Photographs from a small group of islands
Caught considerably unawares and carrying only a compact camera, this picture is regrettably rather rubbish. But, despite its shoddy lack of sharpness, the young boy’s blurry disbelief at the positively Brobdingnagian bouffant before him makes it just about passable.
At a push.
With foreign faces now fairly common on Japanese TV, outlandish performances are by no means a prerequisite for a bit of publicity or prime-time prominence. But it can help. Especially if there’s a generous bit of give and take as far as that all important exposure is concerned.
And, with this in mind, swimming naked in the Imperial Palace moat,
along with tackling the law with one’s tackle out, tops the lot.
And then some.
By all accounts, this unseasonably suited Spaniard initially went for a meander in the moat to retrieve a friend’s bag, but as the video and pictures amply prove, things very quickly got out of hand.
In more ways than one.
Update: The man in question it now seems is not Spanish at all, but a fellow Brit who just happens to live in Spain.
A portly, almost Python-esque Imperial predicament that the already embattled Prime Minister Brown could probably do without. Although it may at least bring a brief smile to his almost bovine-like bearing.
Update 2: The moat-loving marauder has now been released without charges — although hopefully with clothes — by the authorities. A police spokesman proclaiming, “We decided to hand the man over to his friend without charging him as we concluded that his act was based on mental instability.â€
A British embassy official also confirmed that the man is indeed from the UK, although any details about him were understandably deemed inappropriate.
(images via the FG Forums)
Along the length of Tokyo’s relatively green rivers, baseball is still by far the most popular pastime, with soccer and cycling left to slug it out for second spot.
However, that’s not to say there aren’t a lot of other hobbies happening over the holidays, with ambling about with one’s arse hanging out waddling in at number forty-one, and archery firing in a little further behind.
This group in particular having all the right clobber and equipment.
Although perhaps it was due to their age,
or an over-eagernes to let go with their longbows,
but the group’s well rehearsed safety routine proved to be particularly important,
as in a fifteen minute flurry of arrows flying hither and thither, not a single one even troubled the target.
But that said, at least their bowing method was more on the mark.
Mostly.
(click images for bigger bowing and bow-related business)
Packaging in Japan invariably seems to work on a more the merrier mindset, with even a trip to the bakery leaving one on the lookout for a new local landfill, as each item comes with its own bag, which in turn often has an additional unused bag for storage should you save some for a second sitting, with all of the above conveniently contained in, yes, you’ve guessed it, another bag. A process that is almost as long-winded and unwelcoming as that opening sentence, although at least as far as bag usage goes, certain supermarkets are now encouraging customers to come with their own carrier.
A habit that, it has to be said, does appear to be catching on, although unfortunately Triumph International’s hugely innovative bra-cum-bag somehow failed to catch the public’s imagination. A contraption that was both environmentally friendly and fetching, which is no mean feat.
Still, there does appear to be a long way to go, as although bag consumption may well be becoming less carefree, packaging is still prodigious. And, while it may be deemed desirable for fancy, and far from cheap fruit,
individually cushioned and covered tomatoes does seem just a tad too much.
As most Japanese cities, and especially the capital, are not only crammed but seem to be constructed almost completely out of concrete, getting out now and again and seeing some nature is not only nice, but necessary. A need that makes the huge northern island of Hokkaido a common summertime destination due to its colossal coastal plains and comfortable climate.
These appealing attributes more often than not making it the perfect spot for city types to de-stress and soak up the scenery on their, erm, Segways.
