During my stay in Tokyo I was presented with free copies of The Japan Times, The Asahi Evening News, and The Mainichi Daily News.
It is a sad reflection on my own state of mind that what made me scan them and bring home choice little tidbits was not the quality of the reporting - rather the things that made me chuckle or just plain stare. Come with me, dear reader, into a journey into the inner mind of Japan...
Aging toilet seats flush with risks
BY KAZUHIKO TOYAMA
Mainichi Shimbun
Owners of aging heated toilets who wish to avoid being put on the hot seat would do well to inspect the units carefully, warns the Tokyo Fire Department. Failing to do so could literally be a pain in the butt.
Over the past six years, fire department officials have traced the cause of three house fires in the Tokyo area to the heating units of multifunction toilet seats. In each case, the wiring of the heated seats, which typically have washing and drying functions, had deteriorated with age.
No one was injured in any of the three fires, officials said.
To reduce the risk posed by aging models of the popular devices, the fire department has asked owners to examine seats that are more than seven years old and to consider purchasing newer ones. According to manufacturers specifications, most models of the multi-function seats have a lifespan of about seven years.
The most recent fire involving a heated toilet seat broke out at a grocery store that doubled as the residence of a 61-year-old shopkeeper, who wished to remain anonymous, and his family in Tokyos Higashimurayama district on the morning of April 2. The fire was noticed by a member of the family and extinguished.
The fire department traced the cause of the blaze to damaged wiring in a heating unit used to warm water for the seats washing function. The seat had been in use for about 18 years.
According to fire department officials, water leaking from an old plastic pipe connected to the heating unit apparently eroded a thermostat below. The sensor is attached to the device that allows heated water to flow to the seats wash nozzle.
As a result, the sensor overheated and eventually caught fire, the officials said.
Although the family had noticed the leak and other abnormalities up to six months before the fire, they continued to allow the heating unit to operate because the toilet seat appeared to function normally.
Similar incidents have been reported in the Tokyo area twice in the past.
In October of last year, a fire broke out at the home of a 67-year-old self-employed man in Toshima-ku. A similar blaze struck a house in Tanashi in July 1993. Like the man in the recent Higashimurayama incident, those in the effected households requested anonymity.
In both cases, the blazes were traced to heated toilet seats that had been in use for about 10 years, fire department officials said.
According to a major manufacturer of multifunction toilet seats, the devices became popular in the early 1980s. As a result, many of the models now in use are well over 10 years old.
However, the manufacturer, which agreed to comment on condition that it not be identified, does not know if its products undergo the routine maintenance that it recommends to purchasers, said a company official.
"We advise consumers to examine older models, or even to buy newer ones, through plumbing companies. It is not necessarily the case that these seats become dangerous with age. However, we encourage all owners to inspect them closely for any sign of malfunction," said the official.
According to the Economic Planning Agency, the number of multi-function toilet seats in use has more than doubled over the past seven years, from 14 percent in 1992 to 36.5 percent as of March this year. The rate first topped the 30-percent mark in 1997.
.Source: Mainichi Daily News 7th July 1999.
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Britains oldest banana skin found in London
LONDON (AFP-Jiji) Archaeologists in London have discovered the remains of what is believed to be Britains oldest banana, estimated to be five centuries old, experts said June 15.
The Museum of London archaeologists believe the banana skin, found at a dig in former fish ponds in Southwark, central London, may date from the 15th century. A spokeswoman said: " As far as we know, this is the oldest banana in Britain. There is no evidence, as far as I know, of bananas being brought to this country until 1633 and so it is around 200 years early."
"I suspect that this banana was brought in as a curiosity and that bananas were not generally being eaten at that time."
The find is among medieval and Tudor remains discovered at the dig in disused medieval fish tanks. The discoveries have been put on a special underwater display at the Museum of London. The display, to run until July 9, includes garments, rare armor, tools and a musical instrument as well as the remains of a medieval boat.
.Source: The Japan Times 21st June 1999.
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14-year term sought for boy-tosser
AMAGASAKI, Hyogo Pref. (Kyodo) Prosecutors demanded Wednesday that a 20-year-old man accused of throwing a 6-year-old boy from the sixth floor of an apartment building to " see if he would die" be sentenced to 14 years in prison.
In a statement read before the Amagasaki branch of the Kobe District Court, prosecutors said incident in October was "unprecedentedly cruel and brutal in the history of crime."
