All posts by Blue

The Fate of the 1 Yen Coin – When will it lose its lustre in Japan?

1 Yen Coin
1 Yen Coin – What is its fate?
Next time you are having lunch with your Japanese colleagues, and have one of those awkward moments where no-one has a good topic to tide over until the food arrives, try asking them their thoughts on the 1 yen coin. Half of them will respond that they never really gave it any thought (i.e. they could never think of not having it), and the other half will tell you that “you can’t just not make the one yen coin”. Dig a little deeper, and ask them why? It is here where you find deeply ingrained, and somewhat unfounded Nihonjin-ness come out – Japan is still mero-mero in love with their yen, and bringing up its abolishment brings gains us a little more insight into just how close the Japanese individuals are in their way of thinking when it comes to matters close to home (read this anecdote if you read Japanese, it expresses the sentiment of many people in Japan towards the 1 yen coin).

Continue reading The Fate of the 1 Yen Coin – When will it lose its lustre in Japan?

Amazing Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster Documentary “155 days” 「金曜プレステージ・わ・す・れ・な・い 東日本大震災155日の記録 」(aired: 12th August 2011 on Fuji TV)

Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Documentary - Fuji TV
Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami Documentary - Fuji TV
「金曜プレステージ・「わ・す・れ・な・い〜東日本大震災155日の記録〜」」

This incredible documentary is the first of its kind to air in Japan, with professionally commentated and chronologically compiled footage of the massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that was to follow. It is all in Japanese, but for those of you who cant understand the commentary, just watch it anyway. It is very well put together, giving logical sequencing of the mess which we all witnessed on the news and Youtube in the weeks after the event. Watch it, and witness the gut wrenching footage and interviews with people who lost their families and livelihood (even if you dont understand the language with your head, your heart understands the story being told). Much of the footage has previously never been shown before, and has been painstakingly sewn together into this shocking story, that helps with a deeper understanding of what really happened on that tragic day, March 11th 2011.

Continue reading Amazing Japanese Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster Documentary “155 days” 「金曜プレステージ・わ・す・れ・な・い 東日本大震災155日の記録 」(aired: 12th August 2011 on Fuji TV)

Interview with Rieko Saigo (西郷理恵子): We got professional advice on your sexless marriage

Sexless Japan Interview - Rieko Saigo
Sexless? We interviewed a professional Japanese relationship consultant for some ideas on what could be the cause
At the beginning we thought it was just us. But as the number of comments grew on our “Sexless Japan” article we started to realise that not having regular sex – compared with how things were before marriage at least – seems to be a common issue for the I’m Married to a Japanese crowd in our readership. Could that really be the case? While we’re no match for Mino Monta, we decided to get to the bottom of things and track down a specialist on couples, sex, and the general state of sexlessness in Japan.

Marital advisors, Couple consultants, pre-marital counsellors, and the like are extremely rare in Japan. Sex specialists/therapists are even Continue reading Interview with Rieko Saigo (西郷理恵子): We got professional advice on your sexless marriage

Sexless article followup: we need your help to interview a Japanese “sexless counselor”

Sexless Japan
We need your help - what do you need to know to help your sexless marriage?
Although it seems to be sex that sells in the  rest of the world, unfortunately in the jaded world of gaijin’s married to Japanese it is sexlessness that sells.  To commemorate the fact that our most popular article on stippy.com the truth behind “Sexless Japan” has received a whopping 500+ comments and more traffic than any other article we have written, we’ve decided to research for a follow-up article – and we need your help to make it an insightful one!

The continued traffic that we get to that article is proof alone that there is a significantly large % of the married gaijin community that are suffering from sexless marriages.  Worse yet, there are no obvious places to go.  It isn’t the norm for Japanese couples to get counseling and there isn’t a harder topic to bring up with your loved one than a debate about who should be putting out more and why.  If you haven’t read through the entire thread then we really strongly recommend taking the time out to see the comments, questions and advice that our readers have left on this topic.  Even if you’re not married yet.  Maybe even more so if you’re not married!!

Continue reading Sexless article followup: we need your help to interview a Japanese “sexless counselor”

Crazy Japanese Neighbours – What would you do?

