Sign up now for your 2009 solar eclipse tour

by Catherine Bodry on

On July 22, 2009, China and the South Pacific will experience a total eclipse of the sun — and tours to see it are selling out almost as soon as they’re announced. Sirius Travels, a company specializing in eclipse tours, said their first tour filled up so fast they had to open another one and are thinking about offering a third.

According to USA Today, “eclipses happen on average about every 18 months. But not all are created equal. Some last just a few seconds; others darken the sky for up to seven minutes. And where they occur makes a huge difference.” Often one will occur over the ocean, or in areas where it’s usually foggy our cloudy. But the 2009 eclipse will be take place over relatively easy-to-reach areas that generally have good weather. Plus it will last a whopping 5 minutes.

Eclipse tours are typically accompanied by an astronomer, and include other astronomical sites. For a list of tour companies that offer such tours, as well as some tips for choosing your trip, read the USA Today article here. Happy star-gazing!

Photos from Afghanistan

by Grant Martin on

Earlier this week I wrote a brief article on dangerous places to travel and places that I wouldn’t go, even if I had a free ticket. Afghanistan was on the top of my list of places that I’d like to see, although no time in the near future. While I’ll concede that it is a dangerous place and should be considered neither as an off-the-beaten path nor a hipster destination, I do believe that the country has a wealth of intrinsic beauty and that one day I hope it will be better accessible to us Westerners.

To that effect, a friend of mine formerly working in Afghanistan has just published photos from his time there. They are a beautiful side to a country fraught with turmoil and despair, and seeing them has helped me put my own personal issues aside, if perhaps only temporarily.

Take a look.

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Big in Japan: Fuzzy breasts are big in Japan

by Matthew Firestone on

With the Christmas shopping season right around the corner, everyone is starting to wonder what this year’s must have toy will be.

Like past greats such as the Cabbage Patch Kids, Tickle me Elmo and Nintendo Wii, it takes a truly special toy to drive yearning kids and their ever-pleasing parents into a consumer frenzy.

Care to guess what the hottest toy in Japan is likely to be this holiday season?

(Hint: no, it’s not a robot. We’re talking about something that is cute, cuddly and slightly pornographic in the kinderwhore fashion.)

Give up? I give you Funwari Milk-chan (??????????????????????), the latest, greatest Japanese craze.

Now, although the verdict is still out on just what exactly this thing is, my initial guess is that it’s some sort of fuzzy breast-shaped plush toy.

What do you exactly do with it? I have no idea.

(And no, to the best of my knowledge it’s not intended to be used as a sex toy).

What makes this fuzzy breast so strange however is that the toy manufacture, JUN Planning, has created an elaborate back story in the hope of justifying its existence.

Allow me to explain:

Once upon a time, there was a place known as Milk Village, which was created by the ancient volcanic eruption of Mt. Milk. The residents of Milk Village, which are known as Milk-chans, speak the Milk language, live in Milk houses and raise little Milk babies.

Are you with me so far? Don’t worry if you’re confused – so am I!

Milk Village is marked by four distinct seasons, which the Milk-chans love to celebrate in the Japanese fashion. In the spring, they eat rice dumplings and watch the cherry blossoms. In the summer, they eat rice dumplings and go to the Milk beach. In the fall, they eat rice dumplings and watch the leaves change. In the winter, they eat rice dumplings and live in milk caves.

Are you with me so far? I’m not sure if I understand myself at this point!

Apparently, each of the Milk-chans has a unique personality and history.

Funwari Milk-chan (center) is relaxed and playful, though she dreams of one day being a larger breast. Can Milk-chan (top left) is the party girl in the group, which is why she decided to be naughty and have an American boyfriend.

Ganguro Milk-chan (bottom left) has a pierced nipple, loves partying, dancing and taking pictures with her friends. Peach Milk-chan (top right) loves fashion, and is something of a snob in Milk Village. Milko-chan (bottom right) is still a baby, but a baby genius at that.

A Milk-chan sell for about 1,000 yen or about US$9, which means that I fully intend to collect the full set, even though I have no idea what you’re supposed to do with them!

