Twentythree

While the drivers’ have their eyes on the road, some ladies in the back seat have their eyes on his capable hands.

A side effect of Japan having such a great rail network is that taxi operators have to deliver sterling service. After all, with so many train and subway lines crisscrossing Japan’s cities, simply getting people from Point A to Point B isn’t going to be enough to convince them to shell out for the extra cost of traveling by cab.

So Japanese taxis aim to offer something extra. Their classy automatically opening rear doors and interior doilies have long been charming points, and in recent years we’ve seen taxi operators try to woo customers with courteously silent drivers dressed like kabuki stage hands, complimentary bottles of chilled green tea, or divine assistance in your academic endeavors. Now, Tokyo-based MK Taxi is offering something else: eye candy for women who’re unabashed hand/wrist fetishists.

いきなりですけど、こういう手元の写真好きな方どれくらいいらっしゃいます？需要あれば、意識して撮影していこうかと。 https://t.co/4gZiGhufZB

—
MKタクシー (@MKofficial_PR) February 27, 2018

This week, MK Taxi’s official Twitter account sent out the above message, which reads:

“We know this is sudden, but just how many of you enjoy seeing photos of hands and wrists like these? If there’s a demand for them, we’ll make a conscientious effort to take more of them.”

This may sound like an odd shot in the dark for MK Taxi to take, but for some time now there’s been a faction of Japanese women who get hot and steamy at the sight of a strip of exposed skin between a man’s glove and shirt cuff. Some have even gone so far as to call it the male version of “absolute territory” (zettai ryouiki in Japanese), the term originally used admiringly by men when talking about the visible flesh between the top of a woman’s knee-high socks and the hem of her skirt or shorts.

And so when MK Taxi asked if women wanted to see more snapshots of its drivers’ hands, the response was tremendous, with tens of thousands of wrist-wooed ladies letting their voices be heard as they said:

“Yes yes, I’m a hand fetishitst.”

“There’s just something sexy about it.”

“So you’ve realized what it is we desire.”

“Mmmm!!!! Good!!!! Wonderful!!!! Just the best!!!! Thank you!!!! Wooo!!!!”

“I’ve also got a thing for bus drivers’ hands.”

“Theses are wonderful…would it be asking too much for some shots of a driver’s hand with gloves but no jacket and his sleeves rolled up? I think there’s a lot of demand for wrists like those.”

“If it’s possible, I’d also like to see some off-duty shots with the gloves removed.”

The last comment is especially revealing, since it shows that not only is there a demand for wrist shots, but what are essentially full-nude wrist shots as well.

In light of the amazingly enthusiastic reactions, MK Taxi thanked everyone who’d shared their passion and suggestions, and promises that more photos in this vein are coming in the future. An odd marketing maneuver to be sure, but one apparently not without an audience, and definitely a better image for the organization than having its former president get into street fights with taxi drivers working for rival companies.

Source, featured image: Twitter/@MKofficial_PR
Top image ©SoraNews24

Part of the meal was just fine, while another was “amazingly bad.”

When time allows, our Japanese-language reporters like to travel outside of Japan, immersing themselves in the local culture. But while visiting foreign countries, they also like to sample the local sushi.

We’re well past the era where anyone but Japanese nationals turn up their noses at the prospect of eating raw fish, and in the past we’ve dined in sushi restaurants not just elsewhere in Asia, but also in Europe, Africa, and even Cuba. So when our reporter P.K. Sanjun was in Mexico City recently, he kept his eyes peeled for a chance to see how the Mexican capital does sushi.

To his surprise, he actually had plenty of options to choose from, ranging from orthodox-looking restaurants managed by Japanese ex-pats who’ve emigrated to Mexico to cheap fast-food food court sushi joints. But one name he kept noticing was Sush Itto, a sushi chain with multiple locations in the city. As a matter of fact, P.K. saw so many Sushi Itto branches that he came to the conclusion that the chain’s sushi might just be the example Mexico City residents are most likely to have eaten, and so he decided to try it for himself, visiting the branch in the Zona Rosa entertainment district.

