Big in Japan: Tuna fish will soon be extinct

by Matthew Firestone on

Bluefin tuna are amazing creatures.

First of all, they’re freakin’ huge – a prize-catch can weigh nearly a ton, and stretch to nearly 10 feet.

Like human beings, they’re also warm-blooded, which allows them to live everywhere from the tropics to the poles.

They can also accelerate as fast as a sports car.

As any Japanese person can tell you, they’re also the centerpiece of the Japanese diet. Whether you’re partial to maguro (?????; tuna) or toro (????; fatty tuna belly), one thing is for certain – tuna are delicious.

Of course, this why bluefin tuna will most likely be extinct sometime in the next fifty years.

It’s hard to imagine a fish like tuna becoming extinct, especially since they’ve been so abundant in the world for most of recorded history. However, numbers are falling dramatically, and it’s very unlikely that the population can sustain itself for much longer.

In fact, fisheries have collapsed before, and it’s likely that they will do so again.

In 1993, the cod population vanished on the Grand Banks near Newfoundland in Canada, which has since then devastated the local economy.

So, are we perhaps the last generation ever to enjoy fresh sushi?

Perhaps.

Approximately one year ago, British scientists issued a report warning that within the next fifty years, there will most likely be nothing left to fish from the sea. According to the report, nearly one-third of historical sea fisheries have already collapsed, and the rate of decline is accelerating.

The scientists, who published their findings in the journal Science, partly attributed the fishery decline to the global increase in the popularity of sushi.

Despite the demand for more tuna, bigger vessels, better nets, and new technology for spotting fish are not resulting in bigger returns. On the contrary, the global catch of blue fin tuna fell by 13% between 1994 and 2003.

Dr. Steve Palumbi, a scientist at Stanford who worked on the project, told the press: “Unless we fundamentally change the way we manage all the ocean species together, as working ecosystems, then this century is the last century of wild seafood.”

Eeek.

Sadly, it may be to late to save the noble bluefin tuna.

Last month, Europea banned tuna fishing in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean for the rest of the year. The move was taken to curb over-fishing and dwindling stocks of fish after the EU reached its 2007 quota.

Atlantic bluefin tuna is the best quality tuna in the world, and fisheries earn top dollar exporting the fish to the lucrative Japanese market.

However, existing bluefin tuna stocks are being plundered, with high rates of overfishing being reported by virtually every single country in the European Union.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) sets annual fishing quotas to be followed by all member countries.

With that said, conservation groups are cynical of ICCAT, and are partial to calling them the International Commission to Catch All Tuna!

Whether you loved canned tuna and mayo or fresh sashimi with a splash of soy sauce, it’s probably best to just enjoy the fish while it’s still around…

Peeing on the go: new portable toilet for your car

by Catherine Bodry on

Yes, more toilet talk here at Gadling. We seem to be obsessed with bodily functions, don’t we? Well, here’s another toilet option that you can actually add to your travel gear: a portable toilet for your car.

Japan’s Kaneko Sangyo Co., which manufactures plastic toys, has come up with a small toilet you can put together as needed. If you’re stuck in traffic and can’t wait, simply assemble the cardboard toilet bowl and fit a water-absorbent sheet inside. The toilet comes with a curtain large enough to conceal users and a plastic bag to collect waste, and can fit inside a suitcase. Just politely pull the curtain closed and you’re ready to go! Sounds like something I’d take on a long bus or train ride through India rather than in my car.

You’ll have to hold it until November 15, when the company will begin selling the new product online.

[via Reuters]

Big in Japan: Japanese people don’t have enough sex

by Matthew Firestone on

Japanese people don’t have enough sex…

…at least according to condom manufacturer Durex’s survey of sex lifestyles around the world.

This annual survey, which catalogues the down and dirty in 26 countries around the world, was compiled after more than 26,000 candid interviews.

Despite Western stereotypes of Japanese people having crazy kinky sex, life in the bedroom here in the Far East is anything but stimulating. In fact, the raw numbers are shocking if not all together depressing.

On average, Japanese people only do the deed 48 times a year, well below the world average of 103 times.

(In case you were wondering, the Greeks are the sex champions with an average of 164 bouts per year).

It gets even worse.

Although Japanese AV films (pornographic videos) are anything but tame, unfortunately reality doesn’t mirror movie magic. Not only do Japanese people have less sex than anyone else in the world, but they apparently also have the least interesting time in the bedroom.

Here are the depressing stats.

Sadly, 90 percent of Japanese said that their sex lives lack stimulation, which pales in comparison to the global average of 50 percent of people who enjoy a healthy sex life. Not surprisingly, the Japanese lead the world in the frequency of masturbation.

38 percent of Japanese masturbate weekly compared with a global average of 16 percent. And, despite the fact that the three major monotheistic religions consider masturbation to be a sin, only 4 percent of Japanese people had a negative opinion of the practice.

