Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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Deviants disallowed

Monday saw the first early morning “women-only” carriages operating in Tokyo. Previously the infamous Saikyo Line only had such coaches in use late at night, but with reported groping incidents roughly tripling from 778 cases in 1996, to 2,201 in 2004, the East Japan Railway Company decided such drastic action was necessary.

women only train japan
Surely worth a smile ladies? Not even a grin?

Reaction to the new service (irrespective of the picture above) was generally positive. Tomoyo Okamto, a 27-year-old office worker, spoke for many women by saying, “I had been worried only because men are in the same carriages in the morning. I’m relieved now.”

And despite the extra crush in the regular (and presumably women-free) carriages, there was a similar sense of contentment. Middle-aged company employee Hitoshi Ishida was happy as, “it’s a good change because I no longer have to carry a bag and hang onto a strap to avoid being mistaken for a molester.”

women only train japan
Not today young fella

Yet as well as praising the new system, Ishida-san brought up an interesting point. “If other carriages are more crowded as a result, the railway operator should set some other coaches aside for elderly people.”

This proposition, despite making a lot of sense, could however open a huge can of worms, with all manner of people and social groups pushing for their own carriages. And in an attempt to get in first, I’ve already sent a request to Japan Railways for a “British blokes in their 30s carriage”.

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Penguin prank

Some April Fools’ Day jokes are better than others. So we can all imagine the collective groan that greeted Ueno Zoo’s great discovery last Friday, a Tonosama (Lord) Penguin that was 165 centimetres tall. A beast that looked like nothing other than someone dressed up in a not especially convincing penguin suit.

But it turns out that real penguins are far more gullible than humans. As when their counterfeit cousin appeared, the birds present could do nothing but look up in awe and wonder at the towering Tonosama.

giant penguin japan

However when zoo director Teruyuki Komiya revealed himself as the penguin prankster by taking off his mask, the penguins wandered off in disappointment and disinterest.

As, presumably, did the on-looking customers.

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Trains, trains, and even more trains

Whatever the medium, there’s an element of the geek in most of us. And personally, be it gadgetry, good music, or games, I’m well ensconced in the orbit of the otaku.

But then there are geeks, and there are geeks. Take 43-year-old Hirohiko Yokomi for example. His passion for trains (always suspect at the best of times) has resulted in him visiting every train station in the country. And with Japan’s extensive network, that works out at a whopping 9,843 stops.

It turns out that Yokomi-san’s locomotive love goes back to his childhood, as he enjoyed a view of the same train line from both his home and school. As he got older this interest steadily spiraled out of control, and progressed to memorizing station names, visiting famous stations, and of course spotting as many different trains as possible.

japanese train
A yellow train

This passion however never abated in the slightest, and after (perhaps predictably) finding himself without a regular job, Yokomi hit upon the idea of visiting every station operated by Japan Railways (JR). A challenge not to be taken lightly, as it means getting off at 4,635 stations. But our man wasn’t in the least bit intimated, and starting in February 1992, he didn’t complete his grueling task until October 1995.

But rather than this arduous journey diminishing his passion, Yokohomi was merely spurred on, and he eventually took the extraordinary decision of visiting all the other stations run by private operators. And on February 20th this year, he proudly disembarked to a cheering crowd of around 80 people at Jyoshu-Fukushima station in Gunma Prefecture. Notching up the unsurpassable figure of 9,843.

busy train japan
A busy train

But as hard as the journey was, it wasn’t all tedious travel and desolate local stations. No, far from it. Once Yokomi found a wallet containing 100,000 yen (500 pound). Although regrettably turning it over to the police caused a major interruption in his precisely planned schedule. And another time he was actually reported to the police himself, as a station employee found his sketching of the station decidedly suspicious.

shinkansen
A very fast train

For Yokomo-san however the whole thing was simply a labour of love. As “working out an efficient schedule is fun, like solving a puzzle.” And perhaps most telling of all, “I like the excitement of getting off at an unfamiliar station. When I’m the only passenger getting off the train and nobody is at the station, I feel special.”

Now if only I could apply a fraction of that enthusiasm to my daily commute…

Spectral storage

Fresh from its success with the colourful and cute SushiDisk, Japanese company SolidAlliance has just released the GhostRadar.

usb ghost radar

This rather bizarre looking contraption contains a USB memory stick, and as its name suggests, a ghost detector too. Company Vice President Yuchiro Saito says the device is suited for spooky late nights alone at your computer.

In a place that’s haunted the GhostRadar can be expected to beep every hour or so. But in other places it will rather disappointingly fall completely silent.

And in a desperate attempt to add interest and intrigue, Saito-san went on to say that the GhostRadar “detects invisible phenomena and so the system is confidential. This is not a game. This is a measuring device.”

But at a staggering 19,800 yen (100 pound) for 512 megabytes, it bloody well should be.