Tokyo Times

Mar 12 2009 3 Comments

Rough and ready restoration

With many old and traditional Japanese buildings simply unceremoniously ripped down and replaced, it’s always nice to see some that have been lovingly retained or even restored; a couple of curtains and a perky pensioner regarded by most as reasonable requirements for a respectable amount of realism.

For one or two others, however, a more slapdash approach is deemed desirable, with plenty of plastic,

and particularly tape, seen as suitable in producing a facade that is functional,

if not exactly fetching.

Mar 11 2009 3 Comments

Super-sized cigarettes

More and more restaurants in Tokyo may well be taking steps to separate smokers and non-smokers, although on the whole, tobacco is still tolerated way more than it is in the West. A fact that without a doubt has nothing at all to do with the government holding half of Japan Tobacco, the world’s third largest cigarette company. It’s merely just a coincidence — it must be.

Still, hugely profitable interests aside, it’s plainly not quite the smokers paradise it was several years ago.

No, not by a long shot, and particularly for those partial to pottering about while puffing on a positively preposterously sized cigarette.

Such comforts now sadly restricted to when one is motionless,

or indeed comfortably consuming a coffee.

Mar 10 2009 2 Comments

Kimonos and the cold

With the option to add what looks to be a considerable amount of colour co-ordinated layers, the kimono seems comfortable enough in the cold.

However, on days when one would expect it to be getting warmer not way more wintery, a parka may be more preferable,

although if nothing else, this kimono at least has a pattern that matches the decidedly un-March-like miserableness.

Mar 09 2009 2 Comments

Japanese miniaturisation madness?

Japan’s love of little things is legendary, with the Walkman in particular paving the way for a positive plethora of pocket-sized products; a compulsion that combined with a similar obsession with cuteness makes for a match made in heaven — or indeed hell if one harbours a hatred for Hello Kitty.

Yet such a fervour, at least for the former, can sometimes get a bit silly. Like this iron for example.

A bit of merchandise that’s so miniscule, it can only be necessary for neckties,

or one’s knickers.

(click images for super-sized super smallness)

Mar 08 2009 2 Comments

Japanese workers working #7

Japan may well be renowned for its cutting edge robots and terrifically early adoption of new technological treats, but scratching the surface of society ever so slightly often reveals a very different picture, with old fashioned rather than futuristic far more to the fore.

Meaning that while beetle-like bots cleaning bogs are both novel and newsworthy, when it comes to sweeping the streets, one is far more likely to see nothing more mechanical than a bloke bearing a big and very basic broom.

Or indeed brooms if he’s especially conscientious about his cleaning.

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