Star Wars Chop Sabers

This is not the first time Star Wars and Japanese culture have mixed (see: Darth Vader vs. Japanese Police) but it is a fun combination. Think Geek just told me about these items so it is a mystery that they are sold out. It does say on the Think Geek website that they are imported from Japan though so you may be able to find them over here. I think they would make a great gift for Star Wars fanboys and Japanophiles alike. Officially licensed Star Wars chopsticks. Who’d a thunk? Now you just have to fight over who gets to be Darth Vader.

Santa Claus goes diving at Hakkeijima

Seasonal events are quite common at Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise and Christmas is no exception. This year they have what looks like a female Santa Claus diving with the white dolphins and giving them presents (food) from her sack. It has been reported as far away as the BBC in England and here is the video they showed.

In the original article they call it Kakkeijima rather than Hakkeijima.

Video: Yokohama Salaryman Dances

It’s not the first time I have seen some strange occurrences in Yokohama but it is one of the first times that I have been quick enough to pull out my mobile phone and switch on the video camera. Pity I didn’t have the presence of mind to check the quality.

This video was taken about 3 or 4 minutes walk from Yokohama Station just outside the building where I occasionally work. It is hard to see but it looked like he was listening to some sort of portable music player.

http://www.vimeo.com/5072052

Google Celebrates Yokohama

A bit late telling you about this because I was busy the day it it happened but I did get a screenshot so you can appreciate that even Google could celebrate the 150th anniversary of the opening of the port of Yokohama. As far as I know it was only on google.jp and not other international sites which is a pity but of course better than nothing.

I am guessing the images on the left is a scene of the arrival of Commodore Perry on the shores of Yokohama with an image of one of the Black Ships next to it dominating the picture. The images on the right are reflecting modern Yokohama with an image of Landmark Tower and finally Cosmoworld’s Ferris Wheel.

Swine Flu Overreaction

It seems that the media hoopla about the swine flu has increased sales of these protective suit in Japan. While you can still purchase them online (http://www.bougofuku.com) some stores such as Tokyu Hands have already sold out. They say that they mostly sell these items to businesses but recently there have been many purchases by individuals. The suit set comes with gloves and goggles and cost about 3000yen. It might be a good purchase for a fancy dress party.

So don’t worry if you see some guys on the subway wearing these, it’s probably just some idiot who has let the media fueled hysteria affect his better judgment rather than a nuclear fallout.

Read more at Mainichi (Japanese)

Video: Giant Robot Spider in Yokohama

As if Japan didn’t have enough trouble with robots and giant creatures already they have decided to import (albeit temporarily) a giant spider robot from France. Apparently the spider is walking the streets as I write this which is a pity, as I would love to see it in action. It is here as a part of the Y150 events celebrating the opening of Yokohama Port 150 years ago. While the giant spider probably won’t be seen on the streets after this there will be plenty of opportunity to watch it in action as it will be in Yokohama until September 27th.

Below are a selection of videos so you can see what to expect if you go to see it.

Link: Y150

Video: Bras for Men

This is one of those stories that you really find hard to believe but these man bras are really available for sale at Rakuten. Here’s a video talking about them and don’t worry, the video is in English. I probably won’t be rushing out to get one any time soon though. This is just plain weird.

Manicures and Pedicures for Men

I can kind of understand men getting manicures and pedicures. Maybe some models want to have perfect nails for a photo shoot or perhaps a rich business man wants to look flawless during a meeting. I know that old men often have pedicures simply because they can’t reach down to cut their own toe nails. I’d like to point out for the Japanese people reading this article that manicures and pedicures are simply words for caring for your nails and doesn’t necessarily involve nail polish or special treatment.

Anyway, today I was doing a little shopping and I was in Marui Department Store in Yokohama when I came across this nail salon for men. The salon is open plan so you can see the staff and customers go about their business. There seemed to be only one customer at the time. A clean cut well dressed young man. He was having a manicure. Our guess is he was a sakura. A sakura is basically a fake customer to attract other people into the store. I have heard of restaurants in New York employing similar tactics to draw customers by hiring a good looking couple to dine in the window seat.

I picked up their brochure to have a look, just out of curiosity though. I have no intention of paying someone to cut my nails. Surprised as I was by the fact that there was a men’s nail salon, I was even more surprised by the courses they offered and the prices they charged. The most expensive course is listed first on the brochure. It is the appropriately titled Luxury Course. It costs ¥16,800 (about $160) and takes 120 minutes. The cheapest is a ten minute nail filing for ¥1,260.

Enough about the price. Anyway, the men paying to get their nails done obviously have more money than sense. But the services they offer… On top of filing and clipping and cuticle cleaning you can get coloring and nail art (from ¥630 per nail). They are also offering nail extensions. These services are all for men! Wow! If you are feminine enough to get your nails done why don’t you just go to regular nail salon.

This salon is on the 8F of Sky Building near Yokohama Station. It is in the space that was previously occupied by an oxygen bar. Perhaps only businesses that can be easily sneered at can use this space. I guess then it may be appropriate to say “Watch this space”.

Red Brick Festival

The Red Brick Festival is being held down at the Red Brick Warehouses also known as Akarenga near Sakuragicho in Yokohama. Actually it has already started and I have even attended a little bit of it. The ice cream part. I took some photos of the cool and crazy ice creams that are on offer and to be honest the choice of flavors is amazing. And I chose the word carefully too because you ought to be amazed that they sell ice cream with flavors such as cow tongue, caviar, garlic, eel and wasabi. (See gallery below for more.) The one that attracted me most though was the stretching Turkish ice cream which I quickly ordered really hoping just to see it stretch. It didn’t stretch though and the flavor was a pretty standard vanilla. No complaints there. I didn’t try the other ice creams not because I was nervous about the strange flavor but just because I didn’t want to ruin my appetite.

There are a few other events at this festival including, I believe, some salsa and samba performances. You can find some information (in Japanese) on the Akarenga web site. It runs from July 25th to August 10th.

Uniqlo’s Uniqlock

I came across this bizarre video/clock on the Uniqlo site. Apparently it is an award winning piece of viral marketing.  (More information on the T-Shirt Review.) Well done Uniqlo. For those who are interested there is a sale on at Uniqlo Online Store selling tees for only 500 yen. Pretty sweet.

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