People can avoid publicizing their personal phone number when searching for a missing pet by using a new pet phone number from NTT. Called Wan Nyumber*, the service consists of a tag that has a unique telephone number printed on it. The finder of the lost pet calls the number, which is answered by NTT, who has the pet owner’s information that is assigned to the phone number. NTT contacts the pet owner.

The round tags are customizable with more than 100 designs. Wan Nyumber advertising promotes protection from nuisance calls if a personal phone number is used on tags or "lost" posters, and that the Wan Nyumber data is easier to update than replacing an embedded pet ID microchip.

The service costs JPY 525 per month.

*"Wan wan", the sound of a barking dog; "Nya nya, the sound a cat makes.

January
Canon Japan employees leave early to make babies

Canon lets workers leave early twice a week to encourage them to have more babies. The 5:30 p.m. lights-out program at Canon addresses the declining birthrate problem while also reducing employee overtime costs.

February
‘Doorplate mania’ man arrested.

A 42-year-old Tokyo man is arrested for stealing about 290 nameplates from house entrances. "I loved to collect plates of rare names. I repeatedly stole nameplates in Tokyo, Chiba and Saitama prefectures from about five years ago," the man told police March.

March
Teacher forced student to wear maid costume

A 51-year-old male high school teacher in Odate, Akita Prefecture forces an 18-year-old female student to wear a maid costume in the school’s art club and makes other club members take pictures of her.

April
Doctor admits lacing tea with sleeping powder

Kyoto University Hospital doctor arrested on suspicion of putting a sleep-inducing drug in a female graduate student’s tea. The doctor said he was fond of the student and wanted to attract her attention.

May
Horror-themed Toilet Paper from Japan Puts You on the Edge of Your Seat

Novel printed on toilet paper rolls. Written by Koji Suzuki, who also authored the horror novel "Ring".

June
Dead tadpoles fall from sky

Ishikawa Prefecture, located on the Japan Sea Coast experiences raining tadpoles. One resident finds 13 dead tadpoles each around 3 inches long, on and around his car. Another reports hearing a strange noise in a nearby parking lot, then finds 100 tadpoles covering cars in the lot.

July
Love hotels not touched by recession.

Japan’s love hotel industry thrives while other businesses suffer. (Love hotel finder.)

August
Elderly American tourist jailed for holding small pocketknife

Man asks Tokyo cop for directions. Cop asks if man has a knife. Man says yes. Man jailed for 10 days.

September
Blue lights soothe suicidal in Tokyo train stations

Blue lights installed on train platforms in Tokyo to prevent people from jumping into oncoming trains. "Blue lighting was selected because there are claims the color blue calms emotions," an official from East Japan Railway’s Tokyo office said.

October
Airline passengers told to use toilet before boarding

All Nippon Airways positions staff near the boarding gates in terminals to ask passengers waiting for their flight to relieve themselves before boarding the aircraft. ANA claims empty bladders means lighter passengers, which in turn means lighter aircraft and lower fuel use. ANA said that it may expand the October toilet-trial if results are positive and it is well received by passengers.

Dead pets come back as bracelets

A Shiga, Japan company advertises it will pickup a dead pet, mix its ashes with the clay from the bed of nearby Lake Biwa, and bake the ashes into jewelry for the owner of the deceased pet. The clay from Lake Biwa is commonly used to produce traditional Shigaraki pottery and stoneware.

December
Hotels with train view entice train spotters

Hotels near stations try to attract railway fans with rooms marketed as having a "rail view". There are estimated to be 20,000 railway buffs in Japan. (Odakyu hotels rail fan stay plan; Keikyu hotels rail fan stay plan.)

People who have lost their jobs and do not have money for food seem to be responsible for an increase in convenience store robberies in Tokyo.

The Metropolitan Police Department said food is being targeted instead of cash.

In September, a man armed with a knife stole onigiri (rice balls) and flavored carbonated alcoholic beverages (Chu-hai) valued at about JPY 2600 from a Tokyo convenience store. "I lost my job due to restructuring late last year. I was hungry," the 42-year-old man told the MPD.

In October, a man threatened a convenience store clerk with a box cutter and stole a cigarette lighter. The 26-year-old man told the MPD he wanted to get caught so he could have a bath and get food.

Police are calling food-snatching robberies "Life distress thefts".

According to the MPD official, there were 67 convenience store robberies in Tokyo as of the end of September. There were the 31 robberies during the same period in 2008.

