Archive for March, 2009

Apocalypse Meow Anime

If you’re going to attend the Tokyo International Anime Fair this weekend, you might want to check out the screening of Apocalypse Meow (the wonderful original title used in Japan is “Cat Shit One“).

“The concept of this work is the development of real and fierce combat by cute and fluffy animals. In these days when people have become too used to seeing people die in movies, we wish to use cute animals as the characters to give viewers a stronger feeling of the misery of the wars that are taking place in this world.”

Apparently it is based on a manga, which has been released in English.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Monkey in Niigata City

A video clip of attempts to catch a wild monkey that wandered into Niigata City:

Their first attempt to capture the monkey involved a tranquilizer-laced banana, but he avoided the bait. After three days of efforts, the group of about 20 city workers finally succeeded in hitting the ferocious beast with a tranquilizer dart and catching him after he retreated into a garage.
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Japanese man caught attempting to enter North Korea

Luckily, some South Korean soldiers apprehended him before he could go through with his dumb plan:

Yonhap news agency said the 40-year-old approached a barbed-wire fence in the Cheorwon area on Wednesday night but was detained after being spotted by South Korean soldiers.

The man initially said he was trying to cross into North Korea to protest tensions on the peninsula and promote peace, it quoted an unidentified defense official as saying.

The man was handed over to his embassy in Seoul and recanted his earlier statements about his motive, the official added.

“He appeared mentally ill. He was seen wandering near the border after walking into the patrol zone,” the agency quoted an official as saying, adding that the man arrived in South Korea about 10 days ago.

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• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Japanese police display life-size model of Tatsuya Ichihashi

Almost two years have passed since British teacher Lindsay Ann Hawker was brutally murdered in Chiba Prefecture. Japanese police have yet to locate Tatsuya Ichihashi, the man who killed her. Last week, it was announced that the officer in charge of the case had been replaced, and today they rolled out a life-size model of Ichihashi that will be prominently displayed in public places:

A button on the model plays a sample of Ichihashi’s voice when pressed. Copies will be installed at five locations in Chiba Prefecture.

Those with information about Ichihashi’s whereabouts are urged to contact the police at: 047-391-0110

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Video: Japanese police chase down illegal immigrant

In this video clip, Japanese cops driving their patrol car around Shibuya notice a young man who reacts to the presence of their vehicle by suddenly halting and trying to get out of sight. They pull over the car and question the man:

The man is not Japanese, so they ask to see his alien registration card. The man produces a card identifying himself as a Chinese person with a residency visa that would allow him to live and work in Japan. He says he is on his way to see a movie, but the officers insist on searching his personal belongings. After finding nothing in his bag, they ask to see his wallet.

The man’s nervous reaction to the checking of his wallet is a dead giveaway that something is up. They find a second alien registration card in his wallet, and it reveals that his visa expired in 2007. Realizing that this discovery will lead to his arrest, the man tries to run away. The cops chase him down.

The man admits that the card he originally showed the officers was a fake that he had purchased so he could stay in Japan and work. He is taken in by the police and will later be deported.

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• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Toilets at Oji Station drained directly into river for more than 40 years

Whoops, somebody made a plumbing mistake:

Human waste from restrooms at JR Oji Station in Tokyo’s Kita Ward was apparently flushed into the Shakujiigawa river without treatment for more than 40 years, officials say.

Tokyo metropolitan government staff carrying out a survey for nearby sewage work on March 2 discovered that the drainpipe from the restrooms was not connected to the sewage system.

Residents had been complaining about a foul odor for many years.

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• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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