Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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King Kobayashi

He’s done it again. Yes, for the fifth year in succession, Takeru “The Tsunami” Kobayashi has won the world hot-dog eating championship in New York.

takeru kobayashi

Yet despite dominating the event, Kobayashi was slightly disappointed with his paltry 49 frankfurters in 12 minutes. Well short of the 53.5 hot dogs (and the current record) he managed last year. The gloomy glutton saying, “I’m very sad, I came here to beat it. Maybe next year I will.”

This dedication to the sport is perhaps what makes Kobayashi-san stand out from the crowd; although in Japan he is not alone in the time and energy he devotes to his chosen profession:

“Food fighters in Japan think of themselves as athletes. They have a higher recognition of the game and are constantly thinking about records. I probably won’t continue for long because it puts pressure on the body. But I am at the age where I can perform my best.”

Even this isn’t enough to be a champion though. There is the mental side of competing too. So next time you find yourself confronted with an all-you-can-eat buffet that demands to be devoured, don’t just loosen your belt and hope for the best. Instead, remember these wise words from The Tsunami himself. “It’s how you confront the food that is brought to you. You have to be mentally and psychologically prepared.”

So there you are. Go and gorge.

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A red herring?

With more and more sushi appearing in British supermarkets alongside the more traditional sandwich, it seems the quintessential Japanese dish has been well and truly accepted. And in honour of this adoption — coupled with a very British take on it — the annual Original Sushi Competition will soon be celebrating its fifth outing.

Billed as British Sushi — and rather optimistically ‘a revolutionary new fusion cuisine’ — the contest encourages contestants to produce original dishes; using any ingredients they like providing it includes rice. A concept that admittedly conjures up images of a meat pie or a boiled potato balancing precariously atop a dainty bed of rice. However looking at some of the creations from past contests, such stereotypical suggestions are far from reality. Very far in fact.

british sushi
red herring

Except perhaps the kipper based offering. A dish that might be met with suspicion by the average Japanese diner. Yet one that will surely go down a treat with a pint of warm beer or a lovely cup of (black) tea.

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Mathematastic

Recalling phone numbers I find almost impossible; and passwords invariably prove even more troublesome, meaning that losing my mobile would be nothing short of a disaster. Similarly, clearing out the cookies on my browser is simply not an option — regardless of the potential hidden embarrassments — as countless stored passwords would be lost, destined never to see the light of day again.

Such problems however will presumably never be a part of 59-year-old Akira Haraguchi’s life. As over the weekend the volunteer worker smashed his own pi recitation record. Starting around lunchtime on Friday, Haraguchi-san didn’t finish his mathematical marathon until early Saturday morning. Notching up an unbelievable (and surely unbeatable) 83,432 digits.

A feat so unfathomable it begs the question, how?

akira haraguchi pi

Plus, I guess, why?

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Calorie commercial

Jack Bauer’s skill at catching criminals in the TV series ’24’ often verges on the superhuman. Yet even these talents pale into insignificance when compared to the CTU hero’s ability to go without nourishment, and at the same time resist the need to empty his bladder and bowels.

Jack’s food and faeces related feats however can now be explained — sort of. Secretive nibbles of the Japanese dieting product Calorie Mate appear to be what maintain his energy levels; and the snack’s meagre size presumably negates the need for a toilet trip – regardless of how long a day it is.

Clicking on the image below will take you to the truly awful Calorie Mate commercial currently being shown in Japan. Exposing Jack’s furtive feasting, and something he will presumably not want ‘patching through’.

24 japanese commercial

So that’s the eating and excrement puzzle solved. However urination — or more accurately the lack of it — remains a mystery. An issue made even more intriguing by the fact that Jack is also advertising the Calorie Mate jelly drink. Doing so by inexplicably running through a packed train which he appears to have mistakenly entered via the women-only carriage, as all the commuters are young and attractive schoolgirls.

24 in japan

Simply click the image for the comical commercial.

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Golden shower

In a move reminiscent of bubble era boldness, Japan’s biggest bullion house Tanaka Kikinzoku has created an 18 karat gold bath. The twinkling tub weighing a whopping 50 kg and worth a staggering 120 million yen (600,000 pound).

gold bath

It turns out a large hotel chain commissioned the rather tacky tub. The company hoping that it will become something of an attraction and help draw more visitors. However the constant presence of an eagle-eyed guard could well be a bit off-putting for the more bashful bather.