Beer bottle beatings in sumo land

Sumo training is more that just being made to eat a vast quantity of pies daily. Back in June last year a young sumo wrestler died from beatings he received which were supposed to be part of his training. Most disturbingly, the instrument used to beat him the day before his death was, bizarrely, a beer bottle. On the day he died, according to the Japan Times, he was denied breakfast. The distressed trainee then ran away from the sumo stable only to be brought back by "kindly" local officers who found him in a local convenience shop. He received further beatings and was forced to engage senior wrestlers in bouts, all without having eaten the entire day.
This story reveals a really frightening side to sumo. The sumo stables are a closed world, so for all we know, this kind of nastiness might be common. The fact that the police brought this poor boy back to be beaten to death leaves a very unpleasant aftertaste. Bring back the pies.

Heartbroken employees get time to tend their wounds

Reuters reports that a small Japanese firm, Tokyo based Hime & Company, is offering paid time off to female employees recovering from break-ups. Those 24 years or younger get one day off a year, those between 25-29 get two days and those over 30 get a whole three days to wallow in self-pity - the reasoning being, the older you are, the harder you fall.
It's already possible for Japanese women to take paid time off when they have their periods, so I guess this is going one step further. But doesn't this kind of move panders to the male view that women are emotionally and physically fragile, incapable of ploughing through? Luckily though Hime & Co are a strictly female outfit so they don't have to keep up a tough front at work, but many Japanese women don't take time off for periods because they are afraid of appearing weaker and losing out for promotion.
My view is that this is a splendid idea, it's really tough going to work with a broken heart, whether you're a man or a woman.

Strike a light!

Ping magazine reports on an art exhibition in Omotesando that features matchboxes designed by different artists. The above is my favourite, but then I've got a big sweet tooth for cute, why else would I be in Japan? The exhibition at the Opa gallery finishes 28 January, so hurry to catch it.

Go large!

Took this shot of a jubilant sumo wrestler outside Ryogoku stadium. I was spending the day with members of the wonderful Tokyo Camera Club. Next time we're going to Akihabara to snap some geek culture, if you'd like to join, click here.

Gaijin butler cafe

Phwoor! Meet the sexy male butlers of Shibuya. Yet another mutation of the maid cafe - a butler cafe that employs cute Western guys to wait on "princesses". Read all about it in my article for the Japan Times today.

Homeless woman left to die in street

Mainichi reports that a starving homeless woman who was taken to city hall to get food, died in the street before she was able to eat what was given to her - a packet of dried rice that needed hot water added to it. This is the kind of story that really disgusts me in relation to attitudes to the homeless here. Firstly, didn't the ambulance men have the decency to buy her a sandwich? Secondly, you don't give a starving person a meal they have to prepare, especially if they are too weak to prepare it. Thirdly someone should have invited her inside to eat it, not left her lying outside with not even a blanket for cover.
Homeless people get little or no support from the government or charities and are expected to fend for themselves collecting old comic books to sell or cardboard to recycle. However even these paltry sources of income are under threat. Stations have taken to putting locks on recycle bins and local councils have now started fining people who take away cardboard boxes, see Daily Yomiuri
The tragedy is that councils manage to make a loss on their paper recycling enterprises but the private companies who pay the homeless for their efforts make a profit. Soon this kind of sight may be a thing of the past:

Gropers get a strap on

Pink Tentacle reports that a Japanese mail order catalogue has sold out of fake subway straps. The product is meant to show women on packed commuter trains that the men (above pictured) do not have their hands free to wander. The product is marketed to men who worry about being falsely accused of groping. Wandering hands on the subway is a big problem in Japan. But lordy surely there is a saner way of proving your innocence.