 The MPD reports the number of convenience store robberies began to rise following the "Lehman shock" of October 2008 and the global recession. According to the MPD, in at least 4 robberies only food or drinks was stolen. The robbers only glanced at the cash. About 60 percent of the convenience store robbers were motivated by extreme hardship the MPD said.

photos: Chu hai; Onigiri; Hello Work; training white gloves, reporters; training blue shirt; training pink shirt; blackboard (Moka city); food handout Kansai, Tokyo. related: Homeless in Japan photo series.

Monkey celebrates year of freedom

Where is the monkey? That is the question Tokyo residents are asking today on the one year anniversary of the appearance of the lone roamer monkey of Shibuya station.

On August 20, 2008, a macaque monkey dashed into Shibuya train station in Tokyo. Morning rush hour commuters watched as dozens of police officers arrived and began efforts to capture the ape. The monkey hung around long enough for TV news crews to get there and record video of the scampering monkey.

The macaque was adept at eluding its pursuers and escaped the green butterfly nets of the law. Monkey-chase video was broadcast on TV stations worldwide and posted on TV and newspaper websites.

Where are you monkey-san?

The monkey has been seen several times in different areas of Tokyo since August 2008. The last reported sighting was in October 2008. Television newscasters were wondering if more than one monkey was roaming the city after reports of a monkey on the loose in Itabashi, Tokyo, in early November 2008.

The monkey claims to be living in an internet cafe and has been posting updates since January 2008 under the name "Makawaii" via the social networking service Twitter. We believe the twittering simian resides in Tokyo. However it is unlikely the macaque is doing the writing. We believe the macaque is paying a cyber cafe resident to type the twitter posts.

Monkey may be horny

The summer high temperatures, often over 30 degrees celsius, and the high humidity of Tokyo should not adversely affect the hardy Japanese macaque. In summer, macaques shed their winter coat for a lighter covering of fur. Macaques have a lifespan of over thirty years.

Taro Suzuki, Chief Profiler of the Missing Monkey Unit of the Association of Primates Special Hunting Team has been profiling the loose macaque. He says these monkeys are innately group oriented. "Without a female companion Makawaii is most certainly craving companionship. No doubt he is a loveless monkey searching for a troop. Therefore the isolation has probably caused the lonley macaque to spank the monkey frequently," Suzuki said. "The Shibuya monkey is also suffering from dementia," he added.

Monkey armed and dangerous

Tokyo police believe the wayward ape has turned to crime in order to survive. "It is likely the monkey is now disguising itself as a foreigner in Roppongi and is pushing drugs," said a police source who declined to be identified due to the sensitive nature of the subject. "We must catch the monkey soon in order to prevent evil acts, such as late-night naked romping in a park," the source said.

A blogger in Japan concurs on the monkey’s criminal intent. "I think it will become evident that Noriko Sakai, the singer and actress arrested on suspicion of possessing stimulant drugs, was in fact covering for the monkey", said Nick at JapanSoc. "Rather than turn him over to the authorities when they discovered his hidden stash of narcotics in Sakai’s home, they fled to a safe treehouse in the mountains before she eventually gave herself up and claimed the drugs as her own," he said.

Another blogger in Japan believes the monkey is dead meat. This barbecue meat image was provided by Lee at Loneleeplanet.

 Other bloggers in Japan contacted by Lets Japan refused to speculate on the macaque’s status citing the risk of a police request for a urine drug screening test.

Sources report police dispatched investigators to Karuizawa and Nikko National Park to search known monkey hangouts in order to get a lead on the lawbreaking ape.

Police believe the monkey is preparing to stroll through Shibuya station again soon. Police sources cite recent activity on the monkey’s credit card. In addition to charges for Shinkansen bullet train "green car" tickets to Karuizawa and Nikko, the macaque had also been shopping in Shibuya. "The monkey purchased underwear at a Shibuya department store and wire cutters at a Shibuya hardware store. We think the monkey plans to hide the cutters in its underpants and cut our green nets if caught," a source said. "It is a clever monkey," the source added.

Tokyo police continue to advise against getting close to the monkey. "If you see this masked, drug-dealing, bloomer-wearing, gal-groping, elderly-swindling, hidden-camera-picture-taking fugitive macaque, do not approach it," warn police.

Police expressed their determination to catch the monkey. "He stole an officer’s hat during the chase last year," said one officer who spoke on condition of anonymity. "No one steals a cop’s hat and gets away with it. Especially a monkey."

Mascot detained hours after replacing disgraced SMAP singer

The character that replaced SMAP singer Tsuyoshi Kusanagi in a government-related ad campaign has been arrested after being found prancing naked, drunk, and eating grass in a Tokyo park.

The deer mascot "Chi-Dejika" is the official spokes-character for Japan’s National Association of Commercial Broadcasters PR campaign about the ongoing national switchover from analog to digital TV broadcasting. Chi-Dejika took over PR duties from Kusanagi on April 28. Kusanagi was arrested in Hinokicho Park in Tokyo in the early hours of April 24. Kusanagi, who was naked, drunk and shouting, also resisted arrest, police say.

