WHO ARE THE HARAJUKU GIRLS?

WHO ARE THE HARAJUKU GIRLS?

New York Post, Nov 21
In case you haven't noticed, Gwen Stefani's got herself a new entourage: four Harajuku girls who follow her everywhere.
The four - who may or may not be named Love, Angel, Music and Baby - save her from drowning in the video for "What U Waiting 4," the first single from her solo debut album. They trail behind her and vamp for the camera at public appearances. In interviews, they sit, all in a row, behind Stefani, frequently tilting their heads, alternating facial
expressions and shifting in their seats - always in sync. ...
..."That became my muse for the entire album ... thinking about these Harajuku girls," Stefani told MTV's "The Leak."
Stefani adds to the oddness. On a recent appearance on MTV's "Total Request Live," Carson Daly asked Stefani about the girls. Stefani quizzically replied, "You can see them?" and claimed they are a figment
of her imagination.

Ok, I was bored and aimlessly channel surfing. Boy, did a doubletake when I heard Japanese in the background: "wen ha suru no" (which means Is gwen doing - or Will gwen do it?).

YIKES! Gallianoed Gwen Stefani's 80s rehash and the Harajuku Girls ook slightly like they're wearing Hogwarts (Hufflepuff) uniforms?

Posted by trek/taro at 6:56 PM JST
Updated: Sunday, November 21, 2004 7:00 PM JST
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Kaki King's K-Kool K-Bar like on the Guitar

Acoustic guitar star Kaki King polished her wild/distinctive technique in the New York City subway.

Watch King perform live at NPR
NPR.org, November 21, 2004

BURN BABY BURN! (Shlock humor studio that produced


Kadokawa movie studio burned down in TokyoJapan Today, Nov 21
TOKYO -- A fire broke out in the Kadokawa-Daiei movie studio in
Chofu in western Tokyo early Sunday morning, burning down one of the
studios ...more...

Posted by trek/taro at 1:56 PM JST
Updated: Sunday, November 21, 2004 2:01 PM JST
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Osama Bin Radin threatens Tokyo Tower

Woods might break his Japan jinx.

Woods dominating Dunlop Phoenix

Golfing.com - Nov 20
Miyazaki, Japan (Sports Network) - Tiger Woods carded a five-under 65 Saturday to extend his lead through three rounds of the Dunlop Phoenix to 10 strokes. ... Miyazaki, Japan (Sports Network) - Tiger Woods carded a five-under 65 Saturday to extend his lead through three rounds of the Dunlop Phoenix to 10 strokes. Woods completed 54 holes at 13-under-par 197.
Woods, the world No. 2, has never won in Japan but extended his early lead quickly in round three.

Hairy taste soy sauce for Japan

Chinese soy sauce from human hair leaves fatal aftertaste in Japan

MDNews / November 17, 2004 Chinese soy sauce made from human hair is cancer causing and restaurants throughout Japan could be using it.... ...Fears about Chinese soy sauce were sparked by a report on Chinese TV that noted local makers were using human hair to create their condiments. Japanese soy sauce makers used to use human hair, too. "During the Pacific War (World War II), food shortages meant that the soy beans used to make sauce instead became a foodstuff and hair was gathered from barbers and used to make ersatz soy sauce," Satoshi Noguchi, the boss of Noguchi Rihatsu barbershop in Kashiwa, Chiba

Shocked in Tokyo (PSP)

Shocked By PSP
SCE unleashes another strange marketing campaign for PSP.

November 18, 2004 , IGN -- Walk into a cafe in Tokyo later this month, and you may see a Western-looking mannequin holding a PSP unit and displaying an expression of shock. Don't fret -- this isn't the Japanese National Police Department's latest scheme at warning the Japanese public of the threat of foreign invaders. It's just Sony Computer Entertainment's new PSP campaign....more...
See also the Japanese mannequin company http://www.yamato-creation.com/

Walking, rolling and slithering Shape-shifting Robot

Shape-shifting robot shows off its moves

16:07 17 November 04 NewScientist.com news service
A shape-shifting robot comprised of many independently moving components has been demonstrated walking, rolling and slithering for the first time.
The prototype robot - called ATRON - demonstrated its various metamorphoses in Tokyo on Wednesday. For example, reconfiguring its many individual modules allows the robot to change its mode of locomotion on command.

