Baby in Belly

Maternity marks are desirable in Japan. The so-called "maternity mark" tags and buttons worn by expectant mothers alert bystanders to their condition. Japan Airlines now offers maternity mark tags to pregnant women flying domestic routes.

JAL is the first airline in Japan to offer the baby-in-belly tag. In 2006,  East Japan Railway Company, Tokyo Metro, and 14 other Kanto railways began offering "There is a baby in my stomach" badges to rail and subway commuters.

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare “Healthy Parent and Child 21”  plan is designed to achieve a pregnant-friendly environment, which also includes the workplace environment and passive smoking prevention. Some local governments have issued their own "baby inside" buttons and badges.

The baby badges are intended to make it easier for passersby to know that a woman is pregnant. And there is a helpful video about baby badges on the Japan Cabinet Office  website.

As a public service, Lets Japan offers these 3 original alert-badge ideas for Japan. (Anger Inside; I Am Pervert ; Pacemaker Put In)

links: Baby in Me badges goods ( 1 )  ( 2 ) ;  Other maternity mark design badges goods ( 3 ) ( 4 ) ( 5 ) ( 6 )

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Stay Behind The Yellow Line

Crocs sandals may sometimes get snagged in escalators in Japan and cause toe injuries, but other Crocs troubles have arisen.

After several reports of Crocs-related escalator accidents in Japan, in April 2008, the Japan Ministry of  Economy, Tade and Industry asked Tokyo-based Crocs Asia Pte Ltd. to change the sandals‘ materials and designs.

The ministry says 65 accidents were reported since May 2007.

In late July, 2008, the Niwot, Colorado-based Crocs said it had begun phasing-in tags about escalator safety that will be attached to the shoes. There was no indication whether the notice from Japan was a factor in the Croc’s decision.

The hang-tags state in part:
* Stand facing forward in the center of the step
* Step on and off carefully
* Do not touch sides below handrail
* Avoid the sides of the steps where shoe entrapment can occur
* Supervise children at all times

Croc-cidents  Around The World

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has documented 77 soft shoe entrapments on escalators since January 2006.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is cautioning travellers to be aware of shoe entrapment on escalators. At least three children have experienced “Croc-cidents” at the airport since June 2008. In response, a 35-second Crocs-caution announcement is broadcast in the airport every five minutes.

Crocs have been banned in some hospitals in the US, Canada, UK, Vienna, and at east one hospital in Sweden, because static builds up in the clogs and could interfere with precision electronic equipment, or even spark an explosion. Pittsburgh’s Mercy Hospital prohibits Crocs, saying accidentally dropped syringes might fall into ventilation holes on the shoes.

But will Crocs be able to complete it’s warning tag plan? It seems Crocs sales have stagnated. Company officials say second-quarter earnings net income dropped more than 95 percent from the same period last year. photos: Crocs escalator warning

The fear that people who have a tattoo are associated with yakuza (Japanese mobsters) persists. Tattooed bodies can be bad for business, so onsens, private pools, sento community baths, water parks and places where shirts come off and shorts are worn either ban tattooed people from entry, or require them to stay covered-up.

Stars and Stripes reports US service members who are adorned with tattoos are displeased. Of five facilities contacted by Stars and Stripes only Tobu Zoo Park allows entry to those with tattoos, but only when the tattoos are kept concealed.

Onsen spas and local communal baths also prefer to prohibit entry to persons emblazoned with tattoos.

no tattoos warning: Fujikyu Highland;  Tokyo Summerland (E) (J, Korean, Chinese); Toshimaen; Yomiuriland; Laqua;  Dekapathos; Chiba Greenery Dept. Pool; Seibu Yuenchi Pool; MobilityLand Adventure Pools

photos: montages LJ; signs  Left Shoulder; One X;  Two X; Three scenes

related: Tattoo services in Japan; Japanese Tattoos; Horiyoshi III, Legendary Irezumi Master; Art of the Yakuza - Japan’s Tattooed Men & Women; Tattoo in Japan;  Foreigners looking like fools with gobbledygook tattoos; Tattooed backsides

A group of people dressed in kimono stroll around traditional silk production areas to attract attention and help revitalize the silk industry. The Kawagoe Kimono Sanpo members walk around Kawagoe, Chichibu and Gyoda, Saitama Prefecture. The towns maintain a presence of the textile and traditional handicrafts industries. Participants include women in their 20s and a man in his 60s who began wearing kimono after retiring. The strolls are held on the 28th of every month. Kawagoe is located 30 kilometers from Tokyo.


related: Kawagoe City in Japan; Welcome to Kawagoe

Japan’s annual “Cool Biz” energy-saving campaign began June 1, 2008.

The fashion campaign was initiated in 2005 by former Japan environment minister Yuriko Koike. She argued that by getting men out of suits, office building air conditioning thermostats could be raised to 28 degrees Celsius (82 degrees Fahrenheit) and would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. story

Now, Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda leads the way in no-tie short-sleeve work attire. Or does he?

The 71-year-old prime minister seems reluctant to give up that necktie. Asked how he will dress when the campaign starts this year, Fukuda, on May 27 said “I don’t want to look shabby. But there is no need to go against the trend.”

Cool Biz Photos (more…)

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Deliveryman Plucks Panties from Packages Osaka - A Sagawa Express driver admitted to stealing womens underwear from five parcels he delivered. The 30-year-old man has been fired and faces charges. SOURCE Taxman Takes Pair of Panties Hamamatsu - A tax collector from the Hamamatsu Municipal Government delivered a tax past-due notice to a woman at her home and stole a pair of her panties while there. The man, 62, admits he took the undies. He faces robbery charges. Police suspect the man may have committed further crimes and are continuing to investigate him. SOURCE Policeman Pockets Panties Tachikawa - A 27-year-old sergeant and member of the Tokyo police riot squad was arrested for stealing a young womans panties. Police say he climbed onto a first-floor apartment veranda, opened a window, and sneaked into the womans apartment. Dozens of women’s undies were found scattered around on the ground outside the apartment. SOURCE Teacher Nicks Former Student’s Knickers Osaka - A teacher at a prestigious private school in Osaka was arrested for stealing four pairs of a former students panties from the womans home.The teacher reached into the open window of the 20-year-old’s home and grabbed the lingerie from a hanger. A neighbor chased and caught him, and held the teacher until the police arrived.The teacher, 52, admits he stole the intimates. He said he’d taught the woman when she was younger, and when he found himself in the area of his former pupils home, he suddenly felt a longing for her, which made him take the undergarments. SOURCE What makes panties so appealing to Japanese men?MODEL