They also castigated the defendant, whose name was withheld because he was a minor at the time of the crime, for "not considering (the victim) to be a human being."
According to prosecutors, the defendant was considering committing suicide Oct. 2, but hesitated because he was unsure the leap would result in instantaneous death.
To test his curiosity, prosecutors said, he Lured the first-grader to the Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, apartment and threw him from a hallway from a height of 15 meters. The boy survived.
The defendant is also on trial for robbery assault and drug charges.
.Source: The Japan Times 17th June 1999.
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ORAL CONTRACEPTION CLOSER
The Health and Welfare Ministry officially approved the Iow-dosage oral contraceptive pill Wednesday, nine years after receiving the first applications.
Although pills of high and medium dosages have long been approved for treatment of menstrual disorders, it is the first time the pill has been officially approved for use as a contraceptive in Japan.
A total of 16 products from nine pharmaceutical companies received the stamp of approval from Health Minister Sohei Miyashita, two weeks after the standing committee of the Central Pharmaceutical Affairs Council recommended approval.
Sale and distribution of these prescription drugs are scheduled for as early as September, according to ministry officials.
The pill will not be covered by public health insurance because it does not treat a disease. Costs are projected at around Y3,000 per month.
Made of estrogen and progesterone, the pill, if taken properly, reduces the risk of pregnancy to virtually nil by suppressing ovulation.
Women with blood-related diseases in the brain and heart will be prohibited from using the oral contraceptive, which comes with the risk of thrombosis.
In addition, the pill will not be prescribed to those with breast and uterine cancer, liver disorder and hypertension. Women aged 35 and over who smoke more than 50 cigarettes a day will also be excluded.
The ministry issued instructions the same day to each of the 47 prefectural governments to tell medical institutions, drug wholesalers and pharmacies to make sure the contraceptives will be used in a proper manner.
An oral contraceptive in pill form was first approved in the United States in 1960 and is now used by nearly 100 million women worldwide. In Japan, high and medium-dosage pills have been used as contraceptives by an estimated 200,000 women.
Japan came close to approving the high-dose contraceptive pill in 1965, but the government suddenly terminated deliberation on the is sue without explanation.
Researchers say concerns about side effects, including the risk of thrombosis and a view that the approval of the pill would lead to a breakdown of womens sexual morals, led to a long halt on debate over the pill. Legalized abortion also slowed approval.
In 1990, nine pharmaceutical firms submitted applications to have a low-dose pill approved, following three years of clinical tests by the ministry on 5,000 women.
The ministry came within inches of approving the pill in 1992, but postponed its decision at the last minute, arguing that lifting the ban may indirectly lead to the spread of AIDS because the use of condoms would decline.
But the ministry finally concluded that the spread of AIDS is a separate issue. Instead, it endorsed a guideline for prescription and use of the pill.
.Source: The Japan Times 17th June 1999.
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Court hears from curry victims Kin
WAKAYAMA (Kyodo) Prosecutors in court Tuesday read out statements from the families of four people who died after eating poisoned curry last year during the trial of Masumi Hayashi, who is standing trial on charges of murder and attempted murder.
"Masumi Hayashi should know the feelings of parents, because she is also a mother," Yuka Hayashi, mother of one of the deceased, said in her statement at the Wakayama District Court.
Her 10-year-old son, Hirotaka, along with three other residents of the Sonobe district of Wakayama, died after eating poisoned curry at a summer festival July 25, 1998.
"I want her to be executed four times, because four people, including Hirotaka, died," the mothers statement said.
Masumi Hayashi, a 37-year-old former insurance saleswoman, is accused of mixing arsenic into the curry shortly before the festival began.
The statements were read out after the district court agreed to allow their use by the prosecution in its case against the defendant.
.Source: The Japan Times 16th June 1999.
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Gals hanker for the sweet taste of virginal lads
Spa! 6/16
Youth and inexperience go hand in hand. And many a woman, it seems, would like to take those hands and guide them to the forbidden fruit.
When Spa! got wind that todays bawdy women were on the hunt for male chastity, they immediately dispatched four of their own reporters. As fearless journalists, they were to go undercover and dig into the roots of this female fascination for the unsullied young male. Never mind that these male reporters were on the wrong side of thirty with the kind of luck theyve had with women, Spa! asserts, they might as well be virgins.
