos of her panties. Nine out of ten of these guys were geeks whose cameras were aimed below the belt.”

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Entertainment journalist Yuuichi Hirabayashi attempted to explain the phenomenon, although it has to be said with perhaps a little too much enthusiasm. “She’s the kind of Caucasian beauty that Japanese people have long admired.” And having warmed to the topic at hand, he went on to say that, “Tennis players usually become muscular, but she doesn’t have that gnarled look. She’s slender in a way that doesn’t make you think she’s an athlete.”

It’s not surprising then that the internet has spawned numerous sites devoted to the sharing and swapping of Sharapova shots. A writer specializing in internet related issues said that the sites not only offer panty pictures “that are taken from all sorts of angles,” but also numerous “photos showing her nipples when she isn’t wearing a sports bra.”

Thankfully the young Russian seemed unaware of the ulterior motives of many of those watching her games, but she is said to have complained to her staff at the cacophony of camera shutters that accompanied her every move (and serve). If she plans on playing in Japan again though, it would appear it’s something she is going to have to get used to.

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Sitting survey

toilet_sitting.jpgThere are surveys for most things these days, so I guess Toto Corp’s investigation into the toilet habits of men should come as no surprise. And in its peeing poll, the nation’s largest toilet manufacturer discovered that 23.7% of Japanese men sit down to urinate.

Reasons for the increase in sitters (up from about 14% three years ago) are said to be varied, but most of them seem to centre around cleaning, and the poor aim of many men.

An unnamed and newly married 24-year-old company employee who was interviewed fell into the latter category. A recently converted sitter, he went on the record saying, “It’s my job to clean the toilet and I used to find my aim wasn’t too good, Once I’d gotten used to sitting, I learned to relax”

Toilet researcher (yes, you read that right) Junichi Hirata has a different take on the burgeoning trend. After presumably extensive research, the men’s room master blames the increase on the spread of Western toilets. Hirata-san highlighted the decision in the 1960’s to move away from Japanese toilets as being the turning point, leading to a massive decrease in numbers. And eventually to the position we find ourselves in today, with the Western-style toilet being considered the norm.

yfronts.jpgBut the trend for sitting could bring about other changes, and not just cleaner bowls and drier floors. Urinal sales are said to be plummeting, with figures down 60,000 from four years ago. And even underwear designers are taking note. The opening at the front of men’s underwear is quickly becoming superfluous, with catalogue clothing seller Cecile Co. having less than half of their stock offering such access. A presumably straight-faced company spokesman was quoted as saying, “With so many guys in their teens or 20s sitting down every time they use the toilet, the demand for briefs with openings just isn’t there anymore.”

This trend has ruffled a few feathers though. Chiba Institute of Technology Associate Prof. Yoshiyuki Ueno (who has studied toilets for an astonishing 3 decades) is not at all happy about it. The professor immediately went on the offensive, forcefully proclaiming that, “Men are structurally designed to piss standing up.” And if this wasn’t enough, he went on to say, “I wouldn’t recommend anybody sitting down on a Western-style toilet to urinate. I advocate bringing back household urinals and solving problems regarding cleanliness by getting guys to be responsible for cleaning up.”

So there you go.

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Pants or underpants?

I came across a shop near where I work this afternoon. And whilst I was reluctant to venture in, judging by the somewhat unusual figure placed outside, I’m presuming the establishment sells trousers.

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Although on the other hand it may trade in brightly coloured and uncomfortably tight underwear.