Semblance of our resident crazy Japanese neighbour - Do you have one of these?
Semblance of our resident crazy Japanese neighbour.. Do you have one of these?
When in the mansions of Tokyo what do you do when you have a rogue neighbour who you just can not get along with? One that annoys you with their mannerisms, one that complains about your kids, one that gives you the shiroime (white eye) look in the elevator when you try to aisatsu (make small talk), or one that is all of the above (and just plain crazy). This, is what I have. Is it simply time to move? Do you guts it out and pretend it does not exist? Or do you confront the a-hole directly and try to rectify whatever it is that bugs you? Apparently my family gets on his nerves so much, that words such as “korosu-zou!” (I’m going to kill you!) being yelled from the window below has now become commonplace. Continue reading Crazy Japanese Neighbours – What would you do?

Design Festa – Artistic Chaos in a Downturned Economy!

Design Festa Tokyo 2009
Design Festa Tokyo 2009

If you are tired of all the doom and gloom that appears daily in the newspapers, nightly on TV, weekly, monthly, yearly… in the media in general, then it’s time for something else, something new, something worth both your time and your money, no?

In a city as replete with distractions as Tokyo, rivaling no other city than perhaps New York for the limitlessness of its possibilities, there is always something else to do, see, hear, eat and generally check out. With that in mind, grab a thick black marker and circle the dates May 16th & 17th on your calendar. Done? Good! Now, write in bold, black letters; “Design Festa vol. 29” Got that? Okay, now put away your marker. Continue reading Design Festa – Artistic Chaos in a Downturned Economy!

WaiWai: Clumsy cop the link between mutilated Filipina and slain stalker victim

This article is reproduced from the discontinued, but much loved Mainichi Waiwai column by Ryann Connell. Read more about this at the bottom of this article.

There’s a link between the arrest of habitual Filipina mutilator Hiroshi Nozaki and one of Japan’s most notorious crimes ever — the slaying of a Saitama Prefecture woman who was ignored by the cops when she complained about being stalked, according to Nikkan Gendai (4/10).

The link is Hiroshi Nishimura, who was head of the Saitama Prefectural Police in October 1999 when the stalker slaying occurred, and the now-62-year-old former top cop was lambasted by the public for his appalling mishandling of the case.

Continue reading WaiWai: Clumsy cop the link between mutilated Filipina and slain stalker victim

WaiWai: Get wet and go wild – housewife rakes in extra loot at the neighborhood body wash

This article is reproduced from the discontinued, but much loved Mainichi Waiwai column by Ryann Connell (Article below by Masuo Kamiyama). Read more about this at the bottom of this article.

If a man has money in his wallet and a gnawing need to get naked and have sex, where would be the most logical place for him to mount his search?

In Japan, the first place that would come to mind would doubtless be a dimly lit alley proximate to a neon-illuminated drinking district, usually within staggering distance of a major commuter rail station.

By contrast, the last place one would think of looking would be in a suburban residential area. But thanks to magazines like Jitsuwa Taiho (April), we have learned to expect the unexpected.

Continue reading WaiWai: Get wet and go wild – housewife rakes in extra loot at the neighborhood body wash

HIV Awareness in Japan: Things are still not changing

Red Ribbon for AIDS Awareness
HIV Awareness in Japan:
Has anything changed?

Thus far, we have two articles about HIV and AIDS in Japan on stippy.com (the first and the second). Another year has passed since we last touched on this issue, but a recent episode in my own life drove home that things still are really not changing fast enough with regard to the blurry awareness of HIV/AIDS in Japan, and the studied nonchalance of the Japanese people whenever the topic arises.

In Japan, everyone knows the word AIDS, but still very little is known *about* HIV or AIDS by the general public. This giant disparity of awareness was brought clearly to my attention one day after overhearing the following conversation between a physical education teacher and a young math teacher in her early twenties in my office (I work in a Japanese School) Continue reading HIV Awareness in Japan: Things are still not changing

Tokyo Taxi Drivers get “Ranked”

The three star symbol of a Master Taxi Driver - 優良タクシードライバー
The three star symbol of a Master Taxi Driver – 優良タクシードライバー

Have you ever noticed Tokyo taxis with these three stars atop? They are a type of certification of the level of the driver inside the taxi – they are designated “Master Taxi Drivers” (優良タクシードライバー). Look out for them next time you grab a cab in Tokyo!

The Kanto Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has announced a proposal to designate space at taxi ranks for these master drivers. They have chosen Shimbashi station, near the Yurikamome line, as the first location. Continue reading Tokyo Taxi Drivers get “Ranked”