Even in a kimono...

By Takanyo.

...what goes up must come down.

No smorking? I'm out of here.

Mark Frauenfelder took his family to Harajuku, Japan, which is where he saw this sign.

It's sort of a rip-off how uptight Japan has become; I mean, no shoplifting? Sheesh!

Bathroom Kabuki and Mysterious Adverts

Here is a little bathroom kabuki; this person was the victim of someone sprinkling baby powder in the hair dryer.

Oh, and I'll give you a thousand yen if you can figure out what's being advertised in this Japanese commercial before you get to the end.

An Assault on the Dignity of Japanese Monsters

The Japanese haven’t “done” Halloween until recently, and even now, the idea of trick-or-treating seems strange to them. Nonetheless, the Japanese do have both a sophisticated horror aesthetic and a monster tradition that goes WAY back.

The creatures I'm referring to have lineages that predate Godzilla by centuries. They are known as the Yokai (“the otherworldly”), and there is a convenient field guide for those who are interested: Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide by Hiroko Yoda.

This valuable tome teaches that the Oni is a formidable demon. But I’m plugged in enough to know that like many Japanese monsters, the Oni has suffered from a neotany makeover; this is the Japanese compulsion to make everything as cute as humanly possible. Fun Fact: Hello Kitty began life as an Oni, but has since been demoted to a mouthless mite. (Okay, I made that up.)

Washington Post reporter Blaine Harden
reveals that other creatures are less fortunate, e.g., the Onibaba (demon hag). She was formerly a “horribly unbalanced elderly woman who collects livers of unborn children.” Today, the Onibaba is a theme park mascot.

One monster that’s withstood assaults on its honor is Akaname (“the Filth Licker”). He eats bathtub scum. Try prettying THAT up. And if Akaname shows up in a Japanese house, it really is horrible. People in the Land of the Rising Standards of Hygiene take clean bathrooms seriously.

Hikikomori Are People Too

A Japanese software company named Avex produces videos of people looking into the camera. These “starers” (who are all female, and nearly all young) have a tough gig. They need to be neutral and non-threatening, but shouldn't just stare blankly. (You can see the videos at the link above; to end a video, hit the button on your screen’s bottom right corner.)

You see, Avex wants to help the estimated one-million Japanese boys and men who have contracted the anti-social syndrome called "Hikikomori." (Those afflicted are also called Hikikomori.) Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare defines such a sufferer as "an individual who refuses to leave their parents' house, and isolates themselves away from society in their homes for a period exceeding six months.”

Hikikomori victims are almost exclusively male. (What, women aren’t ever interested in avoiding all live human interaction?) And the Avex videos allow the socially excluded to practice having a stranger gaze at them. Avex’s company literature states that their videos helps the Hikikomori “handle the fact that a sentient being sits across from them and awaits interaction."
This France 24 article gives more background on the problem (and has mildly inappropriate material toward the end). The piece's reliability may be a bit suspect, though. It quotes a purported American Hikikomori, which is absolutely ridiculous. I find it impossible to believe that a red-blooded American (or French-speaking Belgian) would forgo all live human interaction in order to play video games.

ADDENDUM: Hikikomori can be cured! A Reuters story out of Lagos, Nigeria tells of a father who took his 20-year old son to court on charges of "idleness." For refusing to obey his parents and for not engaging in productive activities, the young man got 30 strokes of a cane —right there!— and was sentenced to six months in prison. Situation resolved.