Shirihoudai

A Zoo in Japan? Not just any zoo. . . the INNER CITY ZOO! I was blown away when i first went here. It’s kind of small, but they more than make up for it in the kinds of animals they put on display (and are for sale). From monkeys to mountain lions. . . pirannas to penguins. . . you won’t believe what you’re seeing.  One of my must-go-to places in the Yokohama area.

For a small cover charge, you’ll walk inside one of the coolest pet stores ever! Where else can you buy a fennic? Ah, those long ears are so cute. . .
(image via random google search)
It is located in Yokohama and there are some nice shopping outlets nearby.  But anyway, here is the site 

So it is well known that the JR system is so precise that you can set your watch to it.  Aside from the occassional suicide that delays passengers from their destinations, the trains in Japan all run on time. 

Here is a great site that will plan out the route you need to take, including the line changes and time tables.  For all of you who need to be on a tight schedule, this just might help out.

HYPERDIA-timetable
Just enter your start point and destination point. Heck, even throw in some stations you want to stop at in between. It’ll show you which trains to catch. Coolio.

Stumbled upon this movie trailer while reading my usual Japanese sites and I must say, this looks like a winner! Combines my favorite movie elements: girls in bikinis + westerns + samurai swordplay + zombies? Genius!

Put your right foot in
Take your right foot out
Put your right foot in
And let the train run it over. . .

Dude! This is one messed up story on the Mainichi website:

Train jumper loses right foot after botched suicide bid

MATSUDO, Chiba — A man lost his right foot after jumping in front of an oncoming train at a railway station here late Tuesday night in an apparent attempted suicide, police said.

At around 11:30 p.m., the man jumped onto the tracks of the JR Joban Line at Kitakogane Station in Matsudo, and was hit by a train pulling into the station, local police said. His right foot was severed at the ankle and he remains in serious condition.

Following the accident, 18 trains on the line were delayed by up to 42 minutes, inconveniencing approximately 15,000 passengers, the railway operator said.

Not only does he not kill himself, he causes 15000 innocent people to be late for their jobs, school, etc. What a jerk!

I might be the worst pen spinner whose ever tried, but these guys are incredible!  The link below is for a pen spinning tournament website (in Japanese).  They take pen spinning way beyond human levels.

http://ptj2008.pen-spinning.org/

1.  put hands together as if praying - haha very signifigant when I think about it

2.  intertwine your middle, ring and pinkie finger so your index finger is pointing straight out.

3.  wait for unsuspecting victim to walk by

4.  find victim and position oneself behind them in a crouching position

5.  when you sense their most moment of relaxation, scream out a “kiyaaaa!” and ram your index fingers into their backside.

6.  obtain Kancho enlightment.

 Ah yes, the kancho.  So much fun for the giver, and not so much for the receiver.  Not sure where its origins began, but I too have had my experience with Japanese schoolkids trying to violate me.  It usually ends with me holding them upside down and threatening to throw them off the 2nd story balcony.

I thought that returning home, I’d be safe from the kancho, and I was. . . up until a recent visit to a Korean supermarket where I found this:

Notice how happy the person giving the kancho (bow in hand) is and the arrows are tipped with hearts signifying love is on the way.  Pink and green (horny) hearts floating above its head.

Also notice the one who has just been kancho’d has a frown on its face and a broken bottom LEAKING CHOCOLATE!  They had to have known the symbolism there.  And what is that symbol behind him?  Looks like a heart with eyelashes?  NO, its a butt in the middle of a target with pain ‘lines’ shooting out of it!

Flip the box over:

 

So sweet, getting kissed after getting the rectal trauma of a lifetime symbolized by the now BLUE heart floating above her head.   Looks like he is going to cry, right?  Yes, tis the story of the kancho.

Another fashon statement with a message for the environment:

If I only were rich enough to join. . . The gym is called Laughter7 and if you want to meet a mixed martial arts / professional wrestling legend, check it out!

address:

Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo 6-3-8 Minamiooi GADENIA Omori 2 F
Keihin Kyuko Electric Railway “Omori Beach” 7 minutes walk from the station.
JR “Omori” 8-minute walk from the north exit station.

Ah, what better way to spend an afternoon than by watching 2 huge behemoths slamming their bodies into eachother?  I’m talking about SUMO baby!  I haven’t watched it in a while since the local asian channel KSCI stopped broadcasting the tournaments on tv, those bastards!  So I don’t really know who is the top dude now. . . probably some Mongolian.  But wait, just as my love of sumo is waning, they bring it to my backyard at the LA Memorial Arena on June7-8!  Tickets can be found here and they aren’t cheap.  But it may be well worth it to see these guys crashing into eachother and demonstrating such athletic moves like this:

image via sumotour.com

Ah yes, I searched and searched and finally found it in Narita airport.  The OPPAI STRESS BALL!  What more realistic stress relief do you need for the workplace without getting in too much trouble?  Its a good thing that I’m already known to bring back weird things from Japan and my actions are almost always tolerated.

 Normal view of stress ball as it sits on my desk:

Happy view as you turn it over.  Notice the fine details. . .:

Stress ball in action take 1:

Stress ball in action take 2:

The only drawback of this stress relieving device is the smell.  No, I did not put it in unmentionable places, it has a very strong rubber odor that stays on your hands even if you just touch it briefly.  I guess its a good way to figure out who has been playing with their desk oppai. . . .

 To find this great device in Narita Airport, in Terminal 1, just follow the row of shops until you get almost to the end of the terminal.  There is a gift shop there and you’ll find it next to the other kids toys.