Big in Japan: Butt biting bugs are big in Japan

. Here at Big in Japan, we’re dedicated to bringing you the latest fads – no matter how strange – from the Land of the Rising Sun.

With that said, I am proud to introduce you now to the latest Japanese fad that is sweeping across the country, namely the Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (?????????????????) or ‘Bottom Biting Insects.’

Seriously. Check out the video above if you don’t believe me.

Alright, now that your mind has no doubt been blown away by dancing insects who alternate biting butts and singing in two-part harmony, allow me to explain exactly what is going on here.

(Actually, I am not sure if I entirely know myself, though I will do my best!)

The Oshiri Kajiri Mushi song was originally created by the husband and wife duo Uruma Delvi (???????????), who wanted to encourage Japanese people living in big cities to spontaneously interact with each other.

Are you with me so far?

If so, keep reading as this where things start to get a bit weird…

According to the creative minds behind Oshiri Kajiri Mushi, the bottom biting insects are magical creatures that seek out lonely people.

By biting bottoms, the victim realizes how lonely their life is, and seeks out human companionship.

Of course, it’s not that easy for the Oshiri Kajiri Mushi as Tokyo butts taste bitter from all the loneliness that is stored within them.

Are you still with me?

Really? That’s impressive considering that I’m not even sure if I understand myself at this point

Aimed at children and their parents, the song debuted earlier this year on Minna no Uta (みんなのうた) or Everyone’s Songs, a five minute NHK TV and radio program broadcasting several times daily since 1961.

Much like the Crazy Frog song that swept across Europe a few years back, the Oshiri Kajiri Mushi song broke into the top 10 singles charts, and has recently become something of a national pop culture obsession.

In fact, NHK TV recently announced that the butt biting insects will soon be getting their own TV show entitled Oshiri Kajiri Mushi to Odorou! (おしりかじり虫と踊ろう!), or ‘Let’s Dance with the Bottom Biting Insects.

Needless to say, the program will feature the Oshiri Kajiri Mushi dancing with children at kindergartens and nursery schools across the country.

The mayhem doesn’t stop there.

Mono Comme Ca, a Japanese apparel brand aimed at tweens, teens and twenty-somethings, has recently licensed the Oshiri Kajiri Mushi for their clothing.

This means that if you’re searching for the perfect X-mas gift for any of your Japanese friends, might I suggest an Oshiri Kajiri Mushi sweatshirt, which will help you stay warm this holiday season!

In case you’re wondering, the Mono Comme Ca shop is located right across the street from the Meiji Shrine exit of Harajuku Station in Tokyo.

** Special thanks to my future roommate Isaac, who is nothing short of a walking library of Japanese pop culture **

Big in Japan: Man works himself to death, company compensates wife

Ever hear the joke about the Japanese man who worked himself to death?

Guess what? It’s not a joke…

According to the Associated Press (AP), last week a court in Japan ordered the Toyota Motor Corporation to pay compensation to a woman who argued that her husband died from overwork.

According to woman’s lawyer, Kenichi Uchino (the departed) had been working overtime as a middle manager at a Toyota factory when he suddenly collapsed and died in February of 2002.

He was just 30 years old.

Before dying, Mr. Uchino had logged 80 hours of overtime a month for a sustained period of six months, and had logged 114 extra hours the month he died.

Sadly, Mr. Uchino is anything but an isolated case. In fact, the Japanese even have a word for punching the clock until you drop.

Working yourself to death is known in Japanese as kar?shi (??????), which directly translates to “death from overwork.”

Known in medical circles as occupational sudden death, the major medical causes of kar?shi are believed to be stress-induced heart attack and stroke.

Depressed yet? Keep reading as the story gets worse.

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Sources indicate that the first recorded case of karōshi was in 1969 following the death by stroke of a 29-year-old man in the shipping department of Japan’s largest newspaper company.

However, karōshi was not officially recognized until 1987 when a large number of business executives started dropping like flies during the glory days of the famous “Bubble Economy.”

Following an intense media campaign, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labor began to publish annual statistics on karōshi.

Out of morbid curiosity, would you like to hear the statistics for 2006?

Of course you do!

Last year, an estimated 355 workers fell severely ill or died from overwork. This is the highest recorded figure on record, and is sadly a 7.6 percent increase from 2005.

In 147 of these reported cases, individuals died of either strokes or heart attacks.

It gets worse.

A separate 819 workers reported suffering work-induced mental illness. In 176 of these reported cases, workers killed themselves or attempted to do so.

And now back to the original story…

Not surprisingly, karōshi lawsuits are on the rise throughout Japan, and relatives of the deceased have been increasingly awarded compensation payments.

