Tokyo Times

Nov 19 2004 3 Comments

Greatest glutton ever

After 4 straight wins in New York’s hot dog eating contest, Takeru Kobayashi has recently added another title to his already impressive list. Romping home by a large margin in Chattanooga’s hamburger eating competition.

His pulsating performance of 69 hamburgers in 8 minutes, was so stunning that it prompted David Baer of the International Federation of Competitive Eating to trumpet, “Kobayashi is, without a doubt, the greatest eater ever to live upon planet Earth.”

Er, right David, we get the message.

And that’s him, the earth’s greatest ever eater. A proud and teary-eyed David on the left perhaps?

Nov 18 2004 6 Comments

PSP preservation

After a surprising lack of hype up to now, the Sony PSP bandwagon seems to be finally gathering a bit of speed. And at some of Tokyo’s busy stations, PSP’s are on rather prominent display.

Now it has to be said that whilst I was in Tokyo station, people weren’t exactly moving en masse to get a look at Sony’s new baby. But presumably wild and unruly crowds were expected, as security was tight.

Nov 17 2004 2 Comments

Mind your manners

The Seibu Railway Company has recently started a new train manner campaign. And as far as I’m concerned, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Attempting to stop people using their telephones, taking up unnecessary space, or simply being anti-social on the train is never a bad thing. Plus if it’s done by using a colourful poster with cute little pictures on it, then all the better.

But where are the signs telling people to stop pushing, and perhaps more importantly, to resist staring at foreigners?

He said irritably after a particularly stressful journey home.

Nov 16 2004 1 Comment

The bigger they are…

…The harder they (don’t necessarily) fall.

Or at least that’s what 34-year-old Takaho Ono found out last Sunday afternoon. As for undisclosed reasons, Ono-san was feeling frustrated, and in his own words “wanted to hit somebody.”

Now I’m no expert on fighting, but I do know that if you are going to pick on somebody for a bit of rough and tumble, better to choose an individual on the small side. And personally speaking, preferably a man wearing glasses, verging on the decrepit, and not a fast runner in case everything goes pear-shaped and I have to make a dash for it.

But none of this was a consideration for the brave (and foolish) Mr. Ono. Perhaps not realizing a sumo tournament was in town (but surely capable of seeing the size of his potential foe), the frustrated fighter chose to hit ex-wrestler and sumo stable master Katsunoura. A man who fought under the name Kitakachidoki, and whose records show he was 183 centimetres tall, and weighed in at an impressive 158 kilogrammes.

This mismatched battle resulted in Ono getting in one surprise punch before Katsunoura subdued him on the spot and promptly handed him over to the police.

Contest over.

Are you laughing at my skirt?

Nov 15 2004 7 Comments

Loving lap

The Boyfriend’s Arm Pillow might have seemed a little odd, but compared to Trane Corporation’s Lap Pillow, it pales into insignificance.

Yes, as the picture clearly shows, if nothing else this unique item is appropriately named. And for anyone interested, it is made from urethane foam and supposedly has a skin-like texture. The decidedly short and tight skirt on the other hand is made of boring old polyester.

Not surprisingly the product was designed for men, although its creator, Mr. Ikarashi, says it was made with young males in their late teens and early twenties in mind. But initial reaction from men in their 50’s and 60’s has also been positive.

As well as claiming to be shocked by this interest from older men, Ikarashi-san also argues that the pillow is in no way dodgy. In fact as far as he is concerned (or willing to admit), it is a product primarily for healing.

However it could be argued that the photograph below paints a slightly different picture.

And this is a very different one altogether!

Perhaps Ikarashi’s final words on the pillow are the most enlightening. According to surveys, he claims that the image associated with the pillow is relief and not excitement.

Hmm…

[Pictures and story courtesy of TechJapan]

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