Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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Disturbingly altered dolls

With digital cameras of one description or another now commonplace, there’s the ever increasing problem of what to do with all the resultant pictures — bar printing off the odd one and leaving the rest on the computer until its hard disk dies and neatly nixes the problem.

An issue that Japanese company Sha@Lark hopes to solve with its Purimen Gurumi (プリ面ぐるみ) effigies.

purimen gurumi

A product that allows people to cut the faces out of pictures and have them placed onto disturbing looking dolls.

purimen gurumi

Beastly abominations that arguably make the horrors of hard disk failure a little less worrying.

purimen gurumi

Welcome even.

purimen gurumi

(via the FG Forums)

Categorized: Odd

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Preposterously pampered pooches

In a desperate attempt to revive Japan’s decidedly drooping birth rate, the government is looking to provide further financial help for check-ups and the like. However, despite such measures, many people seem to be increasingly turning to pets instead of progeny, with miniature dogs seen as most desirable.

A trend that in turn has meant the pets themselves have to be, erm, trendy, with a gargantuan range of garments now available. Like this previously posted apparel for example.

Japanese dog fashion

But with plenty of festivals to attend in the summer, something more traditional is often sought after, such as this suitably seasonal yukata.

Japanese dog fashion

A, ahem, bow for a bow-wow if you will.

Japanese dog fashion

And, to further enhance the family feel, meals can now be taken together too, with a whole range of decidedly un-dog-like delectables,

Japanese dog food

from a mini omu-rice,

Japanese dog food

to cannibal-like cookies.

Japanese dog food

Kids, it would seem, simply can’t compete.

Japanese dog fashion

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Whale warning?

In a stunning breakthrough, a group of Japanese researchers from Tokai University have managed to train a beluga whale to ‘speak’; the cetacean in question managing to link its own sounds to specific objects — cleverly creating ‘words’.

An incredible achievement that has prompted Takashi Murayama, a professor involved in the programme, to proudly pronounce, “We’ve experienced a taste of reality in conversation with cetaceans. In the future, we may be able to exchange greetings with them.”

beluga whale

However, rumours that things have already gone way beyond simple salutations, with the beluga allegedly asking, “When are you going to stop hunting my fellow whales as everybody knows your claims of ‘scientific research’ are utter claptrap?”, have been strenuously denied.

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Sumo insensitivity?

Having just returned from my summer hiatus in the homeland, it’s rather surprising to find that an admittedly not particularly good but fairly prominent poster campaign by HSBC, is bothering some of the more sensitive members of Britain’s Japanese community.

HSBC sumo

A problem that has even prompted Godfrey King, director of the Anglo-Japanese Society of Wessex, to provisionally peek out from his posterior and claim that the ad has, “Insulted the honour of a nation. The fact that the picture depicts a sumo wrestler who is not actually a sumo wrestler but has been made up to look like one would be considered a high insult to the Japanese community.”

A comment that it has to be said could well be seen as somewhat on the sensitive side.

Japanese foreigner

Happen even hypocritical.

Japanese blu-ray

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Japanese drinks #6: Pocket power

A fair number of Tokyo’s train stations now boast juicer stands, which sell freshly squeezed juice that, rather appropriately, can be happily supped while standing. These relatively recent additions offering the chance of some welcome relief after a particularly packed commute, or even some help with a horrible hangover.

However, for those frequenting stations that don’t have such stands, or are simply turned off by train travel, then help is luckily at hand, or even in one’s pocket, with this pint-sized portable version.

Japanese drink

A beverage that is not only portable, but extremely palatable, although the bountiful number of coconut bits can initially be decidedly disconcerting.