In fact, the protocol has even been streamlined!

Before compensation can be awarded, a specially designated inspection office must acknowledge that the death was work-related. However, this can take several years, and a precedent has been set for court cases to bounce around various judicial systems.

Here is the clincher:

The Japanese Ministry of Health, Welfare and Labour also reports that the leading cause of karōshi is the practice of voluntary undocumented unpaid overtime, which is known as sabisu-zangyo. Just to clarify, that means that Japanese workers are choosing to work longer hours without documenting their time or seeking compensation.

On that note, it’s nearing midnight here in Tokyo, and suddenly I feel as if I’ve worked enough for the day…

** All photos were taken by the Associated Press (AP) **

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Big in Japan: Tokyo is world’s top food city

Are you ready for today’s Big in Japan trivia question?

Q: According to the Michelin Guide, what is the world’s top city for good eating?
A: If you guessed Tokyo and not Paris, you are indeed correct!

Although for years Paris has won the coveted honor from the most highly respected food publication, this year Michelin Guide director Jean-Luc Naret decided to shake things up a bit.

According to Naret, himself a French man, “Tokyo is becoming the global city with the finest cuisine, the city in the world with the most stars.”

So how badly was Paris bested?

Restaurants in Tokyo were awarded a total of 191 stars, nearly twice the amount awarded to Paris and more than three times the amount awarded to New York.

Tokyo’s upstaging of Paris doesn’t stop there.

Eight of Tokyo’s restaurants won the maximum of three stars compared to six of Paris’s restaurants. And, 25 restaurants in Tokyo were awarded two stars while a whopping 117 were awarded one star.

Still don’t believe me that Tokyo has the best food in the world? Keep reading as the home of haute cuisine may no longer reside in France.

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The final nail in the coffin came when Michelin Guide announced that three of the top eight restaurants in Tokyo serve French food.

Boasting a long love affair with French culture dating back over a century, Tokyo can now rest on its laurels as the city in the world offering the finest in French cuisine.

In case you were wondering, three of the other top restaurants in Tokyo serve kaiseki ryōri (懐石料理), which is a traditional multi-course Japanese dinner that is often compared to haute cuisine.

Kaiseki, which directly translates to “stone in the bosom,” is a throwback to an ancient Zen Buddhist practice whereby fasting monks would stave off hunger by putting warm stones in the folds of their robes.

The term was later applied to the light vegetarian meals that were traditionally served after a tea ceremony, and eventually was attributed to the highly refined set-course meal that is today considered to be the pinnacle of the Japanese culinary world.

The other two of the top restaurants in Tokyo are traditional sushi houses, which specialize in the highest possible quality of fish that is selected daily from nearby Tsukiji fish market. Both locales serve up the ocean’s equivalent of Kobe beef, though sushi of this quality and grade doesn’t come cheaply.

Since I’m a starving writer (quite literally!), I’m not in a position to review these restaurants. However, below is the complete list of Michelin three-star restaurants in Tokyo for anyone out there with more yen to burn than me!

Bon appétit! Or should I say – ittadakemasu!

Genyadana Hamadaya
Kaiseki
3-13-5 Nihonbashi Ningyo-cho Chuo-ku
03-3661-5940

Ginza Koju
Kaiseki
8-5-25 Ginza Chuo-ku
03-6215-9544

Joel Robuchon
French
Ebisu Garden Place 1-13-1 Mita Meguro-ku
03-5424-1347

Kanda
Kaiseki
3-6-34 Motoazabu Minato-ku, Tokyo
03-5786-0150

L’osier
French
7-5-5 Ginza Chuo-ku
03-3571-6050

Restaurant Quintessens
French
5-4-7 Shiroganedai Minato-ku

Sukiyabashi Jiro
Sushi
4-2-15 Ginza Chuo-ku

Sushi Mizutani
Sushi
8-2-10 Ginza Chuo-ku

Gettoing hungry? Check out the delicious food gallery below:

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Big in Japan: Eating zero calorie jelly keeps Japanese women skinny

Ever wonder why it is that Japanese women are so skinny? Ever wonder how Japanese women manage to keep away the pounds even after having a child or two?

What if I told you that there was a simple and cheap remedy for dropping a few sizes while simultaneously trimming up your waistline.

What if I told you that this remedy costs less than US$10 a day, and can be started at any time no matter how overweight you happen to be.

Although the secret is slowly spreading to the Western World, for years Japanese women have been eating zero calorie jelly as a meal supplement.

Yes. You read that correctly.

Some Japanese women, on occasion, eat calorie-free meals in order to stay skinny.

