NEWS FROM THE LAB STATS: 76Percent sixth-graders who “enjoy or somewhat enjoy learning English,” according to the education ministry ¥301,000Per capita medical costs in Japan in fiscal 2012—the first time the figure has topped ¥300,000, according to the health ministry ¥764Average minimum wage in fiscal 2013, a ¥15 rise from last year, according to the labor ministry I RISKED MY LIFE COLLECTING THESE THINGS” —Anthropologist Yoshihiko Yamaguchi, on the closing of two museums...
Read MoreJapanese love their vending machines. Now there is even one for games!
Vending machines are quite popular in Japan, and Google recently put up a few of its own to distribute mobile games to Android users. Engadget reports that the machines offer 18 different games—some of which are free while others require payment—and transactions are made by resting an NFC-enabled phone running Android 4.0 or higher onto a tray below the large touchscreen. Photo credit: Engadget If you don’t have a compatible device, the vending machine lets you take...
Read MoreJapanese housewives; mostly faithful, sometimes frisky
Frustration within the married state is as old as the institution itself. Sexless marriage? You’ve heard this story before. Condom maker Sagami Gomu, following an in-house survey, has concluded that nearly half of all marriages in Japan are sexless. Simultaneous developments in other spheres promise, you’d think, riotous extra-marital goings-on. More and more wives work. At work they meet people. In the warm glow of fresh encounters, home and family are another world. No...
Read MoreThe ‘king of infidelity’ has landed in Tokyo!
The ‘king of infidelity’ has landed in Tokyo. After finding that enabling affairs can make money in 27 countries, Noel Biderman is bringing Ashley Madison — the world’s largest dating website for married men and women who want a little something on the side — to Japan, his first launch in Asia. The website of Mr. Biderman, CEO of Avid Life Media, Inc, has logged 230,000 visits and 70,000 members as of Thursday, only four days after its Japan launch, and Mr. Biderman said he...
Read MoreAll the rage: animal cafes
In a vibrant city such a Tokyo, many people live in small apartments stacked up on each other creating plenty of high-rise buildings. Because these apartments are often rented, the people are prohibited to own any pets and even if it wasn’t prohibited the places would just be too small. But Japan would not be the modern country as we know it if it had not come up with a solution; animal cafes! The first animal café was a Neko café (neko means cat) and was established in...
Read MoreJapanese Apple fans queue up in 1 km line to get hold of the lastest iphone in Ginza
Apple acolytes got their hands on new iPhones Friday in the global roll-out of two new models, but failure to make headway in China and complaints about the price struck a sour note. The once-unbeatable king of the smartphones has penned a potentially lucrative new deal with Docomo, Japan’s biggest mobile carrier, but is without a new alliance in the vast Chinese market. That, and rumblings over the high cost—even of the pared-down iPhone 5C—could mute the fanfare that...
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