According to Spa!, the idea for this bold piece of investigative journalism came from a remark made by one 19-year-old college student: "I lost my virginity through a voice mail service." An older classmate had told him that it was a cinch to get laid through the commercial voice mail service by claiming to be a virgin. Following his friends advice, he left a message with the service and got 20 calls back from women ranging in age from 24 to 40. In the end, he arranged to meet a 35-year-old housewife. who practically dragged him into a hotel. He reports that other schoolmates have had similar experiences.
Encouraged by this story, the Spa! reporters left coy messages wherein they claimed to be uninitiated 18 and 19 year olds. In all, they received 234 impassioned calls. Heres a sampling:
"Im a 24-year-old housewife. Im just delighted to hear that youre a virgin. Ive done it a lot with virgins before I got married, but havent had any recently. Just thinking about it gets me excited. Frankly, I cant have you giving your virginity to anyone else."
"Im a housewife in her late 20s, and Ill be glad to guide you. Ive met many through this phone service, and Ive satisfied them all."
"I must be close to your mother in age, but Im smooth skinned and fair. Im a good teacher and I can give you instructions from A to Z."
With such a batting average, the reader probably thinks that for once in their lives the reporters scored it big. In fact, when it came time to actually exchanging phone numbers, most of the callers suddenly seemed to get cold fingers. Only 43 dialed enough times that a face to face meeting could be even considered. And, as it turned out, our "virtual virgins" were able to set up a date with just three of the gals. But when the appointed date and time came, none of them showed up.
What went wrong? Arent women lusting after unripe young things? Or were most of the women sakura decoys hired by the telephone service to attract more men?
Determined to plumb the depths of female psychology, Spa! next tapped its own network of housewives and bingo! they struck a responsive nerve. Observes one 31-year-old housewife whos made it with a 17 and 18 year old: "Its like having a male Dutch wife (i.e., an inflatable sex doll). In or out of bed, you get to take the lead. You can teach them everything, like how to put on a condom, and they listen and try so hard."
A 29-year-old housewife claims that she prowls the clubs for virgins. "When men enter the working world, they lose their dreams. But young boys havent yet lost their passion. And it makes me so happy just talking to them."
Just the right balm, perhaps, for the bawdy but troubled soul. (Cheryl Chow)
.Source: Mainichi Daily News 20 June 1999.
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FACE of the WEEKLIES
Boy meets girl. They have a relationship. He tires of her. She fears shes pregnant. She pursues him. Etc. So what else is new? Only this: The boy is a 14-year-old junior high school student. The girl is his 23-year-old teacher.
Teacher? Some teacher. An adolescent boys dream, says Shukan Gendai (6/26) Wore miniskirts 20 centimeters above the knee. Not shy about flashing panties or cleavage. When not on duty, smoked in the music room with the more sophisticated kids, sharing intimacies and insights such as, "It hurt the first time" and "Virginity is a condition best got over as soon as possible."
She graduated from a Kanto-area music college in March 1998, obtained a teaching certificate, and went back to her home town of Nagoya, where early this year, according to Shukan Asahi (6/25), a public junior high school engaged her to temporarily replace a music teacher on sick leave. She was at the school for a month, from Feb. 26 to March 24. It wasn't a long time, but it sure was intense.
At first "A-kun" was just one of her entourage of boys. Picture, says Asahi Geino (6/24), a slim, handsome second-year junior high school kid: long hair, medium height, and a winning way with the girls. He made the first move, Shukan Gendai hears from one of the boys friends, but he soon cooled toward her. She, on the other hand, evidently saw something in him that no one else could give her. She has apparently admitted to police, who are investigating her conduct as a possible violation of Aichi Prefectures youth protection ordinance, that there was a sexual relationship. She does not apologize: She loved him, she reportedly insists.
Shukan Gendai says she phoned him so often he was afraid to go home. Staying away didnt help; nor did the fact that he didnt have a cell phone. His friends did, and she would contact him through them, talking until the battery went dead and then calling another member of the entourage: "Let me speak to A-kun."
They went apartment-hunting together, the magazine says, and even found a place. A-kun wriggled out of it. His father, he said, wouldnt allow him to live with her.
In mid-March, reports Shukan Asahi, the school principal had a talk with her. Its not a good idea, he said tactfully, for a teacher to take students out at night to restaurants and karaoke boxes. I understand, she said. In mid-April she gave up her career as a substitute teacher, but continued socializing with the students. Finally the PTA, alarmed by escalating rumors, called the police.