Seriously. I am not making this up!

(Nor do I condone this as a healthy or safe diet!)

Now, I guess at this point in the post you are probably thinking one of the following:

a) This can’t be healthy, can it?
a) Does it work?
c) What does it taste like?
d) Where can I buy some?
e) Some or all of the above.

Well, keep reading and allow me to explain the powers of zero calorie jelly!

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In Tokyo, you can buy 180g gram packages of zero calorie jelly in a variety of flavors including blueberry and peach for the bargain price of 240 yen or US$2.

And remarkably, you don’t even have to go to a health food store to buy the product.

Instead, just simply walk out of your apartment, head into the first convenience store you see, and give into your vanity for the price of a couple of dollars.

Now, I know that it’s easy to be skeptical about health and beauty products, especially since the next big thing is always being touted on late night infomercials across North America.

Also, we all know that the Japanese have incredibly healthy diets that are based on rice and fish, compared with the North America propensity for fatty foods.

And of course, I don’t want to discount their genetic predisposition, especially considering that the Japanese tend to be much skinnier Western counterparts.

But, you have to admit that tricking your body into thinking it’s had a meal is a great way to stave off cravings and reduce your portion size.

Here’s the catch.

People – think about this product for just a second!

Even if your mind and body thinks it just had a meal, it hasn’t. To be blunt, eating three square meals of zero calorie jelly is the same thing as starvation or anorexia.

Let’s be clear – zero calorie jelly is a great way to prevent yourself from eating a calorie-packed snack, but it’s not a meal substitute. Sadly, too many young girls over here in Japan haven’t gotten this message through their tiny little heads.

If you’re still interested in trying the stuff, I’m fairly certain that you can find it in the States, but again, be responsible with the stuff.

With that said, please chime in if you’ve seen this stuff in a health food store near you, or if you’ve had any experience eating it.

And, in case you’re wondering, it actually tastes like Jello, though I ate the stuff purely for scientific research purposes – anyone who’s ever met me already knows that I’m too skinny!

For foods that actually have nutritional value, check out the gallery below:

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Big in Japan: Welcome to Japan, now surrender your identity!

Much has already been written about Japan’s new immigration control system.

For those of you who may have missed the news, as of November 20th, all foreigners entering Japan must now give their fingerprints, have a photo taken and submit to a detailed interview.

Although these new entry procedures have been attacked by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, the Japanese government has been steadfast in their defense of the initiative.

Needless to say, the vast majority of foreigners living in Japan are all together pissed off.

It’s one thing to collect personal information on tourists, but it’s another to submit spouses of Japanese citizens, registered journalists and long-term residents to this level of invasiveness.

Following a brief vacation to Australia, I had the pleasure of having my personal rights violated first hand, and will now describe them to you for your learning pleasure.

Upon arriving at Narita airport, I was shuttled into the gaikokujin (??????; foreigner) line, at which point a dashingly attractive but ice cold woman handed me a Q&A form to explain the new rules.

Although I was initially surprised at the lack of English mistakes (a rarity on official Japanese government forms), the justifications for the new immigration control system were amusing enough.

Intrigued? It gets better. Click below to keep reading…

For instance:

Q: Why do I need to be fingerprinted and photographed at immigration control?
A: By collecting personally identifying data of visitors to Japan, we will be able to indentify persons considered to pose security risks. This will help us to prevent terrorist attacks.

Sure. It’s interesting that this legislation comes at a time when the birth rate is dropping, and economists are arguing that increased immigration is the only way to save the Japanese economy. In a country as intensely xenophobic as Japan, it’s a shame that politicians can’t follow America’s lead by building a giant wall around their country. Oh wait – Japan is an island!

Q: What if I am not able to provide a fingerprint from my index finger?
A: If you are not able to provide a fingerprint from your index finger because that finger is missing from your hand, then you will be required to provide a fingerprint from another finger.

Sure. You will then be escorted directly to the police station and interrogated for hours on end regarding your suspected affiliation with the yakuza criminal organization.

Q: What will happen if I do not provide fingerprints or a facial photograph?
A: Your immigration control officer will carefully examine your case to determine whether or not you fall into one of the exempt categories.

Sure. For those of you who aren’t accustomed to Japanese subtlety, this actually says that you will escorted to the departures area, checked in on the next flight back to your country, and blacklisted forever from Japan.

Anyway, the good news, at least in my case, is that I made it back to Japan safe and sound, and managed to secure myself a shiny new work visa. So, it’s fairly likely that Big in Japan will continue well into 2008, assuming of course that I don’t happen to lose any fingers between now and then…