Police man's family COULD have collected his retirement pension even after he fatally shot a woman he had been stalking for months, and then took his own life. Thankfully they were smart enough not to. But check the reasoning. It's a real kicker:

Under the regulations, [the officer] was considered "retired" the moment he died and could not be ( Read more... )

I caught the immediate aftermath of this; there was a cameraman on the scene. It was extremely heartbreaking ( Read more... )

Japanese children of elementary school age have a weird fascination with trying to stick their fingers up unuspecting rears. (My wife says she believes it's the reaction they get that spurs them on.) It's more than a little disturbing and even more uncomfortable ( Read more... )

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Of approximately 2500 Japanese polled via the Internet, 93% of them DO NOT untie and retie their shoes. They simply slip them on pre-tied.

[Source: Mezamashi TV]

A good buddy of mine is illustrating a (ninja) board game I created, and he knocked out this gorgeous piece in a half hour. It's definitely the cover. It was so smack-licious though, we decided to put it on other gear as well. So without further ado:


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Sega imports a PS2 title that will introduce you into the gray world of the Yakuza. This is probably as close to the 'real thing' in game form as you'll ever get. And probably as close as you'll ever want to ( Read more... )

Tons of great English .nfo on Japanese Kabuki at http://www.kabuki21.com/

An interesting site of origami fun. Tons of patterns and full-color paper patterns.

http://www.origami-club.com/en/

Very well-sourced and infested with just about every unimaginable Japanese ghost, monster, ogre, demon and other-worldly beastie from the Japanese culture-mind. Complete with sweet, original art. A great source of material and quick-read enjoyment. Get the 411 on Japanese monsters at Obakemono.com

Sorry for the mistake folks. The site is entitled ( Read more... )