Photographs from a small group of islands
Here’s a picture of Mount Fuji taken from the International Space Station. And for anybody interested, apparently it was taken with a Kodak DCS760 digital camera equipped with a 400-mm lens.
Now is it just me, or does it look disturbingly like a nipple that for reasons unknown has been dabbed with a bit of white paint?
I’ve seen lots of driving centres (or whatever they are called) dotted around Tokyo, but this is the first one I’ve come across designed specifically for buses.
I don’t know how long it is before the prospective bus drivers’ venture out onto the real roads, but when they do they’ll be in for a rude awakening after the relative tranquility of the training ground. As you can see by the photograph, there’s a distinct lack of traffic. And perhaps more importantly, it’s totally devoid of middle-aged ladies cycling in random directions, their baskets filled with daily shopping.
I’m afraid to say though that whilst watching the new drivers cautiously make their way around the course, I had an overriding urge to shout, “Get a move on, you could fit a bus through there!†A joke (if indeed you could call it that) they have probably heard far too many times to remember. But the temptation was oh so strong.
Perhaps if I’d said it in English it would have been a bit more original? No, I thought not. Sorry.
Groping on trains has long been a problem in Japan, and in a desperate attempt to curb such behaviour, some train companies have introduced female only carriages. Victims have also been encouraged to speak out more, and not shirk from identifying the perpetrators. But whether this will completely eradicate the problem is doubtful, as some gropers it would appear are very dedicated.
As an example, I came across a story in the Mainichi Daily News Yesterday. How much of it is true I really don’t know. Probably not much to be honest. But either way, it makes for an entertaining and at times bizarre read.
According to the article, some groping fanatics formed the Chikan Tomo-no-Kai (The Gropers Brotherhood). At meetings, the members apparently discuss various techniques, and revel in retelling their favourite groping stories. They are even said to have a ranking system based on their level of perverted proficiency. For instance, a good performance (if that’s the right description) in front of the chairman, could earn a member the exalted rank of black belt.
Each rank has certain requirements, and the higher up the scale, the more demanding they are. Those who manage to attain the dizzy height of 5th dan black belt are expected to maintain their rank by fondling the buttocks of at least 100 women a month. Now I’m no expert on this, but I’m guessing you’d need a pretty long commute to sustain those mighty figures. If Saturdays and Sundays are counted as holidays, that works out at about 5 gropes a day. A feat of almost Olympic proportions!
But like I said earlier, how much truth there is in the article is highly debatable. If you want to read it in full and make your own mind up, all you need to do is click here. Although I should warn you that it does go into considerably more detail. I have merely touched on a few specifics.
The picture below is Kazuhide Uekusa. Renowned economist, regular television commentator, and professor at the prestigious Waseda University.
But on Monday, Mr. Uekusa was arrested for peeping at Tokyo’s Shinagawa station. He wasn’t however just trying to have a crafty peek up a woman’s skirt, or a quick leer at her cleavage. No, the perverted professor was caught on an escalator, trying to look up the skirt of a 15 year old schoolgirl with a small mirror.
Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. How terribly embarrassing!
Forget the running of the bulls in Spain, or even the bizarre sheep run in New Zealand. For sheer danger and lunacy, Japan’s recent Onabashira festival takes some beating.
Held every 7 years, it is designed to bring the people and local gods closer together. Although how belting down a hill on a log is supposed to achieve this I don’t know.
The overall aim (apart from avoiding serious injury) is to try and stay on the log all the way to the bottom of the hill. But by clicking on the picture below and watching the video, you can see it’s by no means easy.
Personally I like the way everyone jumps on at the end, just as the log has come to a standstill. But I’m not sure what the gods would make of such brazen cheating.