Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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Sumo slander

“If we let conventions like this fall to pieces, it’ll only mean women in their high heels will be up there fighting on the dohyo.”

Yokozuna Promotion Council member Makiko Uchidate, criticizing yokozuna Asashoryu’s rebellious nature, specifically when he received his prizes with his left hand instead of right at the last tournament.

Whilst I have to admit that the Yokozuna Asashoryu has been a bit of a bad boy from time to time, he has always learned from his mistakes and corrected his behaviour accordingly. Plus at 23 years old he is still very young. And not coming from a sumo family (or in fact Japan), surely a few lapses should be expected, and more importantly forgiven.

But whatever his faults, he is more than worthy of his status as Grand Champion. Ability wise none of the current crop of wrestlers can get anywhere near him. His achievement of winning the last 2 tournaments without a single loss (only ever done once before) attests to this.

Yet regardless of his talent or behaviour, it’s a big leap from receiving prizes with the wrong hand to the introduction of women sumo wrestlers in high heels.

Or is it?

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Lilliputian lunch

It’s often said that the Japanese are quite short in stature. And looking at this picture there might just be something in it.

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But with the words stereotype, exploiting, and shamelessly ringing in my ears (plus a noisily reverberating cheap shot), I think I’ll leave it there.

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Ball grabber busted

A 60 year old woman was arrested over the weekend for stealing lost golf balls from a lake near the 15th hole at Sasadaira Country Club, Gifu prefecture. The suspect, Ms Natsumi Tsujita, is reported to have said she did it for some spending money.

But she wasn’t content with just turning up with a net and a long pole. No, Tsujita-san donned a wetsuit, and had goggles and a waterproof flashlight to boot. And if all that wasn’t enough, she also manufactured a net attached to a floating ring to store all the balls in.

After starting late Friday night, by the early hours of Saturday morning Ms. Tsujita is said to have collected over 1,500 balls. An impressive haul indeed. One that would have presumably brought in the necessary spending money she so desperately craved.

However unfortunately her car was spotted by club security, and when she came back dripping wet she was promptly arrested. And most likely Ms. Tsujita will face legal proceedings, as bizarrely it turns out that The Supreme Court has already handed down a ruling on lost balls, declaring them to be the property of the golf course.

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Ms. Tsujita yesterday. Perhaps.

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Watch out there’s a chikan about

On this site you’ll find plenty of posts regarding perverts (chikan) and the lengths they’ll go to get a glimpse of underwear, a crafty feel, or just a bit of old fashioned voyerism.

But it seems that people are fighting back, and kids are being warned to be on their guard from a very young age. Here’s a notice I found outside an elementary school I visited yesterday.

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As unsettling as the picture is, what’s perhaps more disturbing is that the hands look uncannily like those belonging to Mr. Burns of The Simpsons fame.

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Watch TV?

Ever felt that your watch would be so much better if it had a built in TV? No, me neither. But if you ever do, the clever folk at Tokyo’s NHJ Limited have come up with this nifty little number.

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That is a football game that’s showing though. You know what? It might not be such a bad idea after all.

And apologies for the corny title. But it’s quite a clever play on words don’t you think?

Oh, ok then.