LOVE YOUR CARP!
As mentioned before, Weds.....PETA Campaign Pitches Fish As Smart
Wed Nov 17, 1:18 AM ET, NEW YORK -
...Called the Fish Empathy Project... "Fish are so misunderstood because they're so far removed from our daily lives"....

LOVE YOUR CARP!
Airlift for earthquake-hit fish

BBC News, 19 Nov ---
Japanese ornamental fish fanciers have airlifted 450 koi carp from breeding grounds damaged by last month's earthquake in Niigata prefecture.
Local breeders chartered a helicopter to rescue the fish from damaged ponds in areas still cut off by road.
Niigata prefecture is famous for its ornamental koi - or "living jewels" - and fans of the fish have launched an international appeal to save them. ....more....

Posted by trek/taro at 1:19 PM JST
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Japanese cosmetics company offers chemo-castration as deodorant
Cosmetics & chemo-castration?

Lion Elucidates Mechanism of Androstenone, Male Body Odor Causative Factor
Tokyo (JCNN) Nov 19 -- On November 17, Japanese cosmetic and toiletries manufacturer Lion announced the findings of its latest research on male body odor. According to the research, androstenone, a kind of volatile steroid found in the underarms, causes body odor and make others, women in particular, feel uncomfortable.
When androstenone mixes with sweat, the body odor tends to be enhanced. Also, the company has confirmed that an extract derived from the apricot kernel can effectively inhibit the generation of androstenone.
----
What this press release does not say is that androstenone is thought of as a human sex phememone and the lack of it is found in castrated males.

Posted by trek/taro at 12:44 PM JST
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LOVE YOUR SUSHI! Fish-have-feelings-too campaign

PETA Campaign Pitches Fish As Smart

AP News / Wed Nov 17, 1:18 AM ET
...Called the Fish Empathy Project, the campaign reflects a strategy shift by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals... "Fish are so misunderstood because they're so far removed from our daily lives," said Karin Robertson, 24, the Empathy Project manager and daughter of an Indiana fisheries biologist. "They're such interesting, fascinating individuals, yet they're so incredibly abused."

Flipper gets a Formula-One fin...before the Japanese try to eat him

Dolphin Gets Rubber Fin
WJXX, FL - Nov 16
By First Coast News Staff. JAPAN -- A tire manufacturer has developed an artificial fin which will help dolphins who lose their fins.
The technology developed by tire manufacturer Bridgestone, better known for their involvement with Formula One auto racing, has saved a disabled dolphin allowing it to return to swimming freely in the water.... with her artificial tail fin made of sponge rubber and carbon fiber.... the tail for Fuji did not come cheap. Bridgestone spent about $95-thousand dollars on the project.
_________________
モ?ベッタ...

Bitch slap shtick

No laughing matter for Shimada

japantoday shukan post watcher / nov 16
TV comedian Shunsuke Shimada has gone into self-imposed exile after being accused of striking and injuring a female employee of his agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo Co...... he dragged her into a dressing room, grabbed her hair and slapped her head.
Shimada, whose real name is Kimihiko Hasegawa, told police he felt the woman "had a bad attitude" and wanted to "teach her to behave as a person belonging to the same agency."

voices.sirens.big eyes, makeup, chirpy little voices inside your head
Invite the voices.sirens. yes all them to dance with you on the Tokyo subway platform....


-crazed youths invade London station
The Register » Thursday 4th November 2004 12:34 GMT
It's 6:45 pm on a drizzly Wednesday evening at Waterloo Station. The main concourse is crowded more than usual due to train delays. Anxious faces stare at blue screens hoping for their cue to sprint to a platform in the hope of a seat. The middle aged lady with handbag in one hand and mobile phone in the other looks down for a second and stares in bemusement at two young ladies who begin dancing to the sound of their personal stereos. She shakes herself to check her senses are not playing tricks as a Conga line streams past behind her with 20 or 30 people listening to their own personal stereos. Other commuters look on dumbfounded.
Welcome to the world of Mobile Clubbing. Simply, mobile clubbing is turning up at a pre-arranged public place on mass where you begin to dance to the sound of your own personal stereo.....more...