Photographs from a small group of islands
It would appear that not only have the Japanese mastered the cloning of humans, but that the law governing such experimentation is decidedly lax. As presumably to cut costs and at the same time promote the nation’s scientific advancements, the organizers for the upcoming 2005 Aichi World Expo have created an efficient and smiling group of staff.
An apartment floor in Tokyo collapsed on Sunday. But it wasn’t because of an earthquake, or indeed shoddy construction. No, the tenant it turns out had amassed so many magazines in the 24 years he’d been living there, that the floor eventually gave way under the weight.
Fortunately the person living below the magazine mound escaped, as he heard the floor squeaking in the wooden building, and fearing the worst went and alerted the police. A wise move indeed, as upon his return the floor had collapsed, depositing the 56-year-old man from upstairs and his hoard of literature into the room below.
Both the man and his magazines were rescued, and spread out in 50 cm piles his collection covered over 30 metres. Now whilst I may be speaking out of turn here and doing the gentleman a disservice, that’s an awful lot of pornography.
If you thought the Segway was a little bit silly (or those of you from Britain and of a certain age, the Sinclair C5), take a look at the Sweeper.
This preposterous contraption was developed by Hokkaido University associate professor Takayuki Tanaka, and is supposedly inspired by a witch’s broom. A piece of information which presumably tells us all we need to know about the Sweeper. And indeed Mr. Tanaka.
The device is equipped with a 300-watt electric motor, and can manage a measly half-hour 10 kph cruise after its battery is recharged for 2 hours. Which unfortunately is probably not long (or fast) enough to escape the taunts and ridicule of fellow pedestrians.
To see the machine in all its sweeping glory, click here for an exciting bit of video footage. And for all you thrill seekers out there, this clip was filmed at night. Which considering the Sweeper’s lack of lights and blistering top speed, makes for a gripping spectacle.
In regards to gadgets and games, the Japanese certainly can’t be accused of lacking ingenuity. But on the other hand, when it comes to committing crime, they aren’t quite so commanding. Far from it in fact.
Only last week a man was arrested for attempting to rob a shop in a full monkey outfit. And then as if to kindly prove the point, a similarly crap criminal was arrested over the weekend for attempting to rob his local convenience store.
The unnamed 48-year-old man entered the store in the early hours of Sunday morning, and covering his face with a towel and brandishing a knife, he demanded money from the cash register. All good up to now you may think, but the store’s manager resisted and tried to fend the would-be robber off. In the ensuing struggle, the bungling thief’s towel slipped and he was immediately recognized. As not only did he live nearby, but he had shopped in the store several times and the manager even knew where he worked.
With the crook’s cover blown, the manager went on the offensive and scolded the scoundrel for his anti-social behaviour, saying, “I know your face. Stop doing this!â€
Eventually he did when the police arrived and promptly arrested him on suspicion of attempted robbery. And later during questioning, the captured and incompetent criminal said, “I wanted money. I went for a store near my home,”
A great plan for saving on a bit of bus fare it has to be said, but in the grand scheme of things, probably not the best of ideas.
At this time of year, youthful innocence and carefree abandon are a rarity, as the nation’s children prepare for junior and high school entrance examinations. A period when as much unnecessary pressure as possible is planted firmly on students’ shoulders, making them stressed, stroppy and somnambulistic.
Multinational food company Nestle however must wish that entrance examinations were monthly rather than yearly occurrences, as the humble Kit Kat has turned into a chocolate charm cash cow.
The name Kit Kat you see closely resembles the expression Kitto katsu, which translated directly into English means ‘definitely win’. A coincidence that has resulted in the chocolate covered biscuit being adopted as a lucky charm for students to buy for themselves, and parents and friends to proffer as a luck inducing gift.
A trend needless to say that Nestle is far from unaware of, with the company releasing new flavours for stressed-out students to waste their money on.
Rather ironically, when I was a kid it was “Have a break, have a Kit Kat.†But with regular school during the day and cram school at night, the chance of ‘a break’ for Japanese students is about as slim as a passion fruit or green tea flavoured biscuit securing someone a place at their school of choice.