Photographs from a small group of islands
Recently I saw something in the newspaper that really amused me. But it is rather childish. Hence the title.
Printed below is a message from the personal section. I was just looking ok? And when reading it, remember that san placed after a name is an honorific title. Similar to Mr.
That’s one unlucky name. Now I know it’s neither big nor clever to laugh at the misfortune of others, but…
The tasteful piece of clothing pictured below, cleverly depicts traditional Japanese culture. The bra shows a dancing girl (Maiko), and the panties a castle.
The brassiere in question was made using a high-level lace technique known as stick embroidery, along with….
Ahh, who cares? I certainly don’t. And I’m pretty sure you don’t either. Plus I’m probably not fooling anybody with this desperate attempt to justify the picture of a pretty young girl wearing next to nothing.
So here’s the picture.
But who would have thought that embroidery could be so much fun? I feel a new hobby coming on.
Growing up in Britain I was always aware of the potential for terrorist attacks, and thought nothing of seeing rubbish bins at train stations covered, or more often than not completely removed.
But one thing that has always struck me about Japan is its sense of innocence. And I don’t mean that in a bad way. People carefreely leave their bags on chairs in restaurants, and the stations are always spotless due to the large number of rubbish bins available.
Sadly, due to the recent threats from al-Quaeda, things are beginning to change. And from this week, train station rubbish bins have looked like this.
I should say however that similar measures were taken 9 years ago after Aum’s sarin gas attacks on the Tokyo underground. Although I think I’m right in saying that this was restricted to the underground system, and wasn’t implemented throughout the whole train network as I’m presuming it is now.
On Monday, an Asahi Shimbun editor was arrested for allegedly flashing his genitalia on a crowded bus.
The accused however claims the incident was a complete misunderstanding, as he wears a prosthetic leg and was merely adjusting its position. The 43 year-old man was arrested after a schoolgirl complained to the bus driver, who then reported the incident to the police.
Despite such denials, prosecutors remain confident that they have taken the right decision. Stating that “We have decided to prosecute him after comprehensively examining the testimonies [sorry] of the schoolgirl and the driverâ€
The nation’s publications have had a field day with this story, sporting headlines along the lines of he doesn’t have a leg to stand on, and other similarly cheap shots. But here at Tokyo Times, coverage is much more balanced. Oops.
Everyone loves a loser. Or at least Japanese horseracing fans do.
Japan’s worst racehorse, Haruurara, attempted to break a 105 race losing streak on Monday. And with top jockey Yutaka Take on board, anticipation of a potential win sent race goers into a frenzy.
Despite the race not starting until 4:35 p.m., 3,000 people were already lined up 30 minutes before the track opened at 9 o’clock. And by 2 p.m. the gates had to be locked as the racecourse reached its capacity. A first for the venue.
And if all this wasn’t silly enough, people were queuing for up to 90 minutes to buy Haruurara souvenirs.
Needless to say, hapless Haruurara didn’t win.