Inside, P.K. found a colorful interior with a refrigerated sushi ingredient case that the Mexican chef was taking slices of seafood from. Behind him on the wall were three maneki neko (“beckoning cat”) statues of the sort often found in shops and restaurants in Japan to promote prosperity, as well as three bottles of Japanese Ramune soda, displayed with prominence equal to the maneki neko.

P.K. ordered the standard sushi set, priced at 250 pesos, working out to about 1,400 yen (US$13), which wouldn’t be an unreasonable price for a sushi lunch in Tokyo. But while the price of the sushi reminded him of home…

…its appearance was a startling reminder that he was far, far away from Tokyo.

There’s no denying that Sushi Itto’s presentation is dramatic, but, in P.K.’s words, “The visual balance is amazingly bad. The corners are staked out like someone’s playing a game of Othello on the tray, which leaves thus huge air pocket kind of void in the middle.” There’s also daikon radish shreddings and sesame seeds haphazardly scattered, and a pitifully, comically tiny pinch of gari ginger.

But as odd as it looked, P.K. found that the flavor wasn’t bad at all. While the rice for the pressed nigiri pieces was a little too hard compared to the authentic baseline you’ll find in Japan, but the fish was of decent quality. As for the rolls, their rice was fine, though neither one was particularly traditional. Particularly the hand roll with what appeared to be fried carrot shreddings was unlike any sushi P.K. had ever seen before, but still a perfectly edible novelty.

So in the end, P.K. has no qualms about eating Sushi Itto’s sushi. He just doesn’t want to look at it very much.

Photos ©SoraNews24

Tokyo’s much-ballyhooed Kichijoji only makes it to number-three, while an outsider with easy access to Tokyo takes the top spot.

While Tokyo is the biggest city in all of Japan, from street-level it often feels like several different towns mashed together. Neighborhoods just a train stop away from each other can have very different atmospheres, and choosing a community that offers a vibe you enjoy, as well as a manageable commute to work or school, can really affect your quality of life.

Suumo, one of Japan’s largest real estate agencies, recently polled 7,000 people living in Tokyo or the nearby prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, and Ibaraki, asking them which neighborhood in Kanto (east Japan) they want to live in (specifically which train station they’d like to live close to). Let’s take a look at the top eight responses:

8. Meguro

Meguro has a lot going for it. As a stop on the Yamanote loop rail line that circles downtown Tokyo, it’s hard to get much more centrally located. At the same time, Meguro exists in one of the remaining quiet spots on the Yamanote, with far fewer towering high-rises and drunken revelers than other stops. It’s also a connecting station for the Tokyu train and Meguro and Namboku subway lines, providing quick access both deeper into downtown and out towards the suburbs.

7. Shinjuku

Yes, Shinjuku (another Yamanote stop) is the busiest station in all of Japan, but for good reason. In addition to ample office space, the neighborhood offers as much entertainment variety as you’ll find anywhere in Japan, with block after block of shopping, dining, and carousing opportunities. Other perks include being able to see some of the country’s most creative advertising (like the giant exhibition of anime eye artwork currently gracing the station’s walls), and also the chance to rub shoulders with the SoraNews24 staff as we make our way too and from our nearby headquarters.

6. Musashi Kosugi

Few neighborhoods have gone through a more dramatic transformation in recent years than Musako, as the locals call it. Not long ago, the area outside the east side of this station in Kawasaki, Tokyo’s southern neighbor, was all factories, but they’ve been replaced with sparkling new condominiums and multiple entertainment complexes. Kawasaki’s blue-collar image means rent here is often less expensive than in Tokyo, even though Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Station is only about 15 minutes away by direct train, and you’ll also be able to brag to your friends that our neighborhood was attacked by the King of the Monsters himself in Shin Godzilla.

