October 2008
By CJ • October 9, 2008
Where once thought of as a surreal, bead-wearing elderly figure residing in a dusty parlor and plying a crystal ball amid a drawn-curtain backdrop, a fortuneteller in Japan today is truly a counselor. Predicting the future is one thing, but offering guidance – without simultaneously being the customer’s sole crutch of reliance – is usually much more important. And in these uncertain economic and social times, a lot of Japan’s increasingly troubled populace is turning to spiritual discovery for all that ails them.
By Kazutaka Shimanaka • October 7, 2008
Establishments called panchira kissa (panty-viewing cafés) are being targeted by the authorities. These are coffee shops where male customers are invited, even encouraged, to …
By CJ • October 5, 2008
TOKYO – “Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
A loud scream is vital just before you are about to have your belly sliced open.
With your sword raised above your head, …
By CJ • October 4, 2008
SHANGHAI – Not one tourist is spared.
“Rolex?” questions a young, slender man in his thirties, tobacco-stained front teeth and hands moving through his outer …
By CJ • October 4, 2008
It is estimated that during the Cambodian Genocide (1975-1979) 1.7 million people lost their lives at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. During that time, radical left wing politics mixed with a complete lack of regard for human life to create one of the most vicious and despicable reigns of terror in the history of man.
By CJ • October 4, 2008
Cemeteries are oftentimes where stories end, but in this case the tale continues. Set in a bucolic, Meiji-period Japan, Hearn’s tales of ghouls and spirits dazzled readers overseas when published more than a hundred years ago. In the years since, Japanese students have enjoyed translated versions. Hearn is the man who first interpreted Japan for the West—a legacy that his great-grandson is determined to preserve.
By Kazutaka Shimanaka • October 4, 2008
Jitsuwa Taiho (October) attempts to provide some answers to the oft-asked question of how far those frowsy, middle-aged women who dispense massages at business hotels are willing to go with male customers.
