Tokyo Times

Photographs from a small group of islands

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In the navy!

I can vaguely remember the commercials shown on British TV for the military (or at least the Territorial Army). Joining up was made to look like a bit of an adventure, which mostly seemed to involve lots of sneaking about at night with a blackened face and a big gun. And if that didn’t tempt you, you could apparently learn new skills, solve life-threatening problems, and enjoy the comradery of your fellow soldiers.

The Japanese Marine Self Defense Force however seems to be taking a rather different approach. There’s certainly no roaming around in the dark in its new commercial. Not a gun to be seen either, as the closing line is We love Japan. We love peace. And it has to be said, the comradery on offer seems to be of a slightly different variety.

Click on the picture to see the commercial in all its glory, but be warned that it can take a bit of a while to appear. It’s worth it though.

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Where’s the biker and the construction worker?

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Avian flu (again)

With numerous outbreaks in other parts of Asia, the government has taken great pains in trying to reassure the nation that Japan is avian flu free. But all that’s gone out of the window, due to a recent outbreak in Kyoto prefecture. And just to add insult to injury, the farm in question has already sold some of the potentially infected meat to local restaurants.

In a desperate attempt at damage limitation, the powers that be have said that the meat isn’t dangerous, but just to be on the safe side, consumers should cook the meat thoroughly before eating it. Hmm, sounds a bit suspicious to me.

But some customers remain undeterred, if a little cautious. As the picture below shows, these two restaurant goers aren’t about to take any unnecessary risks.

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But what if I need the bathroom?

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Neighbourly love

We all hope for nice neigbours, but what would you do if, horror of horrors, a foreigner moved in next door?

A similar question was recently put to a few young Japanese, with some predictably odd answers. My favourite amongst them came from 18 year-old Manabu Ishii. Not one to shy away from sweeping generalizations, young Mr. Ishii chimed in with this response

“Well, I wouldn’t like to see any mafia members living next door, but if it was a pretty girl, no problem. If she were nice enough to teach me English, I would give her exclusive treatment as well.”

What a cad eh? Exclusive treatment indeed!

Hopefully my neighbours are a little more open minded than Ishii-san, as being neither female nor pretty, that leaves only one possibility. I must be a gangster! But having said that, it would help to explain why most of my neighbours refuse to look me in the eye, and always hurry past with barely a word of acknowledgement. Either that or they are just rude.

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Room for a few more

Despite Japan’s declining birthrate, the government confirmed this week that Tokyo’s population has reached a record high of over 12 million. 12,378,974 to be exact.

Thankfully the city’s extensive train network should still be able handle the extra numbers. There’s still plenty of room to squeeze a few more in.

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All Abooard!

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Stating the obvious

“Men have an instinctive fear of sexual competition. Porn actresses with husbands or boyfriends are constantly clashing with them over this.”
Veteran porn star Mariko Kawana

You don’t say.