Now it appears she might be pregnant. Shes taken three over-the-counter pregnancy tests, Asahi Geino hears from the entourage all registering positive. (Michael Hoffman)
.Source: Mainichi Daily News 20 June 1999.
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Foot loose and fancy free
Spa! 6/30
Until recently, men have pretty much dominated most facets of Japanese life and homelessness is no exception. But just as women are slowly grinding away at the male stranglehold on power, an increasing number of the "fairer sex" are also deciding to live on the streets. They are supported, says Spa!, by mobile phones that keep them in touch with the rest of the world and men who'll pay for a taste of their bodies.
"I love drinking myself senseless and having sex with lots of guys," says Akane Ogino, a woman "with no fixed address" since her boyfriend threw her out of their Tokyo apartment about three years ago. Since then, shes bedded down in parks, shared an apartment with a friend from her hometown and once even lived together with a host whod picked her up on the streets. "The trouble with (the host) was," Ogino says, "he liked anal sex. I could only handle it for about four months before I had to get outta there."
Ogino says she sleeps up to five nights in parks, then whiles away weekends partying at nightclubs or sleeping at mens apartments. And it seems her lifestyle isnt likely to change soon. "I play around too much and get a bit short of cash, but I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, as much as I want. Its fantastic doing whatever I feel like," she says.
Mimi Kawata also seems to be coping with homelessness. But not until after having copped her fair share of troubles. Kawata, who divorced her aggressive husband, was ostracized by her family, separated from her son, then lumbered with debts of 50 million yen when the person for whom she had acted as a loan guarantor suddenly disappeared. She recalls thinking: "All thats left for me is the sex industry. But rather than taking on a job where Id have to go all the way, I should get into S&M, which I kind of like, anyway."
Kawata says most of the money she earns running an S&M club and "occasionally joining in with the games," goes to repay her debts. She adds that her dream is to get back with her son as soon as possible and paying for an apartment would only keep them apart. Therefore, Kawata usually sleeps at her workplace.
"Ive sort of got used to (the lifestyle)," Kawata says. "Getting peed on, or being made to drink urine can be kinda fun."
But where Kawata is keen on getting back her kid, Kaori Iwasawa, another woman of the floating world, is less enthusiastic about her 4-year-old offspring.
"I dont care about my husband or kid, now. I mean! I was housebound the whole time I was married and now that Im free, I wanna have a good time," she says, referring to the fly-by-night lifestyle shes enjoyed since walking out on her family in Shizuoka 18 months ago. And a good time she appears to have had, fluttering between stays at friends homes or love hotels with men whove taken a fancy to her. Despite frequent calls to her cell phone from her infuriated husband demanding that she return home, Iwasawa, who says shes become "addicted to playing around with men," doesnt appear to be in any hurry to return. "Ill go back when my kid starts school," she says. Spa! wonders whether shell be welcome. (Ryann Connell)
.Source: Mainichi Daily News 27 June 1999.
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Spa! spotlights the pampered lives of men working at host clubs.
Michael Hoffman reports.
Kyosuke Maki, laying a proud proprietorial hand on his shiny 16 million yen Ferrari, is, at 25, (a) a rich mans son? (b) a software entrepreneur? (c) a gangster? (d) none of the above? Correct. None of the above. He is a host. Works at a host club. His job is to make young women happy. Nice work, if you can get it. With a minimum endowment of looks and charm, you wont starve. With a little extra, you prosper. Maki is prospering.
Host clubs, explains Spa! (6/23), are not new. Theyve been around for at least 30 years. But they are proliferating as never before. In Tokyos Kabukicho alone there are about 100 of them, jostling each other for space, hosts and customers. As they multiply, they change. Back in the eighties, the magazine hears from a host who debuted around then, the appeal was primarily to rich middle-aged wives breaking out of their domestic coffins. Now the clientele is mainly young women, some still in their teens and most of them employed in another recession-defying industry: the water trade. Thats right, says Spa! when the well-healed "soapland" girls are not entertaining, they are being entertained and paying handsomely for the privilege. Maki, speaking quietly and modestly enough, says he always tried to stand out in a crowd. At 18 he was a high school graduate with a bass guitar and a band on the verge of going broke. He drifted into work at a miai pub, one of those establishments that deftly combine tradition with the latest in devil-may-care casual sex.
