Big in Japan: Are children becoming addicted to cell phones?

by Matthew Firestone on

At the risk of sounding like the anchorman on your local news channel, I’ll go head and pose a somewhat sensationalist question:

Are children suffering from cell phone addiction?

If you’re a member of the Japanese government, then the answer is a resounding ‘yes.’

According to Mr. Masahuru Kuba, a high-ranking government official who is proposing a limited ban on cell phones in schools, young students are suffering from the negative effects of cell phone overuse. In particular, Mr. Kuba believes that cell phone addiction can cause kids to inadvertently participate in cyber crimes, and sacrifice free time in favor of exchanging text messages with their friends.

“Japanese parents are giving cell phones to their children without giving it enough thought,” says Mr. Kuba. “In Japan, cell phones have become expensive toys that have moved beyond mere communication devices. Parents are finding it more and more difficult to monitor what they’re children are doing with their cell phones.”

Indeed, the numbers are striking. According to government statistics published by the Ministry of Education, about one-third of Japanese sixth graders have cell phones, while almost two-thirds of ninth graders have them. However, some Japanese children commute long distances by trains and buses to schools, and busy parents rely on cell phones to keep in touch with their children.

Along with the proposed partial ban of cell phones in schools, Mr. Masahuru Kuba is also recommending that Japanese cell phone makers implement special child-friendly models. Specifically, these models would only feature talking functions and global positioning systems (GPS), which would allow parents to monitor the location of their child.

In particular, Mr. Kuba is worried about the growing trend of using cell phones for internet access and e-mail. According to Mr. Kuba: “Some children are spending hours at night on e-mail with their friends. One phenomenon is ‘the 30 minute rule,’ in which a child who doesn’t respond to e-mail within half an hour gets targeted and picked on by other schoolmates.”

In addition, other children have become victims of internet crimes. In one high profile case, a young girl was asked to send in her snapshots for a beauty contest, and was then blackmailed for money in order to have them taken down from an explicit website. While Japan does boast a relatively low crime rate in comparison to other developed nations, Internet-crime is sadly on the rise, especially since Japanese people tend to be very trusting people.

So, once again I pose the question to all of you: do you think that children are suffering from cell phone addiction?

Feel free to chime in and share your thoughts as this is certainly not a clear cut and dry issue, and it’s likely that you’re going to start to hear more about this in the years to come. After all, cell phones in Japan are already equipped with television, so it’s only a matter of time before Americans can start taking their favorite shows with them everywhere…

Trimming down the Japanese waistline

by Grant Martin on

By now we all know that obesity is a problem in the United States and around the world. We frequently post articles in an ongoing discussion of weight per passenger and charges that the airline can/should levy against them. Australia made headlines last year by upgrading part of their ambulance fleet to accomodate overweight passengers — too many patients couldn’t fit into their operating fleet. And yet we continue to indulge in unhealthy lifestyles, expanding our waistlines and surging the diabetes and heart disease epidemic throughout the country.

Across the Pacific, Japan sees our plight and wants to take steps to prevent the same epidemic. Granted, obese isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when many think of the Asian body type, but facing an aging population and rising healthcare costs, Japan wants to keep it that way. So they’ve passed legislation to force companies and local governments to measure the waistline of their residents, requiring all overweight or in their words “metabo” people to either diet or take blood pressure medication. The cutoff for the metabo label? 33.5″ waist lines for men and 35.4″ for women.

Anything beyond that and they’ll be given dieting guidance in increasing tiers of severity until they shape up. For companies employing metabo workers, financial penalties will be levied until everyone is within tolerance. No speculation in this New York Times article was spent on how these levies will be passed down to employees.

Would something like this work in the United States? I wish it were possible, but I imagine it would be way too difficult to implement and enforce. Would you be willing to participate in a government backed weight loss program?

[thanks to Uncle Barish for the tip]

Big in Japan: Bigger breasts through better medicine?

by Matthew Firestone on

Men and women come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, which is why we can all take comfort in the simple fact that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Indeed, the human form is incredibly diverse, which is a testament to the wonderful variation that exists within our highly adaptable species…

With that said, preferences for certain sexual characteristics do sometimes exist, one of which is the male preference for women with larger breasts. Whether you believe it’s the result of human evolution or sexual perversion, you don’t have to be an anthropologist to note that most societies place a premium on large breasts. After all, what other species on the planet would slip a saline-filled plastic baggy underneath their skin for the purpose of mate selection?

Sadly, women the world over face an incredible amount of pressure to conform to so-called ideals of beauty. For instance, Japan is home to some of the world’s most beautiful women, the vast majority of whom are relatively slender given their incredibly healthy diet and active lifestyles. In recent years however, Japanese women are increasingly being compared to more full-bodied Western women, which has spawned an entire industry of products aimed at increasing bust size.

While I am by no means a doctor, allow me to take a moment to debunk the idea that you can get larger breasts by applying a ‘miracle’ cream…

By their own admission, a significant number of Japanese women are concerned about their breast size, especially since they are inundated with images of Hollywood celebrities with ample bosom. While breast implants have been reduced to a high school graduation gift in some parts of America, plastic surgery still carries a strong stigma here in Japan. In fact, the underlying rule in Japan is that ‘natural is beautiful,’ a philosophy that perhaps we should adhere to with greater frequency in the West.

