Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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Buttock bother

The increasing number of women-only carriages throughout the nation’s train network, amply proves that furtive buttock feeling is — amongst other activities — far from uncommon.

Segregating the sexes however could do nothing to stop a bizarre incident of arse related assault at the weekend, as two unsuspecting commuters had their bottoms surreptitiously slashed. The attacks taking place on different platforms at Tokyo’s notoriously busy Shinjuku station.

It seems that just after midnight on Saturday, a male commuter felt a sudden pain in his buttocks, and was surprised to find them bleeding. Shortly after a woman suffered the same unfortunate fate, although luckily neither of the victims was seriously injured. However they did require further treatment at a nearby hospital.

Due to the station being so packed, the serial slasher was not identified. Surveillance footage only managing to catch events after the attack, with a station worker saying, “The woman was lying on the platform until paramedics rushed to the scene. Other passengers who surrounded her appeared worried about the incident.”

Meaning that for now at least, the buttock botherer remains at large.

Categorized: Odd

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Maid misdemeanours

Tokyo’s Akihabara district has been home to ‘maid cafes’ for a few years now. The likes of Royal Milk catering for the obsessive anime/gaming crowd, with the waitresses generally kitted out in innocent-yet-at-the-same-time-highly-suggestive maid outfits. The subservient young women treating their geeky and adoring customers like lords.

cosplay maid

Due to their successes in the capital, maid cafes have now started to appear in other parts of the country. The first two to open in Kyushu however have had a slightly inauspicious start — almost falling foul of the law.

It seems that the eateries were strongly advised to apply for a special licence in order to avoid violating any adult ‘entertainment’ laws, although a representative for the cafes was quick to stress that it was merely a cautionary measure. “We understand that there has not been any illegal activity. We have planned dinner parties and other events, and we filed applications as a precaution because we didn’t want to violate any laws.”

The police however weren’t quite so convinced. The availability of a VIP service, and the practice of waitresses sitting next to customers whilst responding to their ‘requests’ was seen as potentially falling under the banner of entertainment.

Which, dependent upon the requests, is understandable to say the least.

maids japan

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Female figures

Here are a few facts and figures that make for some interesting reading.

On average, Japanese husbands do 7 minutes housework a day. Wives on the other hand do considerably more, weighing in with a hefty 4 hours and 49 minutes. This according to the ‘housework sharing’ survey done in 2001. Plus, in regards to childcare, wives give up 1 hour and 48 minutes of their time. Men however only manage to squeeze in 13 minutes.

Outside the home, female employees get just 69 percent of what their male equivalents are paid. And according to a study done in July this year, 63 percent of Japanese companies had no plans to hire women.

In a World Economic Forum survey of 58 economies — both developed and emerging — Japanese women ranked 52nd for economic opportunity. Slightly better than in the area of political empowerment, where they only managed to sneak in at number 54.

Make of these numbers what you will.

Personally, I’ve printed out the housework stats and left them ‘casually’ on the table at home. I may not exactly be ‘Mr man about the house’, but those figures put me in model husband territory. Or at least in the vicinity.

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Pants pun

Having grown-up with such highbrow comedy as Benny Hill and the Carry On films, I’m in no way averse to a cheeky bit of insinuation or the occasional double entendre. Far from it in fact, I am English after all.

Yet after years of chuckling furtively at barely concealed references to genitalia and sexual intercourse, my search for the ultimate innuendo may well have reached its zenith — yes, climax even. The mischievous little gem unearthed in a small shop in suburban Tokyo of all places.

A find that leads me to believe that last year’s ban on the sale of used underwear may well have been withdrawn.

japanese spunky pants

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Warm Biz warning

The government’s summer saving campaign, ‘Cool Biz’, has officially been labelled a success. The power-cutting programme resulting in a 210 million kilowatt-hours reduction in demand — the equivalent of 79,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Quite impressive it has to be said. Especially as it was achieved by simply setting air-conditioners to 28 degrees, and allowing people to work in more casual attire.

warm biz

Winter’s newly introduced ‘Warm Biz’ hopes to have a similarly positive effect, with heaters being be set to a maximum of 20 degrees. A fairly comfortable temperature, but arguably just that bit on the chilly side; enough perhaps to push some people into building up a warmer wardrobe. At least that’s what the nation’s beleaguered retailers are hoping for anyway. A Mitsukoshi department store spokesperson happily confirmed that Cool biz had slightly increased summer revenue, prompting him to add that the current plan is “to boost menswear sales by about 10 percent through Warm Biz.”

Yet it’s the more lucrative women’s wear that Mitsukoshi has really got its eyes on, especially as Cool Biz didn’t necessarily affect female office workers. So what better way to tempt fashion conscious females than the sale of, erm, cashmere leg warmers. Apparently available in eleven colours too.

leg warmers

Perfectly combining old school emission levels with equally dated fashion garments. Although at 3,990 yen (20 pound) a pair, the price is decidedly modern.