Odd Stuff in and from Japan

Despite its image as a high-tech nation, in Japan's more rural regions the local populace still maintains a high level of distrust towards modern economic innovations such as cash, and many people prefer to conduct their day-to-day commerce using more tangible units of exchange. During the 20th century a number of produce-orientated banks were formed to serve this market: many have long since been merged into more traditional financial conglomerates, but on a recent trip to western Japan I was delighted to find that the Tomato Bank (トマト銀行) was still holding its own.

If you've ever found yourself in Tokyo tired and in need of a relaxing confectionary coating, treat yourself to a chocolate spa at Claudias.

Before and After

¥ 15000 (around €100) buys you a 90 minute session and if you ask nicely they'll allow you to lick the bowl out.

For connoisseurs there's also a Wine Spa available.

Japan is plagued by many strange creatures, such as the previously coveredgiant building-eating crab. I snapped this giant beetle shortly before it attacked the man on the balcony just above and bit his head off.

You think this is big? You should see the size of the cockroaches.

Taken by a sudden desire to see the sea and escape from the sea of buildings which is Tokyo, I decided to take a trip on the Yurikamome, a sort of rubber-tired toy train which links a large spot of reclaimed land in the middle of Tokyo Bay with the city proper. It was my first trip out there for five years or so, and much to my delight I espied a collection of Europeanesque buildings (from the Disney School of Architecture) bearing the sign "Partire Tokyo Bay Wedding Village".

Partire Tokyo Bay Wedding Village

Unfortunately I'm not quite sure where it came from, but I found the folllowing link to this page in my bookmarks, which offers Holly Hostess's little parasitical friends in toy form for purchase. Their names are Dig Dig Head Louse, Blinky Eyelash Mite, Zzeezz Bed Bug, and Tickles Tapeworm.

WARNING: The website linked here displays explicit, uncensored images of Hello Kitty and contains pages not suitable for viewers over 18 years of age.

If you were wondering who Holly is, the erm hostess of these cute creatures, you'll find a very revealing explanation on this flash-based site (complete with buggy/bugging background noises):

One day Holly was a lonely girl with not the friend.

Japanese trains are generally the most reliable in the world. Usually the only thing which causes them to be late - unscheduled stops in the basements of apartment buildings excepted - are natural causes such as earthquakes, typhoons and snakes.

Is this a) a very large letterbox; or b) a very small garage? Guess correctly and win a stake in a timeshare on a 4.5 tatami apartment on the border with Saitama Prefecture! Write your answer on a free pack of handout tissues and deposit it in the nearest non-combustible garbage box.

Although many Japanese objects are created on a smaller scale to that which one is used to in the Western Hemisphere, its road cones do often possess veritably Godzilla-like dimensions.

A Giant Japanese Road Cone

This one says "No Entry For Giant Building-Eating Crabs" and was discovered in Sendagaya (Tokyo).

(Actually I was lying in that last sentence. What it actually says is 車両通行止　- You Must Be As Big As This Road Cone To Eat The City).