"Was that a comedown for you?" asks Spa! "No, not at all," Maki replies. "I was interested in the nighttime world. My job was to hang around Kabukicho and steer girls into the pub. It was fun."
The experience and contacts stood him in good stead when he turned to hosting at age 20. His first customers were girls he had met at the pub. By his third month on the job he was already pulling in more than a million yen a month. But his big break came later. "A soapland girl took a fancy to me. I happened to mention that I wanted to buy a car. And she gave me 5 million yen. Just like that. A thick envelope stuffed with bills. When girls come in and lay down a million yen for a bottle I dont think anything of it but this was a little scary."
Scary, yes, but exhilarating. "If not for that 5 million yen, I might have quit by now. "
Seasoned by experience, he has since come to realize that the gesture was more unusual for its bulk than its intent. "Eighty percent of the customers are like that. They give me money for the pleasure of seeing my happy face.
"You know," he continues, "some people might think, What sort of person are you, buying fancy
cars with money from soap girls. Well, they can think what they like. To me, theres nothing dirty about what they do, and theres nothing dirty about what I do. "
"Is there a price to pay?" Spa! asks. "Do you lose anything?"
"Well ... love," says Maki. "If youre doing this for profit, you can forget about love. I know. Ive tried. It doesn't work. Now Ive given up on that."
This past April saw the debut of a monthly magazine devoted exclusively to profiling hosts. Its publishers didnt expect much of the venture. They neednt have worried. "Its amazing how many copies were selling," enthuses the editor in chief. "To young women, mostly."
What do these young women see in hosts and host clubs? Why do some of them spend without a pang up to 2 million yen a month for this sort of professional attention? The hosts themselves, Spa! finds, are frankly a little bewildered by their sudden big-time status. Better ask the women.
"Kaori," 21, went to work at a cabaret club after high school, and was taken to her first host club by a colleague who was smitten with one of the hosts. Kaori found it boring and wrote the whole thing off, or so she thought. Time passed. She quit her caba-club job and, since shed been sleeping in a dorm on the premises, found herself not only unemployed but homeless. She took an adult-video acting job for rent money. She found an apartment. The apartment was on the first floor. " And that, " she explains triumphantly, "is why I went back to the host club." Pardon? says Spa!
"It was on the first floor, so a rapist or somebody could easily get in through the window. It was okay during the day, but I hated to be alone in the apartment at night. So one night I thought Why not drop into that host club and see whats doing? "
What was doing was a lot more fun than what had been doing the first time she was there. And when the next day her host phoned her and said he hoped he would see her again that evening, she was hooked.
"What was different?" Spa! wants to know. "What? Oh ... how can I explain? I dont know! Anyway, it was fun. If it wasnt, would I be going every chance I get?"
Theres no arguing with that. Working now in a soapland, she can afford the 500,000 yen a month her fun costs her. What about love? Spa! asks.
"Love? Oh love is tiring! But a host club ... If I tell a host I want to go to Disneyland, he takes me!" Theres no arguing with that either.
.Source: Mainichi Daily News 27 June 1999.
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Smuggling, pornos ... like whos going to bust us?
Spa! 6/23
On April 2, airport customs found their curiosity piqued by the rather lumpy appearance of a male traveler who had just arrived from Bangkok. On further inspection, they found some 30 rare animals on his person, including four small monkeys that he had stuffed into bags and taped to his calves; two tortoises were stuffed down his socks.
As is often the case with this type of smuggling, two-thirds of the creatures had failed to survive their journey.
The man was arrested on charges of customs violations. But why, Spa! asks its readers, wasnt he also charged with cruelty to animals a crime for which he was certainly equally guilty?
Blame it on the limitations of Japans animal protection statute, which hap- pens to be very specific in discouraging mistreatment of "cattle, horses, sheep, goats, dogs, cats, rabbits, chickens and other domesticated animals," but which overlooks reptiles and fish, and which largely ignores activities of pet dealers.
"Japans statute was enacted under pressure from a British animal-rights group," says attorney Mikako Nagao. "Its full of moralistic statements, but there are no specifics of what actually constitutes cruelty, and very few instances of penalties actually being imposed."
Spa! reports the above is just one of many recent cases in which authorities have found themselves hamstrung by lack of viable statutes. Take the telephone company and municipal employees who leak supposedly confidential data to commercial firms. And lets not forget stalkers, eavesdroppers and men who set up spy cameras in womens lavatories, who have, up to now, largely been able to slither away from punishment due to loopholes in the law.
