Random Japan

A LIKELY STORY

A burly American golfer at Tama Hills found himself part of a unique “hole-in-one” when he fell into an eight-foot deep sinkhole that opened up beneath him on the fairway. He climbed out and finished his round, as you do.

Mountain climber Nobukazu Kuriki was forced to abandon his climb up Mount Everest-the mountain with the biggest tits in the world, as the boys from Monty Python once pointed out-just 1,000 meters from the summit when crows ate his food supply.

It was reported that Princess Mako, the oldest daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, said on her 20th birthday that “she will try to act appropriately as an adult as she has come of age.” Where’s the fun in that? Time to party, we say.

Need proof that Japan has gone cat crazy? It may have all started with Hello Kitty, but now we have a couple who created a “cat town,” a mall operator who started a “cat idol group,” and a virtual town that elected a cat as mayor.

“Noda enjoyed loach soup in Seoul on Tuesday night,” proclaimed the headline on the Kyodo story, referring to Japan PM Yoshihiko Noda, who famously compared himself to a loach in an election speech.

A man was arrested for leaving the dead body of his dear old dad in a closet in Kanagawa. No relation to a rotting corpse found in a wooden box in a Kanagawa apartment, vacant since May. Is there a shortage of cemeteries in Kanagawa, by any chance?

Stats

59Residential water meters stolen from a Kawasaki construction site

30Minutes it took to sell all the tickets for an opening-day tour to the lower observation deck of the 634-meter Tokyo Sky Tree in May

¥2 billionGiven back by former Daio Paper Chairman Mototaka Ikawa, who is facing a criminal investigation after being chewed out by his da

SAY WHAT?

Researchers at a Nagoya university have come up with a unique way of checking for colon cancer by analyzing patients’ farts.

A new study has indicated that active faults exist under TEPCO’s Higashidori nuclear power complex in Aomori. Hmmm… now that’s reassuring.

In other news from Aomori, a police sergeant in the prefecture has been arrested for stealing women’s underwear.

And, sticking with the pervs, thanks to The Tokyo Reporter, a 40-year-old postal worker was busted for taking photos up a girl’s skirt on an Osaka subway.

For ¥12 million you can now own a bone-china tea set from Noritake, called the Queen’s Garden, “with rose and fruit motifs.” If that’s out of your price range, there’s always the Kingin Saihoomon white porcelain set for just ¥7 million (but that does include tax).

Executives of camera-maker Olympus admitted paying some $687 million to financial advisers “but said the payment was appropriate.” Musta been mighty good advice.

The Daily Mail reported that the crew of a Russian training ship saw up to 20 tons of debris from the March 11 tsunami some 2,000 miles from Japan after passing the Midway islands. Apparently, among the items spotted was a 20-foot-long fishing boat with “Fukushima” painted on its side.

Never To Old  

For Crime  

The George Steinbrenner  

Of Japan

He Mailed His

Finger

Taking time to learn what makes ‘Big Ben’ tick  



By NOBUTARO KAJI / Staff Writer  November 11, 2011  

Eighty-year-old Tetsuo Sugitani has spent half his life helping to keep time in Kyoto.

Specifically, Sugitani is in charge of caring for Kyoto University’s clock tower, a local landmark.

For years, Sugitani felt he could profit from a visit to London to see the inner workings of “Big Ben,” as the four-sided clock tower at the Houses of Parliament is commonly known.

Big Ben, in fact, is the name of the 13-ton bell at the top of St. Stephen’s Tower.