Wow. Thanks to a very heterosexual Japanese internet business person on Twitter, I heard about a website (and probably mobile app) that allows you to find restaurants and bars in Tokyo by searching for attractive staff. It’s called Kanaban Danshi for male staff, and Kanban Musume for female staff (Japanese only). Has anyone tried this out?!
14,000 tearful Japanese ladies cannot be wrong. Park Yong Ha, who recently committed suicide, was super-hot. Sunday there was a huge memorial service in Yurakucho. Here’s my photo tribute to his now deceased hotness. RIP!
Japan is full of katakana English that has no real meaning in English. Like “service,” which refers to a small business giving the customer a freebie, often spontaneously as a reward for being a loyal customer. Sitting in Shinjuku Gyoen, enjoying hanami with several friends, I learned a new slang, “skinship.” That refers to building friendship through touching. Since touching is somewhat rare in public, borrowing from English is considered somehow appropriate. I explained to my friend the difference between “touching” and “groping.”
My friend Bryan captured this strange image in Shinjuku: it’s store closing, so two men in white gloves have their arms stretched wide as the gate lowers. Why? Are they afraid some desperate shopper will rush in? Or is it simply a performance?
Throughout Tokyo you can experience excessive service that borders on the nonsensical. Today I visited a big box store, and there were four uniformed men helping customers enter the parking lot. How can companies justify this excessive work force? And what could be a more boring job?
Tokyo Moe 