Tokyo Times

Oct 11 2007 9 Comments

Tokyo tinned treats II

Perhaps I’m easily impressed, but bread, in a can, in a vending machine seems pretty damn special. Fantastically so in fact.

Yet even such far from normal foodstuffs can apparently get a little too familiar, stale even, as cylindrical snack supremo Pan Akimoto has produced a limited edition version based on the popular game, manga and now anime, Clannad.

Available in strawberry, green tea, butter, raisin, blueberry and milk, these tinned treats are apparently available until the end of October.

And should it rain, there’s also the added bonus of the dispenser being next to an umbrella vending machine. Could things be any more convenient?

Oct 10 2007 2 Comments

The Japanese and Jumping

Tokyo may seem to be a city teeming with technology, but the late-night rail users below are reflected in Shinjuku station’s end of platform mirrors. A decidedly dated idea aimed at deterring would-be divers.

Which, while not exactly the nicest thing in the world to see, is something that is sadly necessary. Although that said, they have also become the perfect spot for the nation’s plentiful supply of preeners. A practice that is enough to push even the most patient of commuters over the edge.

So to speak.

Oct 09 2007 7 Comments

Japanese sailor suit scene

Something of a controversy is currently raging over the origin of the much loved (and indeed maligned) Japanese schoolgirl sailor suit, with two schools claiming to have introduced the iconic outfit first.

An argument that may well continue in classrooms up and down the country, but it’s unlikely to be talked about by the fellas who frequent Egg in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district, an establishment that seems to see the uniform as something to delight in rather than discuss.

Yet despite its boast of being an after school club, basic economics is probably about as far as educational gains go.

Although that said, the odd spot of late-night cramming may well be catered for.

Oct 08 2007 6 Comments

Tokyo traffic cone transgressions

Except for the odd furtive fiddle on a train, drink-related transgressions in Tokyo are generally not too much of a problem, although it does appear that traffic cone tomfoolery after one or two too many is just as popular in the Japanese capital as it is in my native Britain.

An issue that the Japanese authorities have rather surprisingly tried to stamp out with the introduction of truly colossal cones.

Objects of such humongous proportions in fact that they are more akin to the size of a house than a hat, resulting in these two in downtown Shibuya — near the station and on a busy thoroughfare — commanding suitably sizeable rents.

Oct 05 2007 2 Comments

Japanese Halloween hounds

When it comes to adopting foreign holidays, Japan is fairly flexible, especially if it involves a sizeable amount of shopping, and as such Christmas is now firmly entrenched in the national psyche, with decorations and a festive dinner of fast food fried chicken as traditional as sumo and sushi — sort of.

It’s this somewhat surprising success then that has possibly prompted retailers to hype up Halloween even more than usual this year, with convenience stores in particular stocking suitably scary stuff.

But as bad as some of this merchandise may be, surely none of it can come close to being as comical as this colourful canine clobber.

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