Recently in Japan, I’ve started to notice a new product entitled Lovely Bust, a small tin of pinkish goo that retails for around 4000 yen or roughly US$35. The cream is advertised as containing a breakthrough compound known as Volufilin, which is designed to cause fat cells to differentiate, thus causing firmer and more voluminous breasts.

First of all, can we just pause for a moment and reflect on the name ‘Volufilin?’ I’ve heard of some bizarre prescription drug names over the years, but I must say that the marketing execs are getting increasingly more absurd!

As the story goes, Lovely Bust is designed to be massaged on your breasts twice a day for up to six months, thus causing ‘bulging bust.’ The product even comes with a dodgy pamphlet containing all sorts of pseudo-scientific results, claiming that cup size can increase by as much as 10% with frequent use.

So what the hell is volufilin? Good question.

If you’re going to sell a miracle beauty product, then make sure you have a good back story. According to the makers of Lovely Bust, volufilin is a rare compound that comes from the root structure of French lilies! After all, there is nothing more sexy than D-cups, wildflowers and anything French!

Needless to say, I think you can pass on Lovely Bust, even though you can probably expect this stuff to start appearing in beauty stores throughout North America sometime in the near future!!

So that’s why the Japanese are so spunky

by Grant Martin on

Walking through Tokyo’s Harajuku the other day, I happened to stumble upon a safe sex store — and when you’re in a place as strange and foreign as Japan, you’re pretty much required to go in.

As Matthew frequently points out in the Big in Japan series, Japanese are obsessed with looks, improving their appearances and improving their sex lives. Check out the F cup cookie if you don’t believe me.

They’re also obsessed with cartoons, anime and make believe creatures.

And what happens when those two passions intersect? You get Pokemon’s Pikachu style condoms. As to how well they work (and/or if they’re meant to work), I’m not sure. There is a disclaimer on the box that says “For entertainment uses only, will not prevent STDs”. But is that entertainment as in “look at it on the mantle” or entertainment as in actual use?

All that I know is that it looks terribly uncomfortable for both parties involved. Needless to say, I did not spend the 800 yen.

Big in Japan: Best weekend escapes from Tokyo

by Matthew Firestone on

Living in one of the world’s biggest metropolises can certainly take its toll on your health and sanity!

On a good day, Tokyo is an adrenaline-fueled hedonists’ playground where you can overwhelm your senses with fine cuisine, cutting edge fashion and some of the planet’s most beautiful people. On a bad day, Tokyo is a neon-ringed urban jungle where you can dull your senses on grey concrete, jumbled streetscapes and some of the planet’s most crowded spaces.

Indeed, the secret to living in Tokyo is to embrace the idea of being a dedicated weekend warrior. After punching out from work on Friday afternoon, race home, grab your bags and make haste to the surrounding countryside. After all, the area surrounding Tokyo is not only surprisingly green and lush, but it’s also dotted with ancient temples, sacred mountains and therapeutic hot springs.

So, without further adieu, I present to you today some of Tokyo’s best weekend escapes…

1) Mt Fuji – While the climbing season doesn’t officially open until June 1, catching an iconic glimpse of this scared mountain is one of the classic vistas of both ancient and modern Japan. The area surrounding Mt Fuji is known as the ‘Fuji Five Lakes” (富士五湖, Fujigoko), and is home to traditional country-style inns, rustic restaurants and some of the island’s best hiking. In fact, all of the lakes are connected via a network of elaborate trails, which means you can explore the area on foot while soaking up vistas of Mt. Fuji in the distance.

2) Kamakura – In the 12th century, Kamakura was the de facto capital of Japan, the fourth largest city in the world, and home to the aptly named Kamakura Shogunate. Today, the modern city is interspersed with storied shrines and temples, though most visitors hone their sights on the Great Buddha (大仏, daibutsu). Built in 1252, this huge outdoor bronze statue is a testament to the city’s former power and influence. Of course, Kamakura isn’t just all about temples and statues, especially since the city is also home to some of the region’s best beaches.

3) Hakone – Tokyoites love to spoil themselves silly, which is probably why this famous hot springs town is one of the city’s best weekend escapes. Comprised of dozens and dozens of hot springs hotels, Hakone offers therapeutic relief from the hustle and bustle of urban life. Simply choose a hotel that takes your fancy, soak your tired bones in volcanic-heated mineral water that literally seeps up from the ground, fill your gut with homemade Japanese cooking and unwind in the early evening with a bottle of fresh sake and good friends in a traditional tatami room. Bliss!

All of the above destinations are easily accessible by train from Shinjuku station. Also note that these weekend escapes are just a few of my favorites, though there are plenty of noteworthy places all within a few hours striking distance of Tokyo.

On that note, if you’d like to share a few of your own frequented spots with the rest of us, feel free to chime in and give us all some tips!

** All images courtesy of the WikiCommons Media Project **