Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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Fame fuelled fire starter

After being arrested for torching a car last year in Suwa, Nagano Prefecture, and subsequently held for further questioning in regards to several other blazes in the same area, 21-year-old blogger and busty idol wannabe Erika Hirata was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Monday.

erika hirata

A hefty sentence for a series of crimes that appear to have been committed to boost the profile of the town they occurred in, and also Hirata-san’s bid to become a famous idol. Pictures of the fires posted on the young restaurant worker’s website perhaps not unexpectedly attracting the wrong kind of attention.

Yet despite her admission of “I did it to get feelings of irritation off my chest, and I wanted to make Suwa famous,” Hirata arguably already had what it takes to become a Japanese idol without the need for such drastic action. As going off the success of other similarly built stars, her ample enough assets would quite possibly have taken her to wherever it was she wanted to go.

Japanese idol wannabe

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Tokyo tie-in

The much maligned Japanese salary man is generally not renowned for his sartorial elegance, with nondescript suits and equally unremarkable neckwear — the latter only distinguishable by the diversity of stains from boozy nights out and rushed breakfasts. However for the office worker looking to personalise his appearance but at the same remain practical and presentable, these Ara Shoji designed ties might be just about perfect.

Japanese ties

The particularly playful dotted pattern is cleverly countered by the sensible subway map on the back, meaning its wearer will not only never get lost, but may even garner a few looks from the ladies at the office . Plus the availability of numerous train networks including Tokyo, Osaka and Kobe gives the garment even greater versatility, making it a product that a company representative feels will not only give people a sense of direction, but somewhat optimistically also aid social skills. “Even if you’re in an unfamiliar place due to personnel reshuffling or business trips, you won’t be struggling to find topics for a business chat if you have these ties.”

Brisk sales both in the shops and online meaning that businessmen need to beware when meeting colourful tie wearing new contacts…

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Alcohol attendant

Whilst certainly no slouches as far as alcohol consumption goes, the Japanese are a little more cautious than their beer guzzling British counterparts, sensibly dining whilst drinking instead of getting utterly inebriated and then cramming down a kebab or a curry. An approach that has created a whole range of booze-related bites, although due to their rather specific nature they are far too sophisticated to be fobbed off as mere snacks.

Japanese beer snacks

Popular alcohol attendants (or attedants even) being cheese and fish apparently, without any peanuts or a packet of pork scratchings in sight.

Japanese beer snacks

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Tokyo talent

Japan’s rapidly ageing population and stubbornly low birth rate have all sorts of implications, with economic growth in the future and pension payments probably topping the list. Yet these seismic societal shifts will also have a huge impact on the nation’s entertainment industry, which by and large supports itself with young ladies who make up for whatever they lack in ability with other, more eye catching attributes.

kumi koda

A change that some people argue may in the end be beneficial, as talent rather than titillation will eventually become the mainstay of the Japanese entertainment and music industry. But in a land where appearance is everything, poster and calendar producers in particular remain unconvinced, as regardless of the wonders of soft lighting and computer wizardry, images of guitar goddess Mari Goto and her ilk may simply not appeal to the masses — regardless of how old they are.

japanese guitar goddess