After 20 years, Japan Airlines has stopped publication of it’s calendars that feature pictures of cabin attendants. The wall and desktops calendars were first offered in 1989 and have been sold in bookstores, on the internet, and in JAL catalogs. Demand peaked in 1993, with about 100,000 copies printed. For 2009, JAL printed 50,000 of the
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
The little monkey that has caused so much trouble in Tokyo since August has now been running loose for 101 days. The last reported sighting of the Japanese macaque was on Nov. 6 in Itabashi, Tokyo. The adventuresome wild monkey first appeared in Tokyo’s Shibuya train station the morning of Aug. 20. The lone simian
A wild monkey has been loose in Tokyo for three months. On Aug. 20 the Japanese macaque appeared in Shibuya station in Tokyo. Morning rush hour commuters cleared a path for more than 30 net-carrying cops who arrived to capture the ape. The monkey, then perched atop a ceiling-mounted timetable display, calmly watched the police
Macaques Encircle City A wild monkey that appeared in Shibuya station in Tokyo on August 20, 2008 and escaped into the city, may now have a partner. A TV station in Tokyo reports more than one monkey is loose in the Tokyo metropolitan area. On November 6, TBS-TV Evening 5 news in Tokyo reported a
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.
Is Former 1960’s TV Cartoon Character Sento-kun? Alien and former TV star The Great Gazoo seems to have been the inspiration for Nara city’s new mascot Sento-kun. Gazoo appeared as himself in a minor role on the popular American TV cartoon The Flintstones final season in 1965. Except for the occasional cameo in recent years,
Tama-chan promoted to Super Station Chief after one year as regular Station Chief. Gets new house. interview LetsJapan: What did you do before you were appointed Stationmaster? Tama-chan : I was being taken care of by an old lady who owned a shop next to Kishikawa station. LJ: She provided for you. Tc: Yeah. She
A suspect in a crime is identified by name, and employer or occupation, but other people arrested for similar crimes are called only “company employees”( whatever that means.) In Japan, it seems the employer and occupation are revealed for anyone in a media-related occupation, who is caught driving while intoxicated, or peeping under skirts, or
Made (Better) in Japan ( Forked, Alan Richman, GQ, March 2008) Also a Newsweek International Special report, The New Food Capital Of The World. This article mentions the fascination with food on TV in Japan, and the 2007 edition of the Michelin Guide, which “gave a total of 191 stars to Tokyo, leaving Paris a
