face bras....

I didn't think they really existed. I thought that they were just a figment of 'Ally McBeal'. But apparently not.



Greg thought that he saw some randomly placed mexican wrestling masks in the middle of the skin care section of a supermarket...but it was just face bras...

If you look carefully you will see that there are ones designed for men too. nice.

Foreigner swims naked in the Imperial palace moat

Some British dude decided to give reason to the general idea that foreigners are all weird, by going skinny dipping in the moat of the Imperial Palace, Tokyo.



The news reel says that he is Spanish, but he has apparently been confirmed to be British (BBC article). Go Britain.

Not only was he butt naked and swimming in the moat (which isn't particularly clean and full of hungry and curious carp) but he occasionally climbed parts of the palace walls - intentionally removing some of the rocks on this way. He was also seen to be throwing rocks at people who approached him in a boat and chasing after policemen (whilst still very naked) with a rock in hand. It does give the Tokyo police a bit of break from chasing a rouge monkey...but I don't think it gives them much credibility when they are running scared from a man just because he's holding a rock. Well, I guess naked gaijin's [外国人] are really scary.

This wonderful example of wackiness went on for about 2hours, and he was only finally arrested at 1pm.

Apprently, he has been released with out charge to his friend, on the account that he's nuts/mentally unstable. Although, I'm not entirely convinced that that is a good idea.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk*

* please excuse the profanity.
Gory news guys... Three people dead just down the road from where I live... another horrific murder in Tokyo, but this time very VERY close to home. link HERE.

"Three dead in Tokyo family stabbing: police

TOKYO (AFP) — A 42-year-old Japanese man stabbed his parents and his wife to death, and also seriously injured his two sons during a family dispute in a quiet Tokyo neighbourhood, police and reports said Friday"

QUIET!?!? it WAS until this morning, when on my cycle to uni I was met by unusually busy traffic down our road, which was odd for a start, then camera crews and news teams crowded around city car park (also odd), with the other side of the block of the same building flanked by two, very serious looking, policemen.

...anyway, as exciting as that is, I have to go to bed now.

night night.

A much better way to learn Japanese...

Today Carl introduced me to the concept of a Japanese Tongue Twister (Hayakuchi kotoba), had me in absolute stitches.
Not like its not hard enough to pronounce some of the stuff as it is. You just try saying: it was not warm (atataka kunakatta) or I don't want to work (haierita kunakatta). Now try doing it quickly. yeah...fun isn’t it?

Anyway, the following are some of the least obscure;

The Director of Tokyo Patent Office:
Tokyo tokkyo kyoka kyoku kyoka kyokucho

Child turtle on top of parent turtle, grandchild turtle on top of child turtle, great grandchild turtle on top of grandchild:
Oyagame no ue ni kogame, kogame no ue ni magogame, magogame no ue ni himagogame

Two chickens in Mr. Niwa's garden suddenly ate an alligator
Niwa-san no niwa ni wa niwa niwatori wa niwakani wani o tabeta
...unfortunately, I've been told that grammatically this last one makes no sense...such a shame.

There is also this contribution from youtube. Then, ask why anyone would want to be a contestant on a Japanese TV show. Let alone one on tongue twisters...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8l2N3klNE8

The Little Book of Manners

Carl-san [Exchange student from Sweden] was given a little book of manners at the Combini with his lunch today...
We couldn't really read the Japanese too well, but some of the pictures were quality.

There are two main options with this first 'manner':

Option A: The book is trying to tell you the best etiquette for going to the toilet, thus:

1. first, Bend down as far as you can so that the *tiny* shop assistant can hear you, then ask him/her discretely 'where is the toilet?'

2. once the toilet has been found, bend over 90 degrees, pull down pants (and knickers) and show your bum to the toilet.

3. still bent at 90 degrees, wave hands at sink.

Option B: Different ways to bow (in order of politeness)

1. show the top of your head to the person.

2. pull down pants and knickers and show bare buttocks.

3. bend forward 90 degrees, and extend both arms straight out at 20 degrees below horizontal.

I have NO idea... suggestions on a postcard please...

All combini's (especially Lawson's) are an oasis in the vast swathes of unknown that is the world that we live on. So sacred is the ground on which they are built, discarded cigarette butts sprout into grand coconut palms and birds flutter merrily in the sky's above...

Here endth the lesson.