Archive for July, 2006

The benefits of hypnosis

These two classic videos demonstrate the obvious benefits of hypnosis:

Video 1: Girls are hypnotized and made to roll around the floor in esctasy as cameras film up their skirts. [Watch it here.]

Video 2: The hypnotist makes the women have some sort of race! [Watch it here.]

DVD rental service for foreigners in Japan

Are you unsatisfied with the DVD selection at your local Japanese video rental shop?  Or are you pissed off because you can only view your favorite French movie with Japanese subtitles?  Well, don’t worry!  A new service, called Expat-Video, has opened.  It like a Netflix for foreigners in Japan, offering a wide selection of English-language films and foreign films with English subtitles.  [Check it out at Expat-Video.com.]

[Link found via Jean Snow]

Japanese restaurant makes you catch your own meal

Just found this story over at Tigers and Cranes:

A restaurant in Tokyo is making its customers catch their own meal before eating it.  There is a pool with a variety of fish in it, and customers much catch the particular fish they want to eat.  [Check out the pun-filled American news report]

Iron Chef: Top Ramen

Phone straps galore!

Looking for some straps for your cell phone?  Why not get some of your favorite beer?

All the big names are there:Asahi Super Dry Asari Try, Kirin Kibin, Sapporo Sappari! [See them here.]

Not into beer?  How about these cute/creepy Kewbies?

The perfect size for small pockets! [See them here.]

[Link found via Dark Diamond Network / Watashi to Tokyo]

TBS gets YouTube to pull Shinzo Abe/Germ Warfare video clip

The most popular video link on blogs today, according to Technorati, was a video entitled “TBS 安倍氏　サブリミナル” (TBS Abe Subliminal), which was a recording of the clip mentioned in this article:

The government is investigating a TV program by Tokyo Broadcasting System Inc. on the wartime Japanese germ warfare unit because it includes footage in which a photo of Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe appears in the background, in a storeroom, officials said Wednesday.

Abe considered the front-runner to succeed Junichiro Koizumi as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in September, has no connection with the notorious Unit 731.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications was notified Tuesday about the TV program, which TBS broadcast on July 21, the officials said.

TBS said in a statement it had not deliberately included the Abe photo in the background of the shot and offered an apology for having caused trouble.

According to the broadcaster, while filming a TBS reporter conducting a phone interview in its newsroom, the Abe photo happened to be sitting within range of the shot, in a prop storeroom.

Interestingly enough, if you follow the link to the video clip, you will be greeted with the following message from YouTube:

“This video has been removed at the request of copyright owner Tokyo Broadcasting System, Inc because its content was used without permission”

It would seem that TBS is so embarassed about their “mistake” that they are sending legal threats to YouTube. Who will save the citizens from their wraith? Do we not have a right to see the offending clip?

Luckily, the folks at TBS are far too slow to stop the spread of similar video clips. At the moment of this posting, the clip of Abe’s photo could be found here and here. Examination of the clip reveals that Abe’s face is flashed for only a split second, and it’s position on a clutter store room desk could actually be unintetionally included in the documentary. Of course, the fact that the documentary was being made about Japanese war crimes in WW2, and Shinzo Abe is a pro-Yasukuni visit “neoconservative” politican makes it seem like more than just a simple mistake.

Is the liberal media conspiracy out to get Abe?