One day I might be able to actually come here and shop rather than just gazing through the windows and gawping at the prices.
I hope.
Although it has to be said without a great deal of confidence…
Ginza
Burglar busted
Thankfully in Japan burglary isn’t the problem it is back in my native Britain. Admittedly it does (according to the press) appear to be on the rise, but most houses/apartments happily make do with just a basic lock on the front door. A multitude of locks on entrances and windows, plus alarms and sensors everywhere is simply unheard of.
But that doesn’t mean it never happens, as the trial this week of 42-year-old Shinya Yamaguchi proves. Having made a virtual career out of house theft for the last 20 years or so, Yamaguchi was finally brought to justice and sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison.
In court Mr. Yamaguchi was described as someone who had difficulty getting along with others ever since being bullied at elementary school. And after leaving high school he never managed to hold down a job for any length of time. Unless of course burglary can be classed as an occupation.
But this isn’t to say that Yamaguchi-san wasn’t enterprising. With his ill-gotten gains he managed to build himself a three-story house with part of the 50,000,000 yen (250,000 pounds) he saved. And by limiting himself to a 30,000 yen (150 pounds) a month budget, he was happily putting money away for his old age.
Yet despite this, the judge showed some leniency, saying that Yamaguchi, “has expressed regret for his actions, through such gestures as offering to sell his house to compensate victims of his crimes.” Maybe the very solitary life led by the serial burglar also pushed the judge towards compassion. The court saying that he lived alone, had no real friends, and spent most of his time listening to music.
Unfortunately that just happened to be on stolen audio equipment.
Eco bra
Triumph International, famed maker of both the Haruurara and maiko themed bras, has upped the ante even further by producing a completely recyclable design made specifically for the Expo 2005 Aichi Japan.
The slightly unusual looking item of underwear is made from corn, Deccan hemp, and paper. But sadly for anyone interested in acquiring one, they are for the Expo only, and will not be made available to the general public.
And after that rather pointless and decidedly dull preamble, here’s a picture of said bra. The only reason for this rather lame post.
Perverted police
From the number of reports that make the news concerning policemen and unlawful sexual activities, it would almost appear that deviancy is a requirement for entrance. Whether it be sex with under-age girls, groping, or unconventional photography, the police force appears to have more than its fair share of perpetrators.
But judging by recent events, this deviant disease seems to have spread to those merely associated with the police. As a 48-year-old accountant who worked for the Kyoto prefectural police has been caught taking photos up the skirt of a 36-year-old woman in Osaka. The man had hidden a digital camera in a shopping bag, and then proceeded to follow his victim around the streets and then into a bookstore. Presumably all the time partaking in his special brand of photography.
Despite their own poor record on such matters, the police force said they were outraged by such activities. With a spokesman saying, “Using hidden cameras to take photos of people is unacceptable behaviour for anybody, let alone an employee of the police force. We’ll do what we can to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.”
Whilst not fired for his actions, the accountant handed in his resignation after being issued a severe reprimand. And although not reported, it was presumably accepted. Perhaps after he’d explained to similar minded officerｓ his camera-in-a-shopping-bag technique and more importantly the mistakes he made getting caught.
Seaman shame
A Maritime Self-Defence Force (MSDF) member has been arrested for the bizarre crime of abusing a lower-ranking colleague who refused to have his hair permed.
The unnamed 34-year-old at the centre of the scandal allegedly told a younger member to “get a short perm.” But being both rebellious and presumably fashion conscious, the 20-year-old refused, and instead opted for a more up-to-date and manageable short haircut.
This decidedly uncurly crop sent the perm loving and rather appropriately ranked petty officer into a rage, and he forced his short-haired colleague on to his knees whilst pointing an airgun at him.
Not surprisingly a complaint was registered, with an MSDF official commenting that, “After we confirmed the details, we decided to arrest him because we believe what he committed was vicious.”
Whether this was in reference to gun pointing or perm ordering wasn’t disclosed.