In November of last year, female students of Keio and Rikkyo universities performed in a video. Well, "performed" is stretching the term a bit, as they were shown urinating, and then defecating, on a public street in broad daylight. Brandishing the video tape as Exhibit "A" the other, er, evidence having long been flushed away police arrested the videos producer on suspicion of violating the employment law which makes it is illegal "to oblige an employee to perform tasks deemed harmful to public sanitation or public morals."
As it turned out, the same students also appeared in several books performing acts so grotesque as to indicate, beyond any doubt, that their activities were entirely voluntary. Authorities had no choice but to dismiss the charges.
Prosecutors took aim at another video producer for contributing to the delinquency of a minor. It seems a 13-year-old female runaway was tricked into posing nude in a public park. The films director had inserted fireworks into several of her nether body orifices, ignited them, and filmed the display.
The video producer was able to get the charges dismissed when it was proved the young women had received 50,000 yen to appear in an S&M video. Having thus lost her amateur status, the girl was exempted from the 1948 regulation.
One point on which almost everyone in Japan seems to agree is the desirability of driving the bothersome AUM Shinrikyo cult out of existence. But as a recent case demonstrates, existing laws are powerless. On May 25, police searched an AUM-operated computer firm on suspicion it had "entered false information on a public document." To wit, the minutes of the directors meeting carried the names of fictitious board members.
"If youre going to charge AUM with that," sighs attorney Masaki Kito resignedly, "youd might as well charge almost every corporation and administrative scrivener in Japan." (Mark Schreiber)
.Source: Mainichi Daily News 27 June 1999.
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Who said that politics wasnt fun?
Source: Asahi Evening News International 17 June 1999.
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Halliwell called a dubious icon
MANILASpice Girl turned U.N. goodwill ambassador Geri Halliwell was dismissed as a "dubious icon" by a senior church leader here Wednesday at the end of a brief visit that stoked controversy over birth control.
Roman Catholic Archbishop Oscar Cruz warned his flock to "be continuously wary of shallow gimmicks such as dubious icons being used - presumably for the right fees and incentives - to spread dubious pronouncements."
Halliwell, now representing the U.N. Population Fund, riled the church during a three-day tour of the capital Manila in which she touted condoms and safe sex and urged Filipino women to take control of their bodies.
Cruz, the president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, said in a statement he felt sad: "Eastern countries like the Philippines allow themselves to be instrumentalized for such manipulative Western ventures like population control by all and any means."
.Source: Asahi Evening News International 17 June 1999.
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A once-in-a-lifetime shot to blow three big ones
Takarajima 7/7.
Its not very often that you can buy the experience of a lifetime, especially in Tokyo, the worlds most expensive city. But, as the mens weekly Takargjima shows, therere a myriad of chances to take part in the activity of your dreams and all in the 30,000 yen range.
Many men will use a call-girl service not so much for pleasures of the flesh, but more for a chance to talk to a woman. To meet the needs of such chaps, a company called Ultima rents out women for six hours. The girls will chat with their clients, hold hands if they want to and even go on dates at the paltry price of 30,000 yen.
Sawatte Ii Tomo, another call-girl service, however, will not only satisfy the carnal needs of its customers, but for an hourly fee of a mere 20,000 yen and taxi fare, the woman will also clean the house and do the laundry.
But for a date of a different sort, why not book out Tokyo Dome? The nations most famous baseball stadium can be had for a little over two hours on any weekday for a miserly 35,000 yen. If you can assemble 19 people, Tokyo Domes operators will at no extra charge turn on advertising billboards and throw in a couple of batgirls, too.
Speaking of ball games, sex shop Hiyoko Club allows customers to pay a fee of 30,500 yen for which they will be fellated for 15 minutes in turn by each of the establishments 28 female workers.
While such an offer may be a mouthful for some, Kabu Foodle, a sex shop in Shibuya, also provides a fleshy offering that tickles the taste buds in more than one way. A woman will perform her regular services for 30,000 yen for 90 minutes, but the sale of her body also extends to a more practical purpose as she allows it to become a "table" from which her customers can partake in a sushi meal all juices are free, according to Takarajima.
Also on aesthetics, a much-desired "double-eyelid" operation that can make a persons eyes appear to be shaped like a Westerners can be had for 30,000 yen in a process that takes a mere 30 seconds at Jujin Hospital.