During the course of their lives, Japanese men have an average of 14 sex partners, while Japanese women have an average of 8. This is higher than the global average of 13 and 7 sex partners respectively, though this is perhaps due to the high frequency of boring sex.

Japanese average 34 minutes for each session of sex (including foreplay), which is actually one more minute then the amorous French and just above the global average.

Sadly however, 86 percent of Japanese people want to have more sex, though they are unable to communicate with their partners. In a culture where vagueness and shades of grey are preferable to clarity and honesty, intimate conversations never seem to go beyond pillow talk.

So just exactly how boring is sex in Japan?

Only 34 percent of Japanese people engage in oral sex.
Only 16 percent of Japanese people like sexy underwear.
Only 4 percent of Japanese people engage in role play.
Only 16 percent of Japanese people regularly use sex toys.
Only 15 percent of Japanese people use lubrication.

Wow. Clearly something needs to be done.

If anyone is reading this in Japan, I urge you to go the liquor store, and buy a nice bottle of champagne to set the mood. When you get home, instead of plopping yourself in front of the TV and watching Japanese dramas, turn on some romantic music, pop the bubbly, drag your better half to the bedroom and get to it.

If we all do our part, together with can make Japan number one…

Big in Japan: Happi Harroween!!!

by Matthew Firestone on

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For those of you who can’t read Japanese – Happi Harroween!!

Yes, I know it’s still the middle of October, but here in Japan, Halloween is catching on in a big way.

From pumpkin flavored cappuccinos and pastas in Tokyo’s trendiest cafes and restaurants to witches and wizards adorning the window displays of even the most upscale of department stores, the Japanese are embracing the Halloween spirit.

It’s not hard to see why.

The Japanese are some of the world’s most avid consumers, with fine dining and shopping being something of a national obsession. And, let’s not forget about the fact that foreign trends are always the height of fashion in Japan.

Being an American, I’ll be the first person to say that the last thing the world needs is more McDonald’s and Starbucks on every single street corner from London to Tokyo. But, it’s hard not to love Halloween, especially since it’s the perfect excuse to wear a silly costume and blow your diet on gobs of candy.

Take for instance the Halloween party I threw for my students this past Saturday night.

When I’m not writing blogs for Gadling or on the road for Lonely Planet, I’ve been known to teach English from time to time. Of course, learning English is more than just cramming vocabulary and learning the difference between the simple past and the progressive past.

(Actually, I’ve never been that good at grammar, which is probably why I avoid trying to teach it all costs!)

Anyway, learning English should be about creating natural environments for students to practice their language skills in, which is why international parties are all the rage here in Tokyo.

Anyone who’s ever studied a foreign language can attest to the fact that it’s easier to speak when you’re absolutely hammered. There’s something about copious amounts of alcohol in the bloodstream that seems to awaken the brain, depress your inhibitions and loosen the tongue.

Needles to say, copious amounts of alcohol were imbibed at the first annual Halloween costume party at my English school. The night started out with yours truly, decked out in my best Matrix-inspired devil’s costume, welcoming everyone to the party, doing a keg stand and thus setting the standard for the madness that followed.

If there are any doubts about Japanese people’s ability to drink alcohol, I would urge you to spend a few drunken crazy nights here in Tokyo.

Yes, Japanese people do turn red when they drink alcohol, which is actually a minor allergy caused by a faulty enzyme. And yes, Japanese people do tend to puke fairly early on in the night, though the famous ‘boot and rally’ is something of a source of pride here.

But, I can assure you that the Japanese people party like it was their job, which is probably why my liver has slowly started failing me since moving to Japan. In spite of my Eastern European blood, my Japanese friends always set the pace, which is usually more alcohol than any sane individual should consume in one night.

Perhaps this is why I can’t remember most of the Halloween party…

Fortunately, I took a lot of pictures, and even though I’m not sure what’s going on, it does seem like everyone is having fun, right?

Cigarette vending machines in Japan to require ID

by Catherine Bodry on

“Can I see your ID?” This question will now, in theory, be asked to anyone who attempts to buy cigarettes from vending machines in Japan. Reuters reports that “by next July, all of Japan’s 570,000 cigarette vending machines will require a smart card called ‘taspo’– a blend of the words tobacco, access and passport — issued only to people who are at least 20, the legal smoking age.”

The taspo card will also function as a money card for the machine, allowing users to pay for cigarettes as they’re being identified. The cards will be offered free of charge, and the smoker’s picture will appear on the card (though the machines have no way to read the images).

The machines were funded in large part by the Tobacco Institute, whose members include Japan’s three tobacco companies. The general manager at the Institute, Kazuyuki Kobayashi, says the Institute hopes the new system will prevent minors from smoking.