Kuchikomi
Restaurants, pubs in Tokyo and Osaka flouting emergency regulations for sheer survival
“Where are you drinking tonight? Why not here!” Osaka, Saturday night, May 29. Young touts appeal to thronging passersby: “We serve alcohol!” “We’re open to 5 a.m.!” “Come on in!” “Welcome!” Very friendly, very inviting – and the passersby respond eagerly, reports Weekly Playboy (June 21). You’d never know that… Read
Tokyo Olympics: It's really about well-connected people burning up mountains of money
"The decision was made on March 25 of last year to postpone the Tokyo Olympics for one year. But afterwards, while the contracted businesses went into a period of 'hibernation,' they kept consuming money." This remark, by Diet member Takeshi Saiki, a member of The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan… Read
Several of your next food orders might be from the same 'mega ghost restaurant'
One result of the coronavirus pandemic has been the emergence of "ghost restaurants" -- the term applied to food and beverage establishments that offer no eat-in facilities, but which rely entirely on delivery services such as Uber Eats. "All it takes to start up a delivery-only ghost restaurant is a… Read
It's easy to get vaccinated in Japan – if you have 'connections'
It’s really, really hard to get vaccinated in Japan. Media reports described intermittent chaos. Internet connections broke down, telephone lines clogged. Hours of repeated attempts may have got you to a human voice – saying call back tomorrow, or next week. Frustration mounted. It was only in mid-April that vaccination… Read
Sex workers, AV actresses tread lightly when searching for a spouse
Ladies who perform before the cameras in adult videos, and those who labor in the sex industry, at some point in their lives make the decision to call it quits and raise a family. Spa magazine (June 1), no stranger to controversy, considers the juxtaposition of the institution of marriage… Read
Savvy thieves only need a key's number to gain access
"Returning home, we first noticed something was amiss when we saw the slippers' toes were pointing in the wrong direction. And the TV remote control wasn't in its usual place. The windows had not been left open and there were no scratches on the door lock to indicate forced entry.… Read
Amid corona depression and rising suicide rate, a college student sets up chat site
Japan, it’s very often said, is a lonely country – crowded, certainly, and friendly too, in its own quiet way; famous for a unique brand of hospitality known as omotenashi, and yet lonely all the same, unforgiving of failure and despair, indifferent to appeals for help. The more desperate the… Read
Local governments seek solutions to fixing mangled English
"You really ought to laugh, but you can't," begins the article in Yukan Fuji (May 16). The topic is the English translations of the contents of local governments' home pages and signage on the streets. Which, it points out, are full of incorrect translations or non-idiomatic expressions. For foreign residents… Read
Women-oriented 'fuzoku' - women 'buying men' as never before
It seems an idea whose time has come. Long tilted toward men, the sex industry has turned a corner, says Spa! (May 18), and women lately are “buying men” as never before – perhaps enjoying them as never before, too. A leading website tracking women-oriented fuzoku (erotic entertainment) lists 185 establishments nationwide… Read
Can't wait for a jab? Black market COVID vaccines available, at a price
Japan, as is well known, has really been dragging its feet when it comes to rolling out vaccinations for COVID-19. At the start of the Golden Week holidays, April 29, the percentage of the population that had received vaccinations was about 2% -- the lowest of all advanced economies. But… Read