5. Ikebukuro

Located along the northwest stretch of the Yamanote, Ikebukuro has long existed in the shadow of the trendier Shinjuku and Shibuya. Gradually, though, it’s earned a reputation as a fun slice of downtown, with multiple movie theaters, an aquarium, 60th-floor observation deck, and the venues of several cool anime fan events, such as the Ranma 1/2 Cafe we recently visited. The west side of the station has also become a sort of de facto Chinatown, with gourmands saying it features some of Tokyo’s most authentic Chinese restaurants.

4. Shinagawa

Yet another Yamanote station, Shinagawa has a buttoned-down image, with much of its daytime population made up of white-collar workers who stream into the offices of major corporations like Sony. But unlike many other salaryman-centric towns, Shinagawa isn’t covered with drunks griping about work after they punch out, as many head elsewhere to drown their sorrows. The high-speed Shinkansen also stops at Shinagawa, making it a great place for travel lovers to live, as is the fact that it’s connected directly by train with Haneda Airport.

3. Kichijoji

Just about every time Kichijoji comes up in conversation, someone will mention how it’s “the number-one neighborhood Tokyoites want to live in!” The district frequently tops such polls thanks to having a cosmopolitan image (delicious independent restaurants are clustered around the station) while lying outside the hustle and bustle of central Tokyo, since the station sits about 15 minutes by train west of Shinjuku. Other nearby attractions include Inokashira Park, one of Tokyo’s best cherry blossom viewing spots, and the Ghibli museum.

2. Ebisu

Our last visit to the Yamanote Line comes with Ebisu, which is nestled between the too-quiet-for-some-people’s-tastes Meguro and too-noisy-for-other-people’s-tastes Shibuya. Ebisu is often described as “a town for adults,” and it definitely exudes an air of refinement and class, even when you’re tipping back a cold brew at the Ebisu Beer Museum.

1. Yokohama

Sitting at the top of Suumo’s chart is Yokohama, which is two cities to the south of Tokyo but only about 30 minutes from downtown Tokyo by train. In another dichotomy, despite being the second-largest city (population-wise) in Japan, Yokohama has a reputation as a relaxed, coastal town caressed by coastal winds blowing in from its expansive port.

The area immediately surrounding Yokohama Station is packed with dining and shopping options, but day-trippers to the town might argue that it lacks the charm of the city’s Minato Mirai harbor district. It’s also worth pointing out that the decidedly urban-feeling Yokohama Station got heavy support from survey participants currently living in Kanagawa Prefecture (of which Yokohama is the capital), who gave it 52.4 percent of its votes, no doubt in part because it’s large enough to provide many work and leisure options, but also closer to Tokyo than Minato Mirai Station for those who are commuting into Tokyo daily. And on days off, or even after work, Minato Mirai is less than 10 minutes away by train, meaning that it’s close enough to go see the annual Pikachu parades that are held every summer as often as you want.

Source: Suumo
Top image: Wikipedia/Halfd
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2), Wikipedia/ペン太, Wikipedia/Stevec240, Pakutaso (3), SoraNews24, Pakutaso (4, 5)

After fleeing a restaurant when a women he met online wasn’t who he thought she was, one man was surprised to get a call from the police.

Dating is hard, and it seems like most Japanese young adults agree. And although it’s becoming more and more common, online dating is not any easier, because when you agree to go on a date with someone you’ve met online, you’re essentially signing up for a blind date. That means that there’s a chance you will end up eating dinner with someone who is not quite who they said they were, or who doesn’t look like quite like their profile picture.

One Japanese man recently found out the hard way that online dating can be tricky. After meeting a woman on a dating app, he agreed to see her at a local restaurant, but when he saw her in person she was apparently so different from her profile picture that he felt sufficiently betrayed as to sneak out of the restaurant without paying his share of the bill, instead of seeing the date through to the end.

He thought that was the end of it, until he later received a call from the police, who had questions about his departure. Apparently the woman had called the authorities after she realized he had left her to foot the bill. Though he wasn’t arrested or fined for his actions, this close brush with the law had him wondering if it was a crime for him to leave without paying, so he turned to an online legal consultation message board for help.

The answer, apparently, comes down to the man’s initial intent.

