Photographs from a small group of islands
After the daily horrors of his crammed commute, followed by the hustle and bustle of a Saturday morning supermarket, a gentle spot of fishing is the ideal weekend wind down for the stressed-out salary man; the rhythmic flow of the river and the odd tweet of a bird gently washing away the week’s woes.
Provided of course they can be heard over the moaning and mutterings of thousands of other want-away workers.
(click image for added ambience)
Whilst Triumph International Japan may be better known for its creative and eye-catching novelty bras, the underwear giant it seems is quietly doing a brisk trade in girdles — for men.
Initially released on a trial basis last month, the company’s ‘long girdle’ and ‘hip hugger’ variety sold so well that an increase in production is planned, the nation’s portly appearance pioneers quickly snapping them up. A spokesperson for Triumph confirming this craze by saying, “Men are getting so much more fashion conscious these days that they’re starting to pay attention to the lines of their body and their silhouette, just like women.”
This corset campaign fits in well (so to speak) with a recent report stating that Japanese men are slowly piling on the pounds, as 29 percent of males aged between 20 and 69 are now overweight, compared with only 24 percent 6 years ago; the flab flattening girdle helping disguise some of this extra baggage.
A trend in Japan that for the first (and probably last) time I was actually ahead of, although I hasten to add that’s in regards to packing a paunch — not sporting a girdle.
“While we were studying the whales, some onlookers said they looked appetizing. But I would not recommend eating them.”
University of Hokkaido lecturer, Tetsuya Endo, explaining the reaction of a few salivating scavengers as he examined a dozen or so melon-headed whales found dead in Chiba Prefecture; the researcher advising against consumption due to excessively high levels of mercury found in the beached mammals.
Now call me an unadventurous eater, or even a fool for passing up a free meal, but ‘appetizing’ isn’t exactly the first word that springs to mind when I see something like this.
The couple in the distance may or may not be cooking up a storm.
Due to a rather convoluted link to the sumo world, I have once again managed to bag a few spare banzuke, this time from the fairly recent New Year tournament. Keeping one for myself, it leaves me with two that I’m willing to post off to Tokyo Times readers — irrespective of where they happen to reside.
This particular banzuke (pictured above) has unique historic value as it records Bulgarian Kotooshu’s promotion to Ozeki — sumo’s second highest rank; an achievement that is set to feature prominently in the sport’s record books, with the tall and athletic wrestler becoming the first European to reach such dizzy heights.
Being good-looking (and foreign), the quiet and unassuming Kotooshu is often referred to as the ‘Beckham’ of sumo, although due to my seating position I couldn’t really capture this aspect of the man — a clear shot of his ‘attractive’ back and side being the best I could muster.
For those interested, leave a comment below, and the two that interest or amuse me the most will receive a banzuke. Given sumo’s traditional nature however, all comments should be made in the form of a haiku, which if nothing else will help give proceedings the air of a real competition — or at least a dodgy fairground tombola.
Good luck to you all
I hope you can do better
Than this poor effort
A 25-year-old man was arrested over the weekend for the theft of a high school student’s swimsuit; however Yasuhisa Matsushita didn’t just steal the item of clothing to further his swimming skills, or top up his tan — albeit in a decidedly feminine manner. Instead, the employment agency worker chose to dance around in the pilfered garment, a performance he inexplicably added to by incorporating a bowel movement — the outfit bulgingly bearing the load.
Whether Matsushita-san was still wearing the soiled swimsuit when arrested wasn’t disclosed, but the deranged defecator has admitted to the allegations; a predicament he appears rather puzzled by, matter-of-factly telling the police, “I did it because it felt so good.â€
Despite his arrest and admission of guilt, the authorities have yet to confirm if the stolen swimsuit has been returned to its rightful owner.