Posts Tagged ‘shibuya’

Love Hachiko – a special rhinestone version of Shibuya’s famous landmark statue

The same episode of “Champions” that turned a Mt. Fuji bath house painting into a shiny rhinestone “Deco Fuji” also made a rhinestone version of Shibuya’s famous Hachiko statue:

“Love Hachiko” will be put on display inside a new building in front of Koza-Shibuya station on the Odakyu line. The building is not quite complete, so the statue has been put on temporary display inside the nearby Yamato city hall building.

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

Principal of International School of the Sacred Heart (ISSH) arrested for drug smuggling

Scandal has hit the International School of the Sacred Heart (ISSH):

The Japanese media is reporting the arrest of Shirley Lane, Principal of the ISSH Kindergarten/Junior School. Last month, Narita airport customs found 5.9 grams of marijuana hidden in a package of clothing addressed to Lane. Shirley and her husband Thomas have admitted that the marijuana was purchased in the United States and shipped it to Japan for Thomas’ personal use. A police search of their home in Japan found traces of marijuana. Both of them have been arrested and charged with violations of Japan’s drug laws.

Update: Mainichi now has an English language article up.

Shirley Lane, 59, principal of the Kindergarten and Junior School of the international school in Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, and her 62-year-old husband Thomas, both of U.S. nationality, are accused of violating the Cannabis Control Law. Metropolitan Police Department investigators are currently questioning the couple over allegations that the husband and wife used the drug together.

The Lanes smuggled a box containing 5.9 grams of marijuana via international mail on Sept. 25, investigators said. Both have reportedly admitted to the allegations. Investigators quoted Shirley as saying that she had asked her husband to bring marijuana back. The husband was also quoted as telling investigators that he had bought the marijuana from a drug dealer in Florida for 100 dollars and brought it back for his own use.

MPD investigators raided the principal’s office and the couple’s home and confiscated small amounts of the illegal drug.

Wikipedia still lists Lane as a principal, but the ISSH homepage appears to have been edited to remove her name and photograph from the list of prinicipals.

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

Ancient Egypt in Shibuya

A short video clip of the Ancient Egyptian Museum in Shibuya:

The museum is a private collection that is open to the general public on weekends and national holidays. It’s a 5 minute walk from Hachiko, not far from the 109 building. General admission is 1,500 yen.

Note: The “konkatsu” diety that the museum guide points out is Hathor, goddess of feminine love, motherhood and joy.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
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Passed out drunk on the streets of Tokyo

Earlier this week, Real Time News aired a special report about the people one finds passed out drunk on the streets near Shibuya Station at night. Below are two clips from the report.

Clip 1: NTV’s cameras catch a man who is watching over a very drunk woman. At first glance it appears that he is a friend of the woman, but they notice he is acting suspiciously and touching the woman’s breasts as he tries to prop her up. He also seems to be forcing some kisses upon her. After an initial attempt by an NTV reporter to check on the woman is brushed off by the man, they finally take decisive action and prevent him from carrying her off to a hotel. When interviewed, the drunk woman admits that the man had approached her offering help, and she was too drunk to fully understand what was going on. She thanks the reporter for saving her and takes a taxi home.

Clip 2: This drunk guy was not quite as lucky as the woman. The reporter takes no action when a somebody quickly checks the pockets off the passed out man. They only rush to action after a second passerby spends a full five minutes silently checking all the man’s pockets. Confronted, the second passerby claims he was trying to help wake up the drunk man. Since they can’t prove he stole anything, they let him go.

The reporter then wakes up the drunk man, who is surprised to find that he no longer has his bag or his wallet. Later that day, the man’s bag was located, but his wallet and other possessions were missing. The total value of what was stolen was about 300,000 yen.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)
• Kirainet.com – A geek in Japan (Subscribe)

Monkey spotted in Tokyo’s Minato Ward

FTV reports that a monkey, possibly the same one spotted in Shibuya Station last month, was seen in Tokyo’s Minato Ward yesterday:

Witnesses first spotted it in the area about a week ago, eating a Japanese persimmon plucked from a tree. The most recent sighting of the monkey took place at a temple, where it was reportedly fighting with two or three crows. Residents were able to snap a photo of the monkey, allowing an expert to examine its facial features and proclaim that this is probably the famous Shibuya Station monkey.

Shibuya monkey spotted in Kanda

The monkey that made a daring escape after nearly being captured by police inside Shibuya Station remains at large. Yesterday he was spotted in the Kanda area of Tokyo:

Residents of the area managed to take a few photographs of the monkey, which are shown in the TBS news report video above. They all comment on how agile and fast the monkey was, with one man declaring that the monkey could win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Police attempts to trap the monkey through the use of bait have failed, but they have vowed to continue their efforts and capture him alive.