Police say they were called to Hinokicho Park at around 3 a.m. April 28 and they observed Chi-Dejika inebriated, nude, stomping and snorting. Police attemped to throw green netting over the deer, but the animal bucked and tangled the net. A SWAT team was requested, and the deer was bundled into the armored SWAT van.

Chi Dekija is in police custody and is being questioned. Police raided the animal’s thicket but would not reveal what was found. The deer’s attorney says Chi Dekija was enjoying the park in a manner suitable for deer. The attorney objects to the mascot’s arrest and rough treatment. "The police are not treating this deer like other similar cases. I think the police are angry because Chi-Dejika regurgitated in the SWAT vehicle," the attorney said.

Kusanagi was released on April 25 and made a public apology. Numerous TV commercials featuring Kusanagi were pulled off the air. The weekly SMAP SMAP TV program on April 27 aired a "best of SMAP" edition that did not include Kusanagi. The singer was also editied out of other pre-recorded talk and variety programs in which he usually appears.

Reaction to Chi-Dejika’s arrest from other broadcast mascots came quickly. TBS-TV mascot Boo Boo-chan said Chi-Dejika should apologize. "It’s shameful to be naked in the park. He was drunk too. It’s disgraceful. That’s all I have to say. Excuse me, may I pee here?" Fuji-TV mascot Ruf-chan" said "What’s wrong with being naked? I’m not wearing pants right now." Domo-kun, mascot at public broadcaster NHK-TV expressed regret. "Dejika-chan was one of the finest mascots. He was the inspiration for Sento-kun. Lately he hasn’t been able to find work and perhaps was drinking too much." Kusanagi has not commented on the arrest of Chi-Dejika.

Sexy police squad makes singer squeal

 (April 24, 2009) - A Japanese pop singer who was arrested for public indecency after being found drunk and naked in a Tokyo park has apologised for his "shameful" conduct.
"I drank a lot and did not know what I was doing," Tsuyoshi Kusanagi said on Friday after being released by police."I deeply apologise to fans for causing so much trouble and worry," he added.
Kusanagi, 34, shot to fame as a member of 1980s boy band SMAP. He has not been charged for the incident, which took place in the early hours of Thursday. At the time of his arrest, Kusanagi was allegedly sitting on the grass, undressed and heavily intoxicated. (BBC)

Police 1: What is your name?
Tsuyoshi: (unintelligble)
Police 2: It is Tsuyoshi Kusanagi desu ne?
Tsu: Su-ma.. Ssmpu.. tsu yoda (unintelligible)
Police 3: Why were you in the park at 3 a.m.?
Tsu: Park?
Pol 2: Why were you in the park at 3 a.m.!
Tsu: Which park?
Pol 1: Hinokicho Park!
Tsu: He is famous Korean actor? Hah?
Pol 2: Why were you naked?
Tsu: Drunk… (unintelligible)
Pol 1: Where do you live?
Pol 2: What is you address?
Pol 3: What is your mother’s maiden name?
Tsu: Cabagin onegaishimasu.
Pol 1: You will tell us!
Pol 2: We can make you talk!
(SMAP’s 2003 hit song Sekai ni hitotsu dake no hana" is heard.)
Tsu: No! No!
Pol 1: What did you drink before going to the park?
Pol 2: Where did you drink?
Pol 3: With whom?
Tsu: Sake! Beer! Shochuuuu! Yokoso! (weeps)
Pol: You are being charged with infractions 110-A-Section 2 (i)(v) "Resisting arrest while nude" and 119-B-Section 7(ii)(d) "Theft of police property."
Tsu: Eh?
Pol: You took our blue tarpaulin!
Tsu: I was cold.
Pol 1: How much did you drink?
Pol 2: How long where you naked?
Tsu: Long…?
Pol 3: Turn up the music! (music volume increases)
Tsu: Stop! Help help!
Pol 1: Ahahahaha!
Pol 2: Now what do you have to say?
Tsu: Change your TV to digital before April 2011!

–End of transcript–

related: Policing the police; No smoking during interrogations; Major Change in Japan’s Criminal Trials: Lay judge system starts in May.

