Source: soranews24.com
Manager has had enough of people using the sento for casual hookups.
In Japan, public bathhouses, known as “sento“, are used by people of all ages, from very young children, accompanied by a parent, to the elderly. While some people simply like the ease and convenience of using a public bathhouse, which can save on water bills and cleaning at home, others like to visit the sento for the purported health benefits of their waters, which are sometimes sourced from natural hot springs, while others have no choice but to use the local bathhouse, given that some apartments in Japan don’t come with baths or showers. ▼ Sento often include both indoor and outdoor bathing areas. Then there are others who appear to confuse the bathhouse as a place for sexual activity, which is not its intended purpose. That’s what’s been happening at one particular sento in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, where two men were caught engaging in sexual acts last November. The two men, both in their thirties, were subsequently charged with public obscenity and admitted to the charges, saying they were aware that they would be causing trouble for the establishment, due to signage on the premises, but they “succumbed to temptation”. The men say they had no previous acquaintance with each other, and met at the public bath on the day of the incident. The sexual activity was said to have taken course over about 20 minutes in the open-air bathing area, while the door to the area was unlocked and about 15 guests were using the inside baths. ▼ This TBS News report shows the facility where the incident took place. The manager says he has reported around 40 such incidents of sexual …continue reading |
All posts by japannews.live
Japanese train conductor flips off rail fan photographer, prompts apology from JR
Source: soranews24.com
Conductor flips the bird on snowy night in Tokyo.
Japanese companies pride themselves on customer service, and that attitude carries over to public transportation providers too. Japan’s largest rail provider, Japan Railways Group (also known as JR) is particularly committed to presenting an image of its staff as courteous and capable, so many were shocked to learn that one of JR’s conductors recently flipped off a station-goer. The incident took place last Saturday at Hakonegasaki Station, located on the Hachiko Line in western Tokyo, and can be seen in the images below.
As snow fell on the evening of January 23, word got out that the Hachiko Line would be running its 209-series carriages. This older model has been largely phased out of service, but issues with the weather that day prompted a temporary comeback, and a pair of train enthusiasts had come to Hakonegasaki Station to take photos from the platform. At around 8:30, though, the JR conductor at the rear of one train bird-bombed the photo by extending both his arm and his middle finger as the train pulled away. One of the rail fans posted a video of the incident on Twitter, and some wondered if he may have been exhibiting the less-than-polite behavior that train enthusiasts are sometimes known for. He explained, though, that he had been properly standing behind the yellow safety lines marked on the platform, and that he hadn’t been using a flash, using an umbrella, or doing anything else that he felt would pose a safety risk or impeded the staff from doing their job and other passengers from getting on or of the train. Eventually the video caught JR’s attention, and the company was able to determine who the conductor …continue reading |
Zuiganji Temple Tokushima
After visiting Taisanji, the first temple on the Shikoku Fudo Myo Pilgrimage, I headed down the mountain and returned to my room in Tokushima City. There was still some hours of daylight left so I went to the Tourist Information Office and asked about any good gardens for viewing the Fall colors.They only had one to suggest, Zuiganji Temple at the base of Bizan Mountain. Founded in 1614 it is a |
Japan’s Moonlight Nagara train service ends, leaving a hole in overnight rail travel
Source: soranews24.com
A sad day for travellers, especially Seishun 18 ticket holders.
