Tokyo Times

Apr 04 2007 2 Comments

Tokyo tenacity

The Japanese are legendary when it comes to long hours at the office, plus the practice of subordinates not wanting to leave work before their boss, and the boss himself not wanting to appear a slacker, only adds to the problem. Such stalemates often resulting in no one going home for fear of losing face, with the longest such case rumoured to be 3 months, 2 days and 12 hours — the deadlock only broken when one staff member had to attend a dental appointment.

The fact that there is actually a word for death from overwork (karoshi) perfectly proves the dedication shown to all things work related in Japan, meaning that those who perhaps aren’t so busy or are prone to a holiday now and again are regarded with suspicion. A situation that possibly prompted this shop owner to disguise his weakness for a day off as something altogether different. Namely, having worked so hard for 6 days of the week, he simply has to take a rest on Wednesday. Not that he wants to of course.

Apr 03 2007 1 Comment

Multiplying maids

With maid cafes now mainstream and seemingly every conceivable variation on the theme exhausted — all the way from watering holes for women to cafe-cum-convents — the black and white clad beauties are now apparently branching out further; reflexology rather than a refined cup of tea very much the order of the day at this establishment.

Reassuringly though, the regalia remains the same.

Apr 02 2007 4 Comments

Tired in Tokyo

Sometimes, even for the young, a day out in the big city can quite simply be too much.

Way too much in fact.

Mar 30 2007 1 Comment

Japanese jokesters

With the brief cherry blossom season practically upon us, residents of Tokyo will soon move en masse to parks and opens spaces throughout the capital, sloshing down beer and slurring their way through impromptu sing-alongs.

Yet due to a spot of ‘nude but not nude’ controversy that was broadcast on TV over the New Year holidays, parties in the park may well be brightened further this year by an invasion of body suits.

Outfits of such breath-taking realism that they are set to both delight and dazzle revellers the length and breadth of the city. The manufacturers rather optimistically labelling them ‘sexy body suit’ and ‘powerful body suit’.