A monkey that has been romping around parts of Tokyo since Aug. 6 could be the monkey that ran through Tokyo’s Shibuya station on Aug. 20, 2008.

On the morning of August 20, 2008, a macaque monkey scampered into Shibuya train station in Tokyo. Police armed with several meters of green netting and carrying hooped nets surrounded the macaque while it rested on an overhead timetable display. The monkey eluded capture and darted among commuters before escaping into the city. News video of the 2008 Shibuya monkey-chase was broadcast on TV worldwide and posted on TV and newspaper websites.

The first summer of 2010 monkey sightings occurred about 5:50 PM Aug. 4. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department says the monkey was discovered on the roof of a home next to a rice paddy in Nerima Ward. The same day, the monkey was seen in the same area jumping along electric power lines, scaling the walls of homes, eating some grapes in the garden of a house, and loitering in front of an elementary school.

The ape brushed a taxi that was driving down a road in Ikebukuro the morning of the Aug. 5. There were no injuries.

Also on Aug. 5, the macaque was seen in the vicinity of Ikebukuro station in the morning, and it was watched scampering on a road in Shinmachi, Itabashi Ward in the afternoon.

There is speculation this Japanese macaque is a wild macaque that lived in Chichibu and might have followed a river into the urban area.

On July 23, the Shibuya monkey posted a message on twitter: "so sweety! atsui! matted fur drippng pocari sweat 8:] see yu my go out awgust! annibersery! this !!! keyboard ! stikney!!!"

It is not known why the monkey appeared earlier than Aug. 20.

Seventy-seven gropers (chikan) were arrested on Tokyo commuter trains during a crackdown by the Japan National Police Agency. During the April 15 - 21 effort, 120 officers from the NPA and the Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectural police rode train routes known to attract molesters.

Six people were caught on the Keio Line and JR Chuo Line, the highest number of all the train lines. The JR Saikyo Line, notable for frequent reports of groping, installed security cameras on some trains last year. Five people were caught on the Saikyo Line during the April crackdown. All of the perpetrators were caught in cars without security cameras.

Twenty-six of the 77 victims were high school students and fourteen people were university students. Forty of the victims were between 15 and 19 years of age. Forty-two of the arrests occurred between 7 a.m and 9 a.m.

Fifty-eight of those arrested were charged under the "public nuisances" law. Four of the perps were charged with using a hidden camera to take secret photos in the train. Three were arrested on charges of forced obscene acts in the train car, and one man was charged with indecent exposure in the car.

Eleven people were charged with taking indecent photos of passers-by on escalators and on the stairs on station premises.

Twenty-nine of the 77 had previously been caught molesting train passengers. In one incident, while an officer obtained a description of a suspect from one victim, the officer saw the suspect in the first crime grope another victim in the same car. The suspect was arrested.

The NPA will post police officers on trains to crack down on gropers who target particular victims or stalk women after they get off the train. "If you get groped on a train, please tell the nearest police officer," an NPA spokesman said.

In one groping arrest in February, a 16-year-old girl who was fondled on the JR Takasaki Line grabbed the suspect’s hand, hauled him off the train at the next station, and handed him over to police. The girl is a member of her high school judo team. The 21-year-old perpetrator was charged with public nuisance.

Chikan Densha Otoko 2 Molester Trainman game (Windows PC)

The Tokyo Setagaya-ku Cleaning and Recycling department uses expired departmental flyers for its business cards. The department uses the reverse side of printed material that has been used in the department. The front of the business card contains the usual business card information. On the back of the cards Lets Japan received is a portion of an announcement about the trash collection schedule at the end of the year. The flyer paper is not as heavy as a standard business card, but heavier than a standard piece of paper.

When two employees of the Cleaning and Recycling department presented their business cards to LJ, the employees pointed out the reverse side of their cards.

McDonald’s discount coupons from outlet in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. This seems to be the standard coupon issued for McDonald’s outlets celebrating their third year of doing business.

Other unique ordinal numbers available in Japan:
1th
Jeans
Websites
Birthday
Photography
Sports & Life-Style
Pro wrestling
2th
Search
Delivery health
Tee shirt
Spa
2st
University map

2rd
Tokyo Stock Exchange
Tohoku University
3nd
Bicycle racers
University map

1st-13st

 

Help: Ordinal symbols; Ordinal list
photos: English monthiy; Theater TV; Ipod recorder; One outs; Risa Niigaki;  Golf; Apple Japan 4rd; Tsutaya

Fast food hamburger chain Freshness Burger becomes the second big burger business to expand its delivery service.

Freshness Burger started delivering from one outlet in Saitama, Japan  in 2007.

Currently 54 Freshness Burger outlets in Japan deliver. There is a two-burger minimum order and delivery costs JPY 300. Orders can be placed via website or by calling a participating outlet.

MOS Burger began delivery service in 2006 and now 300 MOS outlets in Japan deliver. There is no minimum order and delivery costs JPY 200.

Tokyo burger time: Lotteria vs. MOS vs. Freshness vs. First Kitchen

The Big Six:

• DomDom
• First Kitchen
• Freshness Burger
• Lotteria
• McDonald’s
• MOS Burger

photos: (L) Freshness Burger delivery from outlet in Shibuya, Tokyo. (Center) Freshness menu. (Right) MOS rice burger.

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.)