Special thanks to my friend Michele for always keeping an eye out for the latest and craziest Japanese trends!

** Photos were taken from www.junplanning.co.jp **

Cell phones keep perverts away while traveling in Japan

by Abha Malpani on

As a woman traveling alone, it’s easy to get whistled at, remarked at, or groped by men — whether you are in a train, waiting for a flight, or even buying the newspaper.

Generally notorious for this behavior are Italian and Spanish men, and even men from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh I find absolutely shameless in trying their luck when a woman is around alone.

Being a foreigner in a country makes you stand out more and ass groping is most common in clubs all around the world. I normally ignore.

Japan seems to have come up with a different way to deal with this problem: Japanese women are flashing a text message that says: “Did you just grope me? Shall we head to the police?” to deal with being groped by perverts without attracting attention.

What I imagine: man pinching backside of woman, woman looking for “anger” button on phone that downloads a message, woman turning around and shoving a phone in face of groper.”

I don’t know if that’s better than shooting him a dirty look and ignoring — as it sounds like bit of a delayed reaction — but the cell phone application has recently been ranked in the top ten.

I suppose if you were a foreigner living in Japan, this would be perfect until you learned to speak the language — but I think dirty look followed by ignoring is universal language that says “bugger off you sick pervert,” no?

Big in Japan: Camouflage yourself as a Coke machine

by Matthew Firestone on

Afraid of walking the mean city streets at night? Not sure what to do if you’re being followed?

Fear not as Aya Tsukioka, a 29-year-old experimental fashion designer from Tokyo, is about to start selling her new line of urban camouflage.

At a fashion show earlier this week, Ms. Tsukioka shocked the audience by removing a large sheet of red cloth from beneath her skirt. She then proceeded to show how a woman being pursued by assailants could easily disguise herself as a vending machine.

Japan never ceases to amaze, eh?

Although street crime is virtually non-existent here in Japan, personal safety is never taken for granted. The Japanese public is increasingly becoming more and more concerned about crime, even though statistics suggest that rates are actually on the decline.

Perhaps this is why Ms. Tsukioka’s clothing is expected to be such a huge hit.

At the fashion show, she also revealed plans for kimono that folds into a vending machine as well as a manhole shaped bag that can be laid down on the street to hide your valuables from would-be muggers.

While Americans are more partial to self-defense devices such as mace, pepper spray, tazers and even pistols, Japanese sensibility calls for a bit more tact.

Don’t believe me?

Consider the fact that one of the most popular items on the market here in Tokyo are knife-proof high school uniforms made of Kevlar!

According to Ms. Tsukioka, Americans want to protect themselves while Japanese favor camouflage and deception. “It is just easier for Japanese to hide,” Ms. Tsukioka said. “Making a scene would be too embarrassing.”

She then proceeded to explain how her vending machine disguise was inspired by the ninja, who used to cover themselves in black blankets at night. Since vending machines are so common on Japan’s streets, Ms. Tsukioka realized that she had stumbled across the perfect design motif.

To date, Ms. Tsukioka has sold about 20 vending machine costumes for about 100,000 yen or $800 each. If you think it’s a bit pricey, consider the fact that each disguise is printed and sewn by hand.

And of course, can you really put a price on your personal safety?

For the little ones, Ms. Tsukioka is also planning on rolling out a special children’s line of disguises, which will resemble Japan’s diminutive red mail boxes.

After all, it’s never too early to teach the kiddies to take care of themselves.

Ms. Tsukioka concluded her press conference by discussing Japan’s willingness to indulge the imagination. “These ideas might strike foreigners as far-fetched,” she added, “but in Japan, they can become reality.”

Perhaps there is some truth to that, though I’m sorry to say that these costumes wouldn’t quite cut it in New York City or Los Angeles, unless of course you were to weave them out of Kevlar.

Special thanks to my friend Michele for always keeping an eye out for the latest and craziest Japanese trends!

** Photos were taken by Torin Boyd/Polaris for The New York Times **