The Tokyo Setagaya-ku Cleaning and Recycling department uses expired departmental flyers for its business cards. The department uses the reverse side of printed material that has been used in the department. The front of the business card contains the usual business card information. On the back of the cards Lets Japan received is a
Wild animals are being hunted by local government employees in an effort to reduce crop damage and the number of animals prowling populated areas. The "civil service hunters" are targeting monkeys, bears, deer, wild boars, foxes, and other animals. The public servants are being trained in the use of rifles in order to obtain hunting
The latest edition of Japan’s Weeky Playboy magazine has an article about US President Barack Obama. The current issue is being advertised on trains, and a picture of Obama is in the ad, along with pictures of the women that are featured inside the men’s magazine. The article about US President Obama says Japan will
January A letter a Kawasaki schoolgirl sent aloft by balloon in 1993 was found fastened to a fish by a fisherman off Choshi port,150 kilometers away from where the balloon was launched. February A 39-year-old man wearing a high school girl’s uniform and a long wig loitered near a Saitama high school and was arrested
Ryu Kawaguchifujiyamasan, Jan. 1 – Feb 16. (Reason for resignation: health – "irritable atreporta syndrome".) Taro Suzuki, March 2 – March 28. (Lack of support: public opinion rating falls below 1%.) Jun Satoishikawa, April 1 – April 25. (Says: "I don’t know how to cook. There is no chef at official residence. I’m
A female member of a local government stars in a sexy DVD that goes on sale Nov. 19. Yuri Fujikawa, 28, a member of the Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, City Council appears in "Yuri Fujikawa DVD love navi Hachinohe " a gravure-style video, and "Hachinohe Photos Moe Navi (2000)" a photo book. Both products promote the
Shibuya Monkey Timeline On August 20, 2008, a macaque monkey ran wild in Shibuya train station in Tokyo. Startled commuters watched as police failed to catch the monkey. TV crews were able to video the monkey chase through the station. The macaque escaped into the city. Video of the chase was broadcast on TV stations
Can You ID The Badge? The number of badges and pins on Japan Prime Minister Taro Aso’s suit lapel varies daily. The purple pin with gold center indicates "membership" in the Japan government House of Representatives. In the photo above, Lets Japan is unable to confirm the memberships associated with the blue ribbon badge, the
Japan’s annual “Cool Biz” energy-saving campaign began June 1, 2008. The fashion campaign was initiated in 2005 by former Japan environment minister Yuriko Koike. She argued that by getting men out of suits, office building air conditioning thermostats could be raised to 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) and would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Bye Buy Butter Thirty-five years ago, it was toilet paper. Now, consumers and bakeries are hunting butter as Japan is suffering a butter shortage. Supermarkets are limiting butter to one per customer. At OK Mart, Hokkaido butter brand was available, up 100 yen from it’s previous price of 199 yen. Buyers were allowed only one
The Blue Shield The one-man shelters that many of Japan’s homeless construct from heavy blue tarpaulins can be found in parks, under bridges, and along river banks. An April 2007 Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare report shows there are 4,213 homeless in Tokyo’s 23 wards, and about 18,500 homeless nationwide. The country has
Military Comic Books Not So Novel A comic book created by the US Navy to educate Japanese teens and young adults about one of it’s nuclear powered aircraft carriers is ready for distribution in Yokosuka. The city is home to the Yokosuka Naval Base US installation. The USS George Washington is scheduled to arrive in
Opposite Directions Decreasing auto sales in Japan, combined with new laws targeting elderly drivers and other efforts to prevent pensioners from driving, are making it more difficult for auto manufacturers facing a different demographic future. Newsweek reports automobile sales in Japan have been declining steadily over time. It says aside from minicars and luxury foreign
The Wine Advisor reads the bar code on the bottle label and offers food recommendations to match the wine. The electronic scanner terminal is installed over wine racks at the 10 newest Peacock supermarkets in Japan. Newsweek International reports the machine recommended roast beef, Maribo and Samsoe cheese and pain de campagne to go with