The bow that US President Barack Obama made to Japan’s Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko in Tokyo Nov. 14, 2009 has been criticized by some US media pundits and news outlets. In the US the Obama bow debate has focused on whether the form of the bow was correct, if Obama should have only shaken hands instead of bowing, and the implication of the bow. In Japan, the bow was not critiqued in the media. The reports from abroad have become more interesting to Japanese media than the Obama bow itself.

The Obama bow-handshake combo, though not especially elegant, was appropriate given the situation and the hand-thrust maneuver presented by Emperor Akihito.

The US media has mostly taken only a superficial look at bowing in Japan. While reporting on Obama’s alleged bowing gaffes, the media has overlooked the tremendous number of bowing options available in Japan. President Obama could have selected from several bow versions. Here is the Lets Japan Guide to Bow.

The Ten Bows Obama Did Not Do

  photos Degrees man; woman. White shirt.

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.

Community bicycles intended for short distance travel are now available in downtown Tokyo. The Community Cycle program trial is sponsored by Japan Travel Bureau and the Japan Ministry of the Environment.

Five Eco-Port community bicycle lots will be set up about 300 meters apart in the experiment area that covers small parts of the Otemachi, Marunouchi, and Yurakucho business districts in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. The route is between Tokyo station and the grounds of the Imperial Palace. Eighty-five bicycles are available for rental. The bicycles can be dropped off at any Eco-Port lot.

Riders must first register at the JTB branch in Marunouchi or at Travel Gate in Yurakucho. Registration requires the rider’s credit card number for purposes of preventing theft of the bicycles. If the bicycle is not returned within 24 hours, the user’s credit card will be charged for the cost of the bike. The registration fee is JPY1000.

The first 30 minutes of bike use is free. After 30 minutes, it costs JPY100 per 10 minutes. If bicycles are kept longer than 3 hours, the cost rises to JPY100 per 5 minutes.

To rent a bicycle, users swipe a contactless card over a terminal at each bike. When the card is verified, the parking port device releases the bicycle. The system utilitzes FeliCa contactless IC cards, FeliCa-equipped cellphones, or the special community bicycle contactless IC card issued by JTB.

Enrollment campaigns will target corporations located in the Otemachi and Marunouchi areas.

Bicycle helmets are not offered with the bike rental.

Sapporo conducted a 10-day community rental bicycle trial from Sept. 20-30. Over 100 users participated in the test. The event, nicknamed "Porokure", utilized 7 bicycle ports for Sapporo’s blue bicycles. There was no charge to participate.

Nagoya will conduct a community bicycle-lending trial Oct. 20 to Nov. 18. The experiment will use 300 bikes. Users must preregister and answer a questionnaire after the trial.

Edogawa ward in Tokyo began a short-term community bicycle rental trial on Sept. 1

photos Sankei; Okamot.com; Porokuru; Poro-cle

Train stations on a major route in Tokyo are the most recent in the country to have blue lighting installed on platforms. The blue LED ceiling lights at the ends of platforms are intended to prevent people from jumping into oncoming trains. The blue lights will operate with the existing standard fluorescent lights.

"Blue lighting was selected because there are claims the color blue calms emotions," an official from East Japan Railway’s Tokyo office said. The railway also believes the blue lights will reduce graffitti and minor crimes.

Blue light-emitting diodes will be placed on every platform on the JR East Yamanote line which circles central Tokyo. All 29 stations on the line are expected to have the lights by the end of October. The Yamanote line will be the only route in Japan that has blue lighting at every station.

On the Yamanote line, there were 9 suicides by jumping off platforms in fiscal 2006, 15 in fiscal year 2007, and four in 2008. As of August 31, 2009, 18 suicides had occured at Yamanote line stations. On all routes managed by the JR East Tokyo office, there were 68 platform suicides in fiscal 2008.

On all West Japan Railway lines managed by the Osaka office, there wered 70 platform suicide jumpers in fiscal 2008.

Keihin Electric Express Railway installed some blue lighting on some platforms and at some crossings in December 2006. Seibu Railway has placed blue lights at some crossings. JR West put in the blue LEDs in selected spots in February 2008. The JR East stations Ogikubo and Nishi-Ogikubo in Tokyo on the Chuo Line utilize blue fluorescent lamps.

The stations with the blue lights as of Sept. 17, 2009
Gumyoji Station in Minami Ward, Yokohama. (Keihin Electric Express Railway Co.) Kita-Ageo, Okegawa and Kitamoto stations in Saitama prefecture. (JR Takasaki Line) Ogikubo and Nishi-Ogikubo stations in Suginami ward, Tokyo. (Chuo Line) Shinbashi, Shinagawa, Yurakucho, Osaki and 3 other stations in Tokyo. (Yamanote Line)

More calm blue lightning
Some crossings on the Hanwa Line. (West Japan Railway Co.)

photos: Kobe Shimbun; Sankei; IT Revolution (large); Asahi Shimbun; Chunichi Shimbun; Iza-Sankei; Shinjuku station

related: Families of platform suicide jumpers billed by railway companies in Japan: urban myth? Glocom; New York Times; Summary

• Japanese suicides rise as world recession hits country’s businessmen
• Now suicide has become a political issue, how will Japan address it?
• Forget the suicide stereotype
• Can Blue-Colored Light Prevent Suicide?
• Reinvent Wheel? Blue Room. Defusing a Bomb? Red Room.
• Design: Spatial Color