While Japan’s Shinkansen bullet trains get all the limelight on the international stage, where they’re loved for their punctuality, speed and spick-and-span interiors, there are plenty of other Japanese trains equally deserving of our love and attention. The Moonlight Nagara is one such train, reliably ferrying passengers across the land on long-haul overnight trips between Tokyo and Gifu, spanning a total of five prefectures and covering a distance of roughly 442 kilometres (275 miles). ▼ The six-hour-40-minute train journey takes around nine hours by car, using expressways. The current rapid overnight train service, operated by Central Japan Railway Company and East Japan Railway Company, has been active since 1996. However, in recent years its popularity has declined due to competition from cheap overnight bus services, and after its schedule was reduced to busy seasonal periods only, it’s now been announced that the service will stop running altogether. ▼ The 165 series Moonlight Nagara in 2000 ▼ And the 183/189 series in 2007 The announcement came as sad news for many, but nobody is feeling the loss more than users of the Seishun 18 Kippu. This discounted ticket package–limited for use during four weeks in winter, five weeks in spring, and around seven weeks in summer–contains five days’ worth of unlimited travel on local and regular Japan Railways express trains for just 2,410 yen (US$23.24) per day. ▼ We once used the ticket to travel with a discount to Korea by ferry. Considering a one-way journey from Tokyo Station to Gifu’s …continue reading |
120-year-old condom found in Japan
Source: soranews24.com
Only surviving example of the sheath that protected Japan from “plum poison.”
Osaka-based company Morishita Jintan has been around for a long time. Founded way back in Japan’s Meiji period, next month will mark the pharmaceutical and medical device maker’s 130th year in business. Obviously, advances in medical science mean that Morishita Jintan’s product lineup is now very different compared to the wares it offered in its early days. So it was a discovery of historical significance recently when someone in rural Japan found one of Morishita Jintan’s very first products: a condom that’s approximately 120 years old.
The condom was found by the owner of a kominka, or classical Japanese folk house, in the town of Shikamachi, Ishikawa Prefecture. The house has now been converted into an inn for travelers, and the owner found the condom in the adjacent storehouse, which makes one wonder if the storehouse was used for amorous rendezvous by its original owners. Specifically, it was a Yamato Kinu-model condom that was found. One of the first mass-marketed condoms in Japan, the Yamato Kinu earned its popularity by being billed as a line of protection against infections of syphilis, which saw major outbreaks around the turn of the 20th century in Japan, where it’s known as baidoku (literally “plum poison”). This is believed to be the only Yamato Kinu condom still in existence, and while its exact age hasn’t been determined, newspaper ads for the product from 1896 have survived, so it’s estimated that the condom was sold sometime around then. Although Yamato Kinu translates as “Japanese clothing” or “Japanese silk,” the condom was actually made in France and imported to Japan by Morishita Jintan, as manufacturing technology at the time in Japan was insufficient to …continue reading |
Japanese government discussing stricter copyright laws on cosplay, top cosplayer Enako chimes in
Source: soranews24.com
New rules may regulate social media photos and profit made from cosplay.
Cosplay is an awesome way for fans of shows to get creative and express their love for certain characters, but as we’ve seen before it also skirts the line of copyright law when it comes to making money. For example, if you dress up as Goku, Tanjiro, or Ronald McDonald, and you make money from selling photos or costumes, are you infringing on the copyright of those characters? It’s been an ongoing debate within the Japanese government, and according to the online news site Nikkan Sports, the government is moving forward to create laws to alleviate ambiguities in current copyright law. While cosplay that is not for profit will be unaffected, cosplay photos posted to social media, and cosplayers who make money from events may become liable for infringement. ▼ Luckily Little Red Riding hood is in the public domain, Right now nothing is official, and the government is in discussions with professional Japanese cosplayers such as Enako, who is well known for her significant income from cosplay and is also an ambassador for Cool Japan. ▼ This potential change understandably has a lot of people worried,
|
Japanese politician posts photo of his dinner, netizens pity him over his depression meal
Source: soranews24.com
If the stomach is the way to someone’s heart, might as well get constituents by… making them sympathize over what you eat?
Fumio Kishida is no stranger to the Japanese political scene. Formerly the Minister of Foreign Affairs and currently an incumbent of Japan’s House of Representatives representing Hiroshima’s 1st district, the 63-year-old was one of the potential candidates considered to replace Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in the fall of 2020. While then Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was elected instead, life went on and legislative work continued for Representative Kishida, except he made waves again on social media for a photo of his dinner which netizens have dubbed a depression meal. ▼ (Translation below)
For those unfamiliar with Japanese food, what’s in Representative Kishida’s spread can be broken down to the following from left to right:
▼ Before anyone gets alarmed, raw egg is a common companion to many Japanese meals, due to the country’s specific handling methods for poultry goods. Of course, depending on the individual, Representative Kishida’s dinner might not look that bad. …continue reading |
Japan’s legal age of adulthood dropping by two years, but do teens understand what that means?
