Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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Mummified man

The Japanese are renowned the world over for their longevity, but a recent event in Itami, Hyogo Prefecture, casts some doubt upon the validity of such a widely held belief. As a man celebrated for being the oldest male in the city had actually been dead for as long as a decade.

Kyujiro Kanaoka, who lived with his three elderly children (all in their 70’s), had been known as Itami’s oldest man since 1999. Yet an autopsy conducted on Tuesday revealed that he had died from natural causes or illness between five to ten years ago.

Mr. Kanaoka’s body was finally recovered from the family home after a relative alerted the police following a conversation with his son. Local government officials, who had believed the deceased was 107, found his kimono clad body mummified in the house. With the futon the body was resting on surrounded by religious amulets, charms, and notes. It turns out the children also delivered meals to their dead father on a daily basis.

When the city mayor went to visit the house on Respect For The Aged Day last year, he was turned away and told that Mr. Kanaoka was bedridden and unable to meet visitors. An episode that aroused little or no suspicion. But a shocked neigbour did say that, “I thought something was a little strange, because you’d see all these pamphlets talking about him as being the oldest person, but you never actually saw him.”

And now we know why…

Categorized: Odd

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Salary man surrender

The government has recently promised to spend 37 billion yen on programmes to help youngsters find gainful employment. And judging by these graduates pictured at a recruitment fair this week, many prospective employees are very happy about it.

salary men

All of them shouting in unison, “We surrender ourselves to countless hours of unpaid overtime, the complete subservience to the outdated hierarchical system, and also the eventual health problems due to enforced socialization with our customers and superiors.”

Or something along those lines.

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Synthetic sakura

Cherry blossom season is an important part of the Japanese calendar, and for those who wish they could see the beautiful blossoms all year round, lighting company Ryoukou has kindly stepped in with a man-made version.

fake cherry blossom

A spokesperson said, “This is the flower that has been loved and admired by the Japanese since ancient times. We have reproduced this cherry blossom to perfection so we can show the rest of the world.”

To achieve this, each tree is fitted with 7,680 light-emitting diodes that are spread over 40 branches. Creating an effect that Ryoukou claims will be “relaxing and comforting for others”.

There are however a few drawbacks. As you can imagine, 40 branches will require a lot of space, and the whole thing weighs in at a rather hefty 500 kg. Although these potential pitfalls are nothing compared to the price tag. The white blossom version will set you back a whopping 3.5 million yen (17,500 pound). But thankfully it’s not all doom and gloom, as for those willing to make do with a mixture of white and red lights, one can be picked up for the bargain bin price of 2.65 million yen (13,250 pound).

And if that isn’t enough to tempt you, the tree consumes no more than 410 watts of power. Making it both comforting and cost-effective.

Sexual healing

The term “sexless marriage” was first coined in Japan during the early 90’s, when therapists encountered a huge surge in the number of women admitting dissatisfaction with their love lives. And things obviously haven’t improved since then. A 2004 sex survey found that the average number of sexual encounters in 41 countries was 103 per year, with Japan coming last, mustering a measly 46.

But thankfully help is at hand (so to speak). Dr Kim Myong-gan, a Tokyo based sexologist, has introduced some radical new therapy to help his patients. Many of whom he claims are stuck in marriages that “have been sexless for 5, 10, or even 15 years.”

The ‘prescription’ for these women is a date with a member of the doctor’s ‘sex volunteer corps’. A team that boasts 40 members, all specially chosen for their looks, humour, and ability to listen.

These dates are said to consist of a nice meal and a few drinks, giving the patient some time to relax and explain her unfortunate marital situation. Then it’s discreetly off to a hotel for the necessary treatment.

Dr Kim claims that, “The problem among many Japanese men is that fairly soon after they get married, they begin to see their wives as their mothers, there to cook and clean for them. That makes it very hard to find them sexually attractive again.” Now how much truth there is in this is debatable, but the doctor’s somewhat unorthodox approach is obviously paying dividends. Every year around 200 women (mostly in their 40’s) are said to visit his clinic, with an initial two-hour interview costing 20,000 yen (100 pound).

After this, the women are given a book containing pictures and personal details of every sex corps member. All of whom Dr Kim says are not gigolos. He also denies earning money from anything that happens outside his clinic walls.

Categorized: Sex

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Elevator aesthetics

Elevator design isn’t something that I usually take much notice of, but the silver simplicity (and the blatant disregard for floors 2 to 37) of these buttons is somehow rather beautiful.

japanese elevator

Or is it just me?

I fear it might be.