YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED
An NPO in Tokyo has released a DVD for job seekers that details the sleaziness of so-called black corporations-“companies that disregard labor laws, harass employees and overwork them while paying low wages.”A major pachinko manufacturer was forced to recall about 12,000 pachislot machines because of a “defect that makes it difficult for players to win the jackpot.”
Officials in Shizuoka have released a guidebook that lists “more than 300 Mt Fuji lookalikes across Japan.”
According to a survey by the land ministry, 79.8 percent of Japanese people say they want to own their own home. It’s the first time in 12 years that the figure has dipped under 80 percent.
stats
420,000 kiloliters
Volume of soy sauce sold worldwide by Kikkoman Corp. each year¥37 billion
Value of a contract awarded to Hitachi for construction of an urban rail system in Ho Chi Minh City60.2
Percent of Fukushima residents who believe “radiation could be passed on to their children,” despite scientific evidence to the contrary, according to a survey by prefectural officials
Chochikukyo: Japan’s original eco-friendly house
by Preston Phro
Although just last week we took you on a guided tour of traditional Japanese homes that had been given new life, today’s quintessentially Japanese abode is a little different. This is Chochikukyo, an 80-year-old house located in Kyoto designed by the renowned early 20th century Japanese architect Kouji Fujii. It is so popular and well-loved that even the Japanese emperor made a special visit earlier this month!But what makes it so special?
Elsewhere
Damn You
Cemented In Place
Wind chime peddler sees changes for the worse in Tokyo over 35 years
By SEI IWANAMI/ Staff Writer
As many drunkards stagger along a street in the bustling Roppongi district in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, the soothing sounds of 120 “furin” wind chimes can be heard in the night breeze.“Summer has come,” a favorite customer tells wind chime peddler Akira Nakayama.
Nakayama carries a rack of wind chimes on a pole to sell the colorful decorations on the street.
The 68-year-old Nakayama has been in business for 36 years. In his working garb, he is decked out in a “happi” coat, embroidered with kanji characters of furin, and wearing “setta” leather-soled sandals. There are 30 locations in Roppongi’s small, narrow streets where he passes through each night.