If he’d never intended to pay his part of the bill from the very beginning, ordered and ate his meal, and then slunk away, then it could be considered a scam. According to the lawyers he consulted, this is a common hoax, which is probably why the woman called the police in the first place. The point to really keep in mind here is that a perpetrator is a scam artist if he doesn’t intend to pay, but gives the impression that he does, leaving the “date” forced to pay the bill against her will when he disappears.

The man clarified on the legal message board that he had not intended to ditch his date when they agreed to meet in the first place. In that case, the lawyers said, it’s not against the law, but rather a case of delinquent debt. It then becomes a civil affairs case, depending on whether she would like to demand repayment from him or not.

So in summary, in Japan, it’s not illegal for you to skip out on the bill unless you intended to scam your date from the beginning, but you could be sued for it (even though most people won’t go to the trouble). But do note that, while you may not suffer from legal repercussions, if you do run away from a date without saying anything to them, just because they “didn’t look like their profile picture”, you’re definitely lacking in morals and common decency, and so ought to be ashamed. Hopefully the woman didn’t feel too badly about what a terrible date he was, and treated herself to a luxurious stay for one to make up for it.

Source: Livedoor News via My Game News Flash
Top Image: Pakutaso
Insert Images: Pakutaso (1, 2)

Even Mother Nature might be going gluten-free, and if she does takoyaki octopus balls will get even freakier.

Low-lying islands sinking beneath the waves. Another ice age. The potential horrors of climate change are normally spoken of on a scale that’s hard to wrap your head around. But no more pasta, takoyaki octopus balls that are even weirder looking and lose some of their deliciousness on a cold day, and other consequences of a flour-less world? That’s something even we at SoraNews24 can grasp.

That’s probably the reasoning behind the Care for Earth project, whose most famous member is JAXA, the Japanese space agency. The project put on a special restaurant, called Ibuki,  for one night only, with an exclusive guest list of just fifty diners. Journalist Kamiko Inuyama (@inuningen on Twitter) was lucky enough to be one of those invited to a preview before the opening and her photos show some of the courses that were on offer, and the prices.

▼ The restaurant’s crystal takoyaki

未来のたこ焼き食べてきた…詳細は後ほど夜に https://t.co/Zkj1z6jcbG

—
犬山紙子 (@inuningen) February 22, 2018

▼ Despite the unappealing translation of “octopus balls”, the Osakan speciality of takoyaki normally look all right, and taste amazing.

Without flour, takoyaki makers will have to resort to other ingredients, even if they’re not quite as opaque as we might ideally like. For the “Crystal Takoyaki”, chefs used jelly made with an octopus stock. According to Inuyama, the taste wasn’t bad but not a patch on the real deal. Since pasta is also off the menu, how about some bright blue spaghetti? At the future restaurant chefs made their pasta more nutritious, and bright blue, by combining the dish with spirulina. Sounds appetising, no? Until you discover that spirulina is but a nicer name for cyanobacteria biomass. Yummy.

▼ Is it soylent blue?

How about the old tried and tested, a steak? You can’t go too far wrong with a nice slab of beef. Ah, the future has other ideas again. Without extensive funding for cow snorkels, beef may be a rarity in the days to come if climate change continues to progress. Which doesn’t leave much to eat, so the future restaurant staff placed a small amount of beef and a large amount of sweet potato on a plate to simulate its scarcity.

▼ The restaurant calls the dish ‘Steak on the side’ because the pieces of meat are tiny.

We also think the restaurant helped Japan fill its space programme’s coffers, since a single crystal takoyaki cost 1,080 yen (US$10), and the mini-steak 5,000 yen.

While the restaurant was open for just one evening on February 25, there are plans for it to open again, although a date has yet to be fixed. Looking not only at the potential menu and astronomical prices at the restaurant at the end of the universe (or at least post-climate change) has given us the nudge we needed. Now we’ll be sure to be more environmentally conscious, or just eat more mouth-scalding takoyaki and juicy steak while we still can.

Source: Twitter/@inuningen via Hachimakiko
Top image: Care For Earth
Insert images: ©SoraNews, Care For Earth