Random Japan

Toilet paper featuring Miffy the bunny promises to be far cuter before you use it than after

   Casey Baseel

Dutch children’s book author and artist Dick Bruna has created a number of characters, but his most popular of all is the good-natured rabbit named Miffy. Japan has embraced the character wholeheartedly, and at stores across the country you can find Miffy stuffed animals, stationary, and bento boxes.

And starting next month, you’ll be able to get your hands on Miffy toilet paper as well.

Like Sanrio’s Hello Kitty, Miffy has a blank expression, which easily allows the person looking at her to project whatever emotion they’re feeling onto the bunny. As a matter of fact, Bruna has grumbled that he feels Kitty-chan’s ripped off Miffy’s design, since the Dutch rabbit predates the Japanese cat by nearly 20 years.

STATS

   55 meters Clearance of Yokohama’s Bay Bridge

   56.6 meters Height of the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth, which entered Yokohama port-barely-during low tide last month

   59.5 Percent of Japanese kids aged 10-19 who use mobile phones or smartphones, according to the Cabinet Office

HE’S BAAAACK

   Former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi was one of 20 world leaders whose portraits were included in an exhibition of paintings by former US President George W. Bush.

   Authorities in Oita unveiled a full-scale replica of a “human-piloted suicide torpedo” that was developed in the closing days of World War II.

   According to an estimate by the TMG, the cost of refurbishing venues for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will likely be more than double the initial estimate of ¥153 billion.

   Sentence of the Week: “A tree grown from a cherry pit that traveled in space five years ago with astronaut Koichi Wakata, now commander of the International Space Station, has bloomed far ahead of what is normal-to the astonishment of botanists.” (via The Asahi Shimbun)

 The Yellow Light

 Crime Lord

 A Coin For Your Thoughts?

 No The Shinkansen

  Abe On List For

2014’s Biggest A–holes

Tokyo Gov. Masuzoe gets Olympic tips from Beijing



 Kyodo

Tokyo Gov. Yoichi Masuzoe on Friday got some tips about hosting the summer Olympics from Beijing after the leaders of the capitals of Asia’s two biggest economies decided to boost cooperation despite political tensions between their central governments.

Masuzoe, the first Tokyo governor to be invited to visit by the Beijing municipal government in 18 years, met with Mayor Wang Anshun to discuss and identify areas of future cooperation between the two cities.

“I believe that Beijing and Tokyo further promoting friendly ties will also contribute to relations between Japan and China,” he told Wang.