Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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Guitar god

Japan already boasts the world’s greatest competitive eater amongst its ranks, with the titanic Takeru “The Tsunami” Kobayashi relentlessly gorging himself to glory; however, the nation now has a new hero to honour, after air guitar artiste Ochi “Dainoji” Yosuke clinched the 2006 World Championship in Finland over the weekend.

Dazzling the crowd on his way to the finals, Yosuke-san was supposedly awarded the title due to his simplistic and classy air ‘guitarring’ — praise that was presumably restricted to his actions and not his tiger emblazoned top.

To see the man in all his arm-swinging sweater-sporting glory, simply sit back and click on the picture below.

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Site slowness

Due to apparent server problems way beyond my comprehension, Tokyo Times is currently suffering from slowness and occasional outages. Issues which will hopefully be sorted out soon, with engineers in some far-off distant land quite possibly crossing their fingers a lot and frantically turning servers on and off — maybe even hitting them a few times too for good measure.

However whilst you wait (providing of course you’ve even got this far), here’s a picture of some semi-suggestively shaped gourds in Kawasaki to pass the time.

gourds

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Salary man Sims

Perhaps not entirely grasping the concept of escapism, Bandai, creator of the hugely successful Tamagotchi, is set to release Ant’s Life Studio in November — a virtual ant farm that requires its ‘owner’ to build nests, feed the queen and avoid getting eaten by hungry spiders.

ant

The insects humdrum existence and work orientated lifestyle however is being aimed at Japan’s masses of stressed out salary men, a group whose equally humdrum office existence and company focused life appears to disturbingly mirror those of ants — virtual or real.

Not that Bandai seems deterred by such similarities, with a spokeswoman for the toy maker optimistically claiming, “Stressed-out employees can keep it on their work desks and be comforted just by watching the ants work. By watching them work, they can take their minds off their own work for a while.”

On the plus side though, Ant’s Life Studio does allow the building of up to 100 different nests, adding an element of choice and freedom more than likely devoid from the lives of the game’s targeted audience of desk—chained dependants.

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Japanese jamboree

Conversations in Tokyo this weekend may well touch on the birth of a male heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne, along with the upcoming selection of a new Prime Minister; however for most people, riding high at the top of their ‘to talk about list’ will undoubtedly be the results of this year’s hugely prestigious and much coveted Best Jeanist and Nicest Hair awards.

best jeanist 2006

In a decision that sent shockwaves through the nation’s schools and offices, top denim wearer of the last three years, Ayumi Hamasaki, was finally ousted, with Olympic gold medal winning figure skater Shizuka Arakawa gracefully walking away with the Best Jeanist award. A result that many are already claiming trumps her Torino triumph by a considerable margin.

Also on the podium were singers Kumi Koda and Kazuya Kamenashi, the former pictured below, having inexplicably lost her jeans for that all-important promotional shot.

kumi koda

Similarly compelling was the contest for hair honours, with actress Chiaki Kuriyama bagging her first Beauty Week award. The Kill Bill Vol. 1 star emotionally confessing, “There used to be a lot of times when I just wanted to lop it all off, but I’m really glad I’ve kept my long hair.” The image below clearly confirming Kuriyama’s comment, with her long and lovely locks on prominent display.

chiaki kuriyama

Fellow actress Masami Nagasawa was also presented with an award for her handsome hair, prompting the 19-year-old to prove the incredible importance of such events by pithily proclaiming, “This has really made me pleased that I’m a girl.”

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Pussy Galore

With the help of celebrity Aki Hoshino, Sanrio Corp. launched the bi-weekly ‘Hello Kitty Accessory Collection’ on Tuesday, a new magazine that each edition will feature a different country as its theme, providing information on history and culture. Plus, of course, details on the masses of Kitty related merchandise available — both present and past.

hello kitty magazine

Hello Kitty herself will actually provide the undoubtedly fascinating facts in each publication, with the famous feline appearing ready to branch out into more challenging and rewarding territory; the new approach presumably tempting young Hoshino-san to help promote the new venture, with the 29-year-old actress and model saying, “I got a phone call from Kitty yesterday and we decided to wear matching outfits. I really love Hello Kitty”.

hoshino aki and hello kitty

The first edition will focus on Britain, and, like all future issues, will include trinkets of some description or other; a charm bracelet and pouch modeled on Victorian fashion being the first giveaways. Items which Hoshino will presumably be keen to snap up, after divulging that her home is filled with Kitty-related goods.

One such item it seems is a Hello Kitty ring, which she wore for the occasion, forcing one gossip-loving reporter to ask if it was from a boyfriend. Hoshino coyly responding by saying, “Not yet, but my home is packed with Hello Kitty stuff, so I want a guy who is going to like Kitty, too.”

A position that many of those partial to a bit of pussy now and again will surely be more than happy to fill.

aki