Japan’s Civil Defense department updated its Civil Protection website September 21 with information about “Actions in case of missiles flying to Japan.” The update comes after North Korea’s September 15 launch of a missile that flew over the northern island of Hokkaido, Japan. The missile landed in the Pacific east of Japan.
Railway police in a Tokyo suburb are handing out free stickers that use red ink to identify molesters caught on trains. The "Molester Deterence Seal" (in Japanese "Chikan Seal") is a 2-ply peel-off sticker intended to be put on smartphones. The 1.5 centimeter diameter sticker is applied to the back of a smartphone. The
Bicycle helmets with removable, stylish hats have been created to entice elderly Japanese to wear a helmet when riding a bike. The hats are designed so they can also be worn without the helmet. Bicycle helmets are rarely worn by the elderly in Japan. Seniors say they’d like to wear safety helmets, but the helmets
Buddhist temples in Japan that have run out of graveyard space for tombs are turning to high-tech storage solutions for ashes of the deceased. In Japan, cremation is the norm and remains of the dead are kept in urns stored in a stone tomb on a family plot in a graveyard. The outdoor tombs have
A company that makes fashions for dogs has created the "Patent DIsaster Cape" earthquake and fire protection suit for dogs. The silver flame-retardant outfit is padded on the top to protect the dog’s head and back from falling objects. The wind-resistant cape is trimmed with reflective piping and comes in a compact flame-resistant storage bag.
The shape of women’s breasts when their handbag strap is draped across their cleavage has become known as the "breast slash" (in Japanese "pai sura" or "pai slash.") Some women say the look resembles an alligator. Photo collections of "oppai sura street women" have been published, there are blogs dedicated to the breast-handbag-strap-look, and
Food trucks in Japan used to be found mostly at sporting events or other large events, and often the trucks were operated by brand name food manufacturers. Now updated versions of food trucks, dubbed "Neo Kitchen Cars", are offering take-away food at locations in cities. Public open space cannot be used for kitchen cars in
source Man masquerading as target woman asks to be fondled In April a man fondled a 23-year-old woman on the JR Wakayama Line in Osaka prefecture. The victim protested and when the train stopped the woman grabbed the guy and turned him into the station police. The 49-year-old suspect claimed that the woman had
People are being asked to not use mobile phones while walking in train stations in Tokyo. The transport ministry and railway companies began the effort after a 5th grade elementary school boy who was walking and looking at his smartphone accidentally stepped off the platform and onto the train tracks at Tokyo’s Yotsuya Station on
A new law in Japan prohibits pet shops from displaying cats and dogs after 8 p.m. The Environment Ministry Law for Animal Welfare and Management ordinance also bans pet shops from selling any animal after 8 p.m. Prior to the June 1 implementation of the law, many pet shops stayed open after midnight. Some pet
Japan’s national provisional safety limit for levels of radioactive cesium in food is 500 becquerels per kilogram. Let’s Japan reviewed food-test data issued by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare covering the period from March 1, 2011 – Dec. 21, 2011. Highest becquerels per kilogram levels Becquerels/kg Cesium-134 Cesium-137
Shoppers in Tokyo, March 25, 2011 We’ve been having some troubles here in Japan. Maybe you’ve heard. I’ve written some articles about the earthquake and the coverage of the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear reactors. You can read my reports here: March 25, 2011 Op-Ed: Tokyo OK, foreign media’s sensational coverage shameful March 16,
Freddie Mercury, who was the lead vocalist and a songwriter of the rock band Queen, and who died in 1991, stars in a TV commercial in Japan for Nissin’s Cup Noodle instant ramen noodles. The commercial features Mercury’s performance of Queen’s "I Was Born to Love You" and a dubbed Japanese voice sings the lyrics.
The Two Sides of Domino’s Pizza Domino’s Pizza has opened an English-language website that includes special pizza offers not available on the Japanese version of the site. For example, by ordering through the Domino’s English website, you can get two large pizzas with one topping each for JPY 2999. That special offer is one of
A monkey that has been romping around parts of Tokyo since Aug. 6 could be the monkey that ran through Tokyo’s Shibuya station on Aug. 20, 2008. On the morning of August 20, 2008, a macaque monkey scampered into Shibuya train station in Tokyo. Police armed with several meters of green netting and carrying hooped
