I finally picked up a copy of Pink Box, Joan Sinclair’s photojournal of the Japanese sex industry. It is an exceptional achievement. It offers a glimpse into a side of the mizu shōbai (水商売, lit. water trade, the entertainment business) rarely seen by outsiders.
Sinclair shows us a world where all manner of fantasies are fulfilled: shaking train carriages with schoolgirls to grope, foot fetish bars, real doll clubs and yes, used panty sales. It is, in her words, full of ‘colour, kitsch, variety, and absurdity’. But first and foremost it is a staggering money spinner. Sex services in Japan are worth ¥2.37 trillion (Takashi Kadokura, 2001).
I love ramen. I spent many mealtimes at the counter of my local ramen joints while I was living in Tokyo, enjoying their various specialities.
One place down the road from my apartment did a mean plate of fried rice. When I first arrived, I was able to shovel it down with a bowl of tonkotsu (pork broth) ramen and a plate of gyōza (dumplings). After my appetite had adjusted to Japanese portions, just the fried rice was enough.
This is a recipe I derived from watching the chef at work. It is quick and easy. After all, ramen shops are in the fast food business. It is also an excellent way to make use of leftover rice.
But the coloured lights fooled you. The lights were wonderful. There ought to be a monument to the man who invented neon lights. Fifteen stories high, solid marble. There’s a boy who really made something out of nothing.
- Philip Marlowe, The Little Sister (1949) by Raymond Chandler.
Summer 2007. Aomori, Japan. I stand on the plains of northern Honshū. The lights are out, the houses and farms all asleep.
Underfoot, the slow crunch of stones on the sun-baked path, tingles my ears and slippered feet. We wander into a small orchard. The leaves on the apple trees rustle against our skin. I hold her closer. City boy, city boy, where have you gone?
Here’s an easy recipe for tonjiru (豚汁, miso soup with pork) I learnt from the fabulous Princess Fugu.
Tonjiru is perfect with boiled Japanese rice and fresh, simply flavoured, grilled fish. The deep, salty flavours of this hearty soup make a wonderful contrast with the simple pleasures of rice and fish. The soup is also great as a healthy snack on its own.
I have been re-reading Alan Moore’s superlative comic book From Hell. Taking the unsolved case of Jack the Ripper as their starting point, Moore and illustrator Eddie Campbell delve into the underbelly of Victorian society and beyond.
It is a gripping story, full of inventive twists and brutally depicted in black ink. The comic is wonderfully dense, yet at the same time eminently readable. Moore has an exceptional gift for processing a large volume of source material into a taut narrative.
One thing I noticed this time was the attention to detail placed on the typeface. This in itself is not uncommon. Comic books often employ multiple fonts, making the text part of the graphic narrative. It closes the distance between picture and word.
Ooh, it’s a bit chilly today, Johnny.Better put another sweater on.
From the earliest age, English men are tricked into the idea that layers are but for warmth. Often the indoctrination comes in youth, at a time when they are prepared to piss in the face of the wind and damn the consequences.
They grow to scorn layers. How many are you wearing today? If you’re around London and the south of England, probably not many. The weather is glorious, as it has been for the past week. In such climes - indeed most climes - the modern young English gent sports a tried and tested T-shirt and jeans combo.
Nothing strange about that. It’s internationally approved male casual attire and there are many superb T-shirt designers out there.
Still, while the designs may be pretty, the fundamental outfit often looks extremely staid. Answers on a postcard…
The guides are intended to assist and hopefully enlighten, though not tyrannise. If you’re after a quick reference, contact details or map, then head over to The Directory.
Guides are generally be broken down into the following sections:
Little doll I can’t forget.Bring happiness and everything.
Imagine life without the Spice Girls. You’re enjoying it, aren’t you?
Welcome to the world of the Japanese idol, for the large part still blissfully untouched by the ersatz feminism and sublime marketing strategy that was Girl Power.
Whatever you think of the 90’s girl group phenomenon, it produced alumni with strong enough personalities and the independence to graduate to a wide variety of roles, away from their teen sensation roots and rapacious managers. For example: rich, famous footballer’s wife; rich, has-been rocker’s wife; rich, former-cutting-edge-comedian-turned-children’s-entertainer’s paternity suit.
Seikō
