According to the Mainichi News, Nestle Japan is putting out a new killer can coffee, Golgo 13. The can coffee will be for sale starting May 15 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Golgo 13, Japan’s longest-running manga. Wiki Golgo 13 is sort of the James Bond of Japan—a professional assassin in the beloved manga as well as two live-action feature films, two animated films and a television series. Learn more about Golgo 13 [ゴルゴ13] in Wikipedia and you can view the video of the open sequence below.
Calling itself a “new documentary exploring contemporary Japanese pop-culture,” here’s TOKYO-LOGY– a bit of fluff about the obvious Tokyo from BoingBoing. Remember, the Japanese-engrish words, “trendy”, “dandy”, “costume/sex/maid-play”, etc. are considered complimentary—to worn like this week’s novelty T-shirt, not a lifestyle.
Rather than ersatz “TOKYO-LOGY,” our 3Yen correspondent, “Den4,” sagely recommends: “Then again, you can always go for overkill with the hell-o kitty laptop.”
In one way, a young attractive woman will have an “easy” time dealing with the corrupt officials along the Silk Road, but damn…
Personal security aside, crossing the Gobi Desert, which is now larger, hotter, and drier thanks to environmental degradation, is going to be literally Hell on a Horse. She needs a least a mule or better yet a camel.
Adventurer to follow silk route by horse Dorset Echo, Tuesday 22nd April 2008
Becky Sampson, 24, will ride by horse along the ancient silk route from London to Tokyo. The 15,000km journey is called Expedition Equus…Miss Sampson said: “I’m excited, especially about visiting Iran, but …
…It will take some four years and see her travel through 15 countries…When Miss Sampson reaches the eastern seaboard of China, she will catch a ferry to Japan, find her final horse, and ride on to Tokyo...more…
“Four years“? The Mogols rode into Europe in less than six months. Never breaking into a trot, it only takes 2-3 months to ride across the US. However, Ms. Sampson an English teacher and most likely is going to spend some of the four years teaching as well as her planned “SOS Children” charity work.
I just floating away this looooooong Japanese “Golden Week” holiday just like this you lovely at the faux-Dead Sea pool at the Yunessun Spa in Hakone, a couple of hours outside of Tokyo.
Right now it’s “Golden Week” in Japan and I’m dogging it since all the big companies and factories are closed from April 26th to May 7th (see Wikipedia). And what better way to dog it during Japanese Golden Week than with these new 1/25 ounce commemorative gold coins designed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Snoopy lost in translation in Japan. Today the Japanese commodity house, Taisei Coins Corporation, is unveiling their new, “The 40th Anniversary of Snoopy in Japan” commemorative coin featuring coins with Snoopy of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
Actually, these Snoopys are legal tender of the Cook Islands and were made by the Perth Mint that produces all sorts of weirdo commemorative coins, gold bullion and medallions. These are almost as much fun as the Silver and gold Hello Kitty euros I previous reported about.
Here a bit of Japanese charm stemming from their old saying, “Crying babies grow fast.” Last Sunday, Tokyo’s Sensoji Temple held this traditional event with a long history, Konaki Sumo (baby-crying bout)—also called Nakizumo (sumo of tears).
Isn’t child abuse fun?
Babies face off in ‘crying sumo’ contest Mainichi Daily News - 2008 April 28–….In crying sumo the babies are held up by amateur sumo wrestlers in a ring, and the baby who cries first is the winner. If both babies cry, then the one that cries loudest wins. …more...
The obvious Japanese solution is to BAN ALL SWIMSUITS!
Swimming: Japanese coach urges swimsuit war at Olympics Macau Daily Times - AFP-Saturday, 26 April 2008—A Japanese Olympic swimming coach on Thursday urged domestic makers to rival Speedo’s record-breaking swimsuit…”It’s swimsuit doping,” Norimasa Hirai, who coaches defending double Olympic breaststroke champion Kosuke Kitajima and others, quoted one of his charges as saying of the LZR Racer [Speedo’s swimsuit]….Japanese Olympic swimmers are obliged by the national federation to wear products supplied on contract by one of three Japanese makers — Mizuno, Asics and Descente — at the Beijing Games…more…
At $550.00 for 100 grams of swimsuit, Speedo’s LZR Racer costs more than dope.
I just noticed the Kyodo News on their “live” news ticker is bemoaning that the number of ALIEN sumo wrestlers in the top rank of wresters is now 16—the most in the history of sumo.
You gotta feel sorry for the Japanese. They just simply are too small to succeed in their own national sport, sumo. However, foreign-born sumo wrestlers from the United States are no longer doing very well in Japanese sumo either. Sumo is like boxing, you have to “stay hungry” and be willing to suffer. Basically competitive athletes from a comfortable, middle-class background ( whether they are Japanese or American) don’t succeed in fighting sports.
Nowadays it’s young, hungry guys from Russia and other former communist countries who are providing the majority of the new foreign sumo wrestlers. They’re the only athletes who are motivated and “hungry” enough to succeed in rising from the lower ranks of sumo (where the pay is low and the life is not fun because of the strict–some say torturous–discipline/abuse).
“Unintentionally funny” ought to be the slogan of corporate Japan.
Eisai Introduces “Chocola BB® Royal 2” Vitamin B2 Drink for Extreme Fatigue FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 24, 2008–-Eisai Co., Ltd…will release “Chocola BB® Royal 2” (quasi-drug), a new 50 mL vitamin B2 drink, on Monday, May 12….address consumer needs and developing market for nutritional drink for women…
Case in point, I did a double-take when I saw these “Let’s Try!” self-suicide exercises on official health website of Chocola BB®.
See a larger version of above photo of old-school Chocola BB and other mega-funky Japanese patent medicines at PingMag.jp and the Retro Museum of Packaging from the Showa Era.
Honda harness to take the strain out of strolling Register Hardware 23rd April 2008 12:36 GMT—Honda has developed a … “walking assistance device” is for “people who are still capable of walking on their own”, but it may also appeal to the elderly, the weak of limb… Only for two hours, though - that’s the limit of the rig’s built-in battery.
The strap-on combines angle sensors, CPU-controlled motors to lengthen the user’s stride and ease the effort of walking…more…
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