Posts Tagged strange

Apr
10

Ikebukuro is the new Akihabara

Posted by on Monday, 10 April, 2006

Otome Road
…at least,that is, in otaku-terms. The latest mecca for Manga/Anmie-geeks seem to be Ikebukuro. The special thing about it though, is that it has grown in popularity as sort of an opposite to Akihabara, in that it tailors mostly to girl fans. There’s especially one street, labelled “Otome Road” (乙女ロード) which means something like “Virgin Street” (on the west side of the station, close to the Sunshine Bldg area) which is the main place to go in Ikebukuro with lots of manga-shops and costume stores.

See map below (Otome Road is marked in pink):
otome street ikebukuro

Further, it seems that the latest “hot” thing in this area of town is women-only gay-themed restaurant/bars. Some of these places have only women staff, dressed up as men and they only allow women as guests. Then they talk dirty to the guests to cater to any inner lesbian fantasies they might harbor. Yes, I found it sort of strange when I saw a show about such places on TV, but it is the latest rage within the female otaku community.

Apr
02

Divorce Checklist for Japanese retirees

Posted by on Sunday, 2 April, 2006

Happiness after retirement
Today I offer to all you Japanese retirees out there, a checklist to see if your marriage is in jeoprady or not! This is an actual check list that was published in the Japanese magazine “Comfort Club”. Recently there has been a surge in divorces of elderly couples happening close after the husband retired from his job, which for the better part of his life used to BE his life. So retired husbands, if you answer YES to any (or all) of the below questions, you better shape up or get out!

  1. You were always busy with work and never concerned yourself with your family.
  2. After retirement you want to spend every waking moment with your wife.
  3. After retirement you basically just want to hang around the house taking it easy.
  4. You have never cooked a meal in your whole life.
  5. You have almost never cleaned, washed clothes or done household shopping.
  6. You call your wife ‘mother’ or by just yelling ‘Oi!’, basically never calling her by her own name.
  7. You want to know every detail of your wife’s whereabouts when she is out of the house alone.
  8. You have never complemented your wife on her cooking.
  9. You never utter the words ‘sorry’ or ‘thank you’ to your wife.
  10. You and your wife really have nothing to talk about.
  11. You have a hard time letting your wife go on trips with friends.
  12. You don’t really know where your own clothes are.
  13. It is always your wife who takes care of your own parents when needed.
  14. You leave all financial matters completely to your wife.
  15. You don’t care about your wife’s friends or interests.

You know what is scary about a list like this? That it even exists, and that there actually is a need for it! The generation of men who are retiring now are totally clueless when it comes to their own family, having neglected them for over 40 years, basically only caring about their job. Of course this has been a problem before too, but it is just recently that it become more socially acceptable with divorce. Earlier in Japan the wife just had to suffer silently until death came and give her solace….

Mar
09

On Slowly Becoming Japanese

Posted by on Thursday, 9 March, 2006

Azrael over at Outpost Nine (I’m a Japanese School Teacher) ponders over how he is slowly turning Japanese in that he has been gradually desensitized to the pecularities of Japanese society and no longer thinks anything of it. It’s a hilarous read, especially if you have been here a few years yourself. Check out Az’ I Think I’m Becoming Japanese, here are some outtakes:

— You know, Japan has four seasons. How about your country?

— Everything must be explained in thorough detail. Even if I already know it. Even if it’s something that has been the same since the mud dropped from the spear of the Gods and created the island nation of Japan…it still must be explained. Twice. Then, I must give my impressions about it.

— Monday is a public holiday? Woo-hoo! Two-day weekend!

Reading this editorial I realize that maybe I’m turning Japanese myself… You know, I actually DO enjoy some of those shows on TV were celebrities sit around and talk and eat food! I don’t know about the penis grabbing the the p*rn reading on trains though, Az, but that’s just me I guess… 😉

Feb
22

Schoolgirl arrested in Osaka for pimping younger girl

Posted by on Wednesday, 22 February, 2006

I’m torn here. Should I be apalled, or should I applaud the business sense of this young girl? 😉

A 14-year-old schoolgirl who introduced a younger girl to a man who paid to perform obscene acts with her has been arrested, police said. […] Investigators said the girl introduced a 13-year-old junior high school girl from Kyoto to a 25-year-old worker from Osaka’s Higashisumiyoshi-ku. The worker is suspected of paying 55,000 yen to perform obscene acts with the girl at a hotel in Kyoto in December last year. […] The 14-year-old girl reportedly met the younger girl through an Internet matchmaking site. She handed the younger girl 20,000 yen, and took the rest of the money as an “introduction fee,” police said.

(Source Mainichi Daily News)