Archive for December, 2009

Update: American teens arrested

An update on the case of the American military brats suspected of attempted murder (from Stars & Stripes):

Japanese police can question adult suspects for 48 hours and hold them an additional 21 days while prosecutors determine whether to file charges. Though the young Americans are considered juveniles under Japanese law, they could be charged as adults. It was unclear Saturday how long they could be held in custody.

Tokyo Metropolitan Police executed the arrest warrant after more than a week of discussions between U.S. and Japanese officials over whether the teens should be exempt from arrest until formally charged — as is the case with U.S. troops and most civilian employees under the status of forces agreement.

Before Saturday, the U.S. had maintained that dependent family members qualify for the same protections as military personnel and that the teens — who surrendered their passports to base officials late last month — should not be taken into custody.

It was unclear Saturday whether the reversal of that position would set a precedent for dependents caught up in the Japanese legal system.

According to the articles in the Yomiuri Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun, the teens have admitted they placed the rope across the road. Exactly which teens in the group were responsible is unclear at this point, as each teen seems to be telling a different story.

It has also been revealed that there were several similar incidents [traffic cones, pieces of metal, rope blocking the road] reported in the area since June. In each of those cases, the obstruction in the road was discovered and removed before anyone was hurt.

[hat tip to faljal]

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Japanese space beer

Sapporo’s space beer is finally ready for consumption:

The brewer will receive orders for the Sapporo Space Barley beer via the Internet until Dec. 24, making 250 six-packs, holding 330-ml bottles, available at a price of ¥10,000 each, Sapporo said Thursday, adding the product will be delivered to customers in late January. Proceeds will be used for the promotion of science education.

The original barley seeds were stored for five months in the Russian module of the International Space Station.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

House built on the edge of a cliff

A “Nanikore” worthy house in Hiroshima prefecture that has been built on the edge of a cliff:

There isn’t a lot of flat land in the port of Kure, so the Fukudas decided to buy the hillside land and use metal girders to support a house where one normally would not be built. They’ve had no problems with the structure since it was built 40 years ago, and it is presumably sturdy enough to have survived some moderately strong earthquakes. When the town puts on fireworks displays, their house offers one of the best un-obstructed views in the area.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Mochi Commercial

2010 is coming soon, which means that it’s about the time of the year that Japanese people buy their new year’s mochi. Here’s one commercial that’s been airing on TV a lot recently:

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Wake up and get ready in less than 5 minutes

Washed-up comedian Sekai no Nabeatsu shows off his super fast waking up & getting ready technique:

1. take off pajamas and put on clothing
2. make cheese fondue + cappuccino (with honey as sweetener/lip gloss)
3. put on socks
4. hand your laundry to dry (put it in the washing machine already attached to a rope
5. head up your head with steam while brushing your teeth
6. conserve water by using a plastic bottle instead of the sink
7. put on a scarf and coat/gloves

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Aerial view of Arashiyama in Autumn

The Asahi Shimbun provides some aerial images of the Arashiyama area of Kyoto, filmed earlier this week when the autumn foliage was at its peak:

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)