An improved physical appearance could prompt some to fork out 30,000 yen for an implant of 500 hairs to counter the effects of a bare pate.
Another fashion statement, especially for parents of young children, may be a Gucci rattle, which retails for a measly 23,000 yen.
But when it comes to dress-ups, why not go all the way? Swan no Yume, a nightclub, will for 28,800 yen provide drinks, a hairdresser and make-up artist for male customers who want to see what theyd look like as a woman. The joint will even throw in a professional photographer so that the mans magic moment can be captured for all posterity.
If something a little wilder is more appropriate, why not rent a ferret? Pet 110-Ban Plan will let you take care of one of its ferrets for a day in exchange for 30,000 yen. Squirrel, cat and dog rentals are even cheaper.
And 30,000 yen could even buy you a slice of the nations most expensive plot of land, in theory at least. For three 10,000 yen notes, you could pick up from 6-9-5 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, about 0.0029 square meters of land about the same area as that covered by a matchstick. (Ryann Connell)
.Source: Asahi Evening News International 4 July 1999.
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Grown men in diapers:
getting the inside poop
Shukan Jitsuwa 7/8
"Mothers milk is great especially if its from a woman who gave birth in the past two or three months. It cured me of an awful case of constipation. The day after I drank it, I took a horrendous dump. Came out green. Now if I dont drink some at least once or twice a month, I get irritable."
The speaker of the above lines is not a remarkably eloquent infant prodigy, but a 38-year-old salaryman. For the past 10 years, he has regularly patronized a business catering to males who, if unable to make it all the, way back to the womb, are willing to settle for the next closest thing: reverting to infancy.
The gentleman also swears by mothers milk for its relaxing properties, insisting that whenever he ingests it, he sleeps, well, like a baby.
Shukan Jitsuwa estimates that there are perhaps 10 establishments in Japan supplying the needs of this immature market. Mijuku-en, located in Koenji, Suginami-ku, charges 23,000 yen for 60 minutes. This buys the adult clients access to a toy merry-go-round, teething rings, baby bottles, rattles, and other accouterments of early childhood designed to instill infantile regression.
Mijuku-ens staff of six women, all in their 20s and early 30s, boast prior work experience as babysitters or at nurseries.
"The way some men in their 30s and 40s deal with too much built-up stress is to return to their infancy," says one of the establishments employees. "They really do act babylike. Before the session ends, they even wet their diaper."
This obsession is not entirely new. Author Shusaku Endo featured it in his shocking 1986 novel, "Scandal," where he called it "playing babies." Shukan Jitsuwa reports the business side caters to two distinct types of clientele: those who want to be coddled and pampered, and those who are titillated by a gentle scolding.
For the past nine years, the postnatal crowd have also enjoyed their own publication, called "Baby Mate" Published six times a year, the magazine, which is priced at 3,000 yen a copy, boasts a circulation of around 1,500.
"We call them adult babies, " says Miyuki Watanabe, Baby Mates editor. "The men who go for this, while adults, expand their sexual imagination by acting out childish fantasies. Diapers are a mother symbol. When men urinate or ejaculate into the folds of a diaper, they are substituting it for the female sexual organ.
"After such naughty behavior, they also get pleasure from a scolding, since this gives them the sensation that theyre being indulged," Watanabe adds.
"One customer lost his mother at a young age, and said he uses the experience to try and retrieve this lost relationship," recalls a 33-year-old woman employed at Nagoyas "With Mama," who has ministered to over 900 customers over the past 13 years.
Shukan Jitsuwa notes that certain S&M establishments also provide such services upon request. Maya, a 20-year-old who works at Pierce in Osaka, says men just love to nuzzle her 103-centimeter breasts.
"Lots of customers will suckle them, and bury their face in them," she says. "Watching some of these older guys break down in tears of joy after they do it really makes me happy?
A 50-year-old employee at Megami, a well-known specialty establishment in Osaka, says she is often requested to assume the role of a loving grannie in her 60s or 70s. She can coddle them with a repertoire of over 10 lullabies.
Unusual requests such as intercourse while taking her breast in their mouth are usually honored. But she says that in the majority of encounters, requests tend to lean more towards psychological than the physical.
"Men who play at being kids are really engaging in a kind of parody of sex," she opines. "I expect this business will keep growing? (Mark Schreiber)
.Source: Asahi Evening News International 4 July 1999.
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