The Mainichi Shimbun says two Americans who helped Carlos Ghosn escape from Japan in 2020 have been released from a Tokyo jail and sent back to the United States.
Author: ohashi jozu
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Gaijin Advisory lifted for Shibuya as Halloween ends
TOKYO — The capital’s Shibuya Ward has lifted a severe Gaijin Advisory issued last week as Halloween has ended. The advisory, the highest on Japan’s level of 150, had warned of bread shortages from mask-clad gaijin chomping down on every morsel in sight.
Steven R. Smith, a freelance translator who says he “actually lives in Japan,” said he is happy the advisory has been lifted. “Now my bread is safe,” he said.
Gaijin Advisories are, in principle, issued at times when a high number of gaijin are envisaged to descend on an area, putting bread, hamburgers and another thing at risk.
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U.S. 100 dollar bills stolen in Tokyo smash-and-grab
The yen is down so badly someone stole US dollars from a foreign currency exchange stand in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district yesterday in a covert smash-and-grab done while the store’s shutter was rolled up.
NHK says someone smashed a glass showcase and scurried off with about 10,000 USD in 100 dollar bills, along with some Euros, according to police.
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Group of 100 in fistfight at Tokyo skyscraper restaurant
Kyodo News says a brawl broke out in a group of 100 people on the 58th floor of the Sunshine 60 Tower in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro on Sunday night. Kyodo of course doesn’t name the restaurant and just says it’s French.
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The Japanese pro wrestler who almost got Muhammad Ali’s amputated
The best article by far on Japanese pro wrestler Antonio Inoki, comparable only to Dennis Rodman for his many trips to North Korea to try to make peace. By Dexter Thomas at the Los Angeles Times.
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Exclusive: Interview with a typhoon
TOKYO – Ohashi Jozu sat down with elusive Typhoon Hinnamnor, aka Typhoon No. 15, today, who is currently blasting Okinawa with rain and 92 kilometer-an-hour winds.
Ohashi Jozu: Hey.
Typhoon: Hey.
OJ: So what should I call you? You go by-
T: No, no, no. I go by many names and no name. Those are all just-
They’re all just meaningless labels?
Exactly.
OK, so let’s get down to the- I mean, basically, you’re a violent storm. You swoop in and blow things around.
I, well, there’s more to it than that.
Oh good. So, like, what?
Well, I mean, you’re just talking about the.. I mean, you’re cutting out everything from before and after.
Before…the storm? And the swooshing and raining and…
Yes, before that. Like, I have a backstory.
Oh god.
What?
But… but essentially, you’re a storm. A violent-
Not always violent.
But they say your winds are so powerful they could destroy houses.
Who’s they?
Lots of people. Newscasters, like.
Please.
But you’ve been violent before.
That was another storm.
…
That-
So you’re saying-
…
So you’re saying you’ve been…typecast… and…blamed for the…actions of…other storms.
That’s about the size of it.
But, ok, so far, today…you’ve been pelting Okinawa with what can we just agree is rain and wind consistent with what most people would call an extremely violent typhoon or storm.
Most people?
Well, say lots.
…
Are you lobbing lots of rain at people?
…
Yes or no?
Well, it’s not by choice.
Not by choice?
No, I mean, this is what gets left out. There’s a before-
Not this again.
No, there’s a before and-
Oh… you mean you had lots to drink or something?
No, but-
But what people are interested in, can’t you see, is the storm part, not any “backstory.”
…
…
You really want to get it off your chest.
…
OK, tell me one thing from your past that you think readers just can’t do without if they really want to stay informed about the latest typhoon.
Well, I played rugby in school.
…
I played rugby in school, you see. Didn’t want to, mind. But I was bigger than the other kids and seeing as I was opaque and had the gusting winds, they sort of forced me to.
…
And I sang in the school choir-
Oh god. Look, can you just tell us how long you’re planning to pummel Okinawa? Will you be sated after that or are you intending to move on up the road to Tokyo, etc?
The teacher felt I was a soprano but I disagreed. I said, “No, no, no, you’re wrong- I’m a baritone. Baritone.”
Why are you laughing?
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COVID-19 skeptic runs for Tokyo governor
TOKYO–A COVID-19 skeptic is running for Tokyo governor under the slogan “Corona is just a normal cold.”
Posters up in Shimokitazawa in the capital’s Setagaya Ward for Kokuminshuken Party candidate Masayuki Hiratsuka also feature a large “X” through current Governor Yuriko Koike’s strategy of “masks,” “social distancing” and “avoiding crowded spaces” to battle the spread of the virus.
The election is being held today, July 5.
An election poster for Masayuki Hiratsuka, who is running for Tokyo governor, says “Corona is just a common cold.” -
Um, Fuji Rock 2020, Japan’s summer music festival is canceled
K.O.ed by corona TOKYO — This summer’s Fuji Rock is officially canceled. The shows originally set for this August, with Tame Impala, among others appearing, were prematurely reported scrapped by the Nikkei, confirmed to be on, and now…they’re definitely on hold until the same time in 2021.
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Japan escapee Carlos Ghosn appears to have put on weight
Former Nissan Motor chairman Carlos Ghosn, who escaped Japan in January. TOKYO — Carlos Ghosn, now hiding out in plain sight in Lebanon, after escaping house detention in Tokyo in January, appears to have gained weight around the midsection, photos online show. Ghosn, 66, bailed out inside a large flight case resembling one of the boxes magicians use when sawing people in half or making them disappear during Japan’s New Year holidays. A former U.S. Green beret and his son are currently being held in the United States in connection with the exciting escape, which will likely make a good movie.
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S. Korea riles Tokyo with punk posters of 2020 Games torch bearer in radiation suit
Sure, they look cool… As if things weren’t rocky enough in Asia already, with the daily barrage of coronavirus panic. Posters in South Korea depicting the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games torch bearer wearing a hazmat suit as protection against radiation from the leaking nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture aren’t helping Seoul patch up its worst feud with Tokyo since the 1960s. more…