Singer Tsuyoshi Kusanagi of SMAP arrested drunk and nude in downtown Tokyo park

Top 10 reasons SMAP’s Tsuyoshi Kusanagi Naked In Park

10. Hinokicho park looks like onsen.

9. Need cops’ blue plastic tarpaulin to save space for hanami viewing party.

8. Washing machine broken, wash jeans in creek.

7. Celebrate contract for 1,693rd TV commercial.

6. Romp in birthday suit in honor of Emperor Hirohito’s birthday holiday Showa Day – one week too early.

5. Visualize concept for new Japanese game show: "What’s wrong with being naked?"

4. Mark 6 month anniversary of Naked British Tourist in Japan Emperor’s Palace Moat.

3. Make special blue ray video for SMAP’s Shingo Katori.

2. Finally reveal he is the "A" in SMAP: "Ass"

1. Test his digital antenna.

The macaque monkey that appeared unescorted at Shibuya train station in Tokyo in August 2008 remains free. The monkey outsmarted police and escaped into the city. Cops have been responding to the occasional monkey-sighting, but have failed to catch the chimp.

The monkey is now living in an internet cafe. The little simian was last seen in Tokyo Nov. 6, 2008. A chimp claiming to be the Shibuya monkey "Makawaii" has been posting updates via Twitter.

A primate specialist says monkeys that escape into urban areas become stressed and usually seek a quick return to their quiet hometowns. Taro Suzuki, Chief Profiler of the Missing Monkey Unit of the Association of Primates Special Hunting Team says monkeys that become lost in a city will make great efforts to return home. Distrusting public transportation, loose monkeys often hitchhike home.

Suzuki believes the Shibuya monkey was traumatized by the police attempts to catch the monkey. "As the nets were green, the monkey has probably developed a phobia about green. The countryside has much greenery and the monkey is afraid of returning to a forested area," the APSHT profiler said.

A review of photos of the monkey confirms Suzuki’s theory. The macaque is pictured in gray areas. One video shows the monkey fleeing from greenery in Tokyo.

Suzuki also studied Makawaii’s Twitter post archive. On Jan. 15, the monkey posted "Designing futur netcafe-it will be tiled room and have concret flors for ez cleening with hose". On Jan. 20, "jumping around and bouncing off the walls!!". On Jan. 27, the monkey wrote "hding under desk chewing fingernails."

"My analysis of the the monkey-posts indicates the monkey is suffering from dementia. The Shibuya monkey has taken shelter in the safety and comfort of an internet cafe. I recommend this as short term solution. As you can see, the confined space and fear of green is having a detrimental effect. I hope the monkey seeks treatment soon," Suzuki said.

Tokyo police would not comment on efforts to catch the monkey. Lets Japan has learned computer security experts are using traceroute data to locate the monkey. A source says the missing monkey appears to be using off-the-shelf software to create phantom computers to mask the source internet protocol address. Police are also using coordinates from spy satellites.

Lets Japan asked passers-by for ideas about apprehending the Shibuya monkey.
How do you catch a monkey?

I will spank the monkey.

He should stay indoors. It is cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey.

I’d like to get my stinking paws on that damned dirty ape!

A drunken donkey will not remember the monkeys bite.

The Shibuya monkey is living in an internet café. These images and a video clip from a cell phone camera were sent anonymously to Lets Japan. These photos show the monkey entering a cyber café.

The story of the Tokyo Shibuya monkey began August 20, 2008, when the unaccompanied Japanese macaque monkey ran wild in Shibuya train station during morning rush hour. Surprised commuters gaped at the ape as it led dozens of cops and reporters on a chase through the station, then raced outside and outran its pursuers.

The monkey has been seen several times in different areas of Tokyo. In early November 2008, TV newscasters were wondering if more than one monkey was roaming the city.

The January glimpse of the monkey in front of the net café is the first report of the mini-macaque in 2009. It has also been learned the monkey - nicknamed Makawaii by the media - is using the popular internet social messaging service Twitter. We have been following the monkey’s writings for several days. According to its Twitter posts, the monkey is out searching for food and sightseeing during the day and returns to its rented PC-and-sleep-space at night. Makawaii also seems to watch a lot of Japanese television and often plays online games. The ape displays an odd sense of humor, and may be slightly crazy.

Tokyo police continue to search for the monkey. Now the cops can also follow Macawaii on Twitter. http://twitter.com/Makawaii related: Cyber cafe offers home to homeless

We’re cleaning out last year’s article ideas to make room for the 2009 story ideas! At Lets Japan, we pass on the story savings to you! These fully functional fascinating fragments are our year-end gift to you, our valued viewers.

This 1976 Lincoln Continental was parked in my neighborhood in September. Finding streets wide enough for access takes pre-trip planning. But there are Japanese fans of big American cars. This annual car show is held in Fussa in October.

Japan Prime Minister Taro Aso’s after work adventures and the example he sets for kids.

Soybean-flour bread, Soy Joy snack food, and The Joy of Soy - Tastes Great, Less Cancer!

They ever find the person who chopped down the pansies and the tulips?