Source: soranews24.com
Survey sees if high school students know what they can and can’t do under the accelerated end of childhood.
Earlier this month, Japan celebrated Coming of Age Day, holding congratulatory ceremonies for people who recently or will soon be turning 20, the age of legal adulthood. However, that numerical turning point is going to be changing next year. In 2018, the Japanese government approved an amendment to the country’s civil code which will drop the age of legal adulthood by two years, to 18, on April 1, 2022. However, it’s not a blanket change, as even after the changeover some of the rights and privileges currently denied to minors will remain unavailable to people under the age of 20. With the transition coming in just over a year, Line Research surveyed Japanese high school students to see how they felt about it, and also how well they understand it. To start with, girls were pretty divided in opinion about whether or not they agree with the age of adulthood being lowered, with the 32 percent agreeing with the idea of legal adulthood starting at 18 being just slightly higher than the 27 percent opposed to it. Boys, on the other hand, were much more enthusiastic about reaching the manhood threshold sooner, with 48 percent in favor and only 15 percent opposed (responses from 393 girls and 406 boys). ▼ Results for girls (top) and boys (bottom), with color gradation from left to right showing numbers strongly in favor, in favor, indifferent, opposed, strongly opposed, and undecided. The survey then asked if teens knew about the specific ways 18-year-olds’ rights will change (with responses from 514 girls and 498 boys). The one most were aware of is that the age at which women are …continue reading |
Ippudo serves up plant-based tonkotsu ramen in Japan for a limited time
Source: soranews24.com
Popular ramen chain creates a meat-free version of its acclaimed pork-broth noodles.
With 100 stores around Japan and 60 stores around the world, Japanese ramen chain Ippudo is one of the country’s top tonkotsu pork broth noodle specialists. Founded in Fukuoka’s Hakata district, an area renowned for tonkotsu ramen, the restaurant has a number of menu items for diners to choose from, but at every branch it’s their two most popular dishes that take centre stage–Shiromaru Ramen and Akamaru Ramen. Literally translating to “White Ring“, Shiromaru is the chain’s classic ramen, featuring a creamy white broth and served in a white bowl. Akamaru (“Red Ring“) is the chain’s “modern broth” that comes with extra richness and depth, and is served in a red bowl. ▼ Ippudo’s Shiromaru ramen
▼ Ippudo’s Akamaru ramen Image: Ippudo Now, the chain is expanding their menu, and stepping away from their pork broths for the very first time, with the release of a “Plant-Based Akamaru“. Made only with plant-derived ingredients, this is big news in the ramen world, where non-meat eaters usually have to steer clear of tonkotsu ramen altogether or try their luck with miso or soy-based broths, which are still likely to contain noodles made with eggs. While some restaurants like Afuri serve up vegan ramen, the broth is clear and doesn’t attempt to replicate the flavour of tonkotsu. The Plant-Based Akamaru, however, aims to provide diners with a tonkotsu-like experience without using any meat, and to achieve that, they’ve spent several years perfecting a recipe with the help of some innovative new ingredients. Working with Fuji Oil, a company with 60 years of experience in researching …continue reading |
Hiyoriyama Seacoast
The Hiyoriyama Seacoast is a stretch of scenic coastline in Toyooka in northern Hyogo around the mouth of the Maruyama River.It is part of the UNESCO Global Geopark of San’n Kaigan that stretches from Tottori to Kyoto.There are numerous sites in the Toyooka area included in the Geopark including the town and coastal area of Takeno.It’s a fairly scenic and dramatic stretch of coast, though to my |