Tokyo Times
Notes from a small group of Japanese islands



Maybe not so mobile manners (May 12)
Maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with Japan Tobacco being half owned by the government, but while smoking is plainly becoming less passable in public places, it’s still manners more than anything that matter in Japan; meaning mobile ashtrays are a must. However, regardless of how convenient these contraptions can be, their purported portable [...]


Japanese mayonnaise madness? (May 10)
Japan?s love of mayonnaise appears to know no bounds, as preposterous amounts of the stuff is seemingly plopped onto everything, with pizzas in particular being popular. Plus, for those without a care in the world as far as their cholesterol count is concerned, there are even restaurants dedicated to the dressing. So, with this in mind, [...]


Tokyo Toshiko?s beauty blunder? (May 9)
Being a bloke, the merits of one ladies hairstylist over another remains a mystery, although that said, Beauty Toshiko?s (?????? ???) decidedly bold approach of basing its banner, on the bouffant once boasted by croaky crooner Bonnie Tyler, suggests — considering the singer’s somewhat surprising lack of trendiness in Tokyo — that it could well [...]


Loitering lookouts (May 8)
With still another month or so to go before Japan?s burgeoning rice crops are transferred from the relative safety of the nation?s nurseries, to the far more perilous paddy fields, the country?s large and meticulously attired mob of migrant scarecrows are left with little to do to but wile away the time looking sullen. Or scary [...]


Nice On nourishment (May 7)
For those willing to pay the often mindboggling membership costs, or alternatively fork out the still substantial but far more affordable green fees, access will be granted to the eccentricities of golf in Japan, like big meals and beers midway round, and the slightly comical language localisation; including the almost cute ?caddie-san?, as well as [...]


King-sized Japanese kites (May 6)
As a child, flying a little kite was tremendous fun, but in some parts of Japan, the ?kids?, as well as being significantly more sullen, aren?t nearly so small, and the kites are mindboggingly massive. This particular one in Sagamihara, just outside Tokyo, measuring a monumental 14.5 metres by 14.5 metres; its 950kg bamboo and handmade [...]


Japanese second-hand sales slump (May 5)
While petrol prices are presumably a long way from their peak — if indeed a peak is even possible anymore — the situation certainly hasn?t hampered Toyota, with the Japanese giant consistently selling more cars than its competitors; the carmaker?s fuel efficient engines presumably having a lot to do with its soaring success. A factor that [...]


Salary man sin (May 3)
The Japanese salary man?s commitment to the company and the demented levels of overtime this often demands are almost legendary, with even the term karoushi (death from overwork) having to be coined to cover such occurrences. But not all employees are quite so industrious, as a sadly unnamed civil servant in Wakayama Prefecture was more likelier [...]


Capsule Land limit (May 2)
Whether it?s in relation to the past or present, Japan is certainly not lacking in national symbols, all the way from kimonos to cosplay, and Mount Fuji to manga. Plus, at least as far as more recent representations go, the confines of a capsule hotel are also commonly conjured up. However, while this relatively recent addition [...]


Tokyo cigarette sit down (May 1)
While things are still far from frosty, Japan?s relationship with cigarettes certainly seems to be getting a little rocky, with more and more restrictions being regularly rolled out. However, that?s not to say it?s all bad news for those partial to the odd puff, as manners are still the main priority. And, despite a smoking ban [...]