Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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Vuitton verve

It’s often said that the Japanese hate confrontation of any kind, but it seems that even deeply rooted behavioural patterns can be overcome by the passion to posses branded goods.

As on Saturday in Fukuoka, a 23-year-old woman grabbed a male robber, and despite sustaining a wrist injury she managed to hold onto him until help arrived. Even after the 41-year-old criminal threatened to stab her the woman didn’t let go, and spurred on by brand bravado, she upped the pressure even further and grappled with him.

The thief’s mistake it seems was his choice of bag, as the lady later told the police, “He was trying to run away with my handbag which contained my precious Louis Vuitton purse, I wasn’t letting him go anywhere.”

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Duel honours

Applying a law that was implemented in 1889, police officers arrested two groups of teenagers for dueling on Wednesday.

Each group consisted of 5 junior high school boys, but the duels were fought in a very civilized one-on-one. Further adding to this chivalrous form of combat is that no weapons were allowed, plus blows to the genitalia were strictly forbidden. And for a winner to be declared, one fighter had to give up.

As honourable as this may (arguably) sound, the fights weren’t over the attention of a young lady, or the defamation of a good man’s character. No, bizarrely these bare-knuckle brawls were all down to the minor misfortune of a slashed bicycle seat.

Whilst the boys in question are said to have admitted to the allegations and shown considerable regret, police reports sadly didn’t disclose whether gloves were thrown on the ground or slapped across faces prior to any dueling action.

Categorized: Odd

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Overly optimistic?

“The ideal man for me must be gentle, kind to people, never give up, be warm-hearted, family-oriented, sports-minded, and like kids.”

Actress Aya Ueto on what type of man she’d like to marry.

aya ueto

As pretty as she is, with those kind of requirements I think young Ueto-san is going to end up very disappointed.

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Moving mannequin

Electronics company Flower Robotics Inc. has developed Palette, a mechanized female mannequin that can copy the movements of models and pose for passing customers.

palette moving mannequin

Designer Tatsuya Matsui said that, “Mannequins have been static, but this will pose for the nearest person by sensing his or her position. It makes the product the mannequin wears look more attractive, increasing consumers’ appetite to buy.”

But selling clothes isn’t the mannequin’s only job. The use of motion-capture technology to mimic the movements of supermodels will inevitably draw people to Palette, as will the ability to pose for individual customers. But she (perhaps inevitably) also has more covert capabilities.

It is planned to program the mannequin to judge the age and sex of passing shoppers, and also identify the bags they are carrying. This information will then be passed on to the store for marketing purposes.

When it goes on sale later this year, two models will be available. One with a whole body except legs, and another with just an upper torso to display jewelry. Matsui however hopes to eventually produce a mannequin with legs, plus male and child models. All of them presumably equipped with marketing technology.