Then you may want to try hiring the same workers as used by the owners of the Japanese tavern Kayabukiya.

The local hangout just north of Tokyo employs a pair of Japanese monkeys called Yat-chan and Fuku-chan to serve their customers.

The younger of the two, Fuku-chan, usually begins the first shift and is quick to hand out customers a hot towel to help them clean their hands before they order their first drinks.

Both monkeys are well appreciated by customers who tip them with boiled soya-beans to enjoy during their down time.

A while ago I posted on how to recognise and read Hiragana alphabets. For those crazy people out there who are still interested in getting to know more of this maddest language, here’s how to recognise and remember the second of Japanese characters – Katakana.

/a/

Let’s dig an underground tunnel! ア as in “underground“.

/i/

I want an easel. イ as in
“easel“.

/u/

I have oodles of arrowheads. ウ as in “oodles“.

/e/

I have an extra bone. エ as in “extra“.

/o/

Oh! What an odd kick! オ as in “oh“.

/ka/

A kite is flying in the sky. カ as in “kite“.

/ki/

I have a key. キ as in “key“.

/ku/

This is a quick seven. ク as in “quick“

/ke/

It’s a crooked “K“. ケ as in crooked “K“.

/ko/

I have a cold. コ as in “cold“.

/sa/

Let socks dry. サ as in “socks“.

/shi/

She has a crooked smile. シ as in “she“.

/su/

My kid has a swing set. ス as
in “swing“.

/se/

This is Senor Martines. セ asn in “Senor“.

/so/

A soy bean jumped out! ソ as in “soy“.

/ta/

Titanic is sinking. タ as
in “Titanic“.

/chi/

A chimp is on the ball. チ as in “chimp“.

/tsu/

I havde three peanuts. ツ as in “peanuts“.

/te/

A cat’s tail. テ as in “tail“.

/to/

This is a tomahawk. ト as
in “tomahawk“.

/na/

Number 1, 2, and 3. ナ as
in “number“.

/ni/

I have two needles. ニ as
in “needles“.

/nu/

Look at my new dress! ヌ as in “new“.

/ne/

Balancing is never easy! ネ as in “never“.

/no/

He has a long nose. ノ as
in “nose“.

/ha/

Ha, ha, ha! I can’t stop laughing. ハ as in “ha“.

/hi/

This is my heel. ヒ as in
“heel“.

/hu/

A hook on a wall. フ as in
“hook“.

/he/

There is a haystack. ヘ as
in “haystack“.

/ho/

I’m holding a holy cross. ホ as in “holy“.

/ma/

Don’t drink too much Martini. マ as in “Martini“.

/mi/

Who is 3? Me! ミ as in “me“.

/mu/

Moo-moo move! ム as in “moo“.

/me/

I mended my pants. メ as
in “mended“.

/mo/

There are four monitors. モ as in “monitors“.

/ya/

A yacht in the sea. ヤ as
in “yacht“.

/yu/

I saw a U-boat. ユ as in
“U-boat“.

/yo/

I can yoga! ヨ as in “yoga“.

/ra/

This is a Japanese lantern. ラ as in “lantern“.

/ri/

This is her ribbon. リ as
in “ribbon“.

/ru/

Roots of an apple tree. ル as in “roots“.

/re/

Let’s go! レ as in “let’s“.

/ro/

We have a loaf of bread. ロ as in “loaf“.

/wa/

A wine glass. ワ as in “wine”
glass.

/wo/

Wow! He’s happy! ヲ as in
“wow“.

/nn/

Mmm Yammy! ン as in “mmm“.
(“mmm” with your mouth open, or “nnn“)

Those doggies are more relaxed in this Dog Cafe than the human customers.

While ago I wrote about cute “Cat Cafes” in Tokyo in “Rent-a-friend in Japan – Cat Cafes in Tokyo“.  If felines do not appeal, other establishments will rent you a rabbit, a ferret or even a beetle.

There are more than 150 companies in Tokyo which are licensed to hire out animals of various kinds and although beetles may be cheap, dogs are much more popular.

In Dog Cafes clients can meet different types of dogs and play with them.

First you pay a deposit and a hire fee. Then you are issued with a leash, some tissues and a plastic bag and given some advice on how to handle your new friend.

Kaori is a pretty waitress who regularly spends her Sunday afternoons with a Labrador. They go for a walk in the park if the weather is fine, or if it is wet they just snuggle up in front of the TV in her apartment.

Some people rent the dogs for longer periods and take them for walks or to the park.

“When I look into his eyes, I think he’s my dog,” Kaori told me. “But when I take him back to the shop, he runs away from me and starts wagging his tail when he sees the next customer. That’s when I know he’s only a rental dog.”

Chilling out after a hard day's work. I've been working like a dog...

Well, a fashion designer has come up with a more colourful way for worried women to blend into a busy street to elude a pursuer.

We’ve had mini-skirts, skorts, pencils and midis. Now there’s the vending machine skirt.

It’s definitely not the real thing, but Aya Tsukioka’s skirt doubles as a disguise to make the wearer look like a Coca Cola machine.

Aya Tsukioka’s skirt aims to make the wearer look like a Coca Cola vending machine…

Ms Tsukioka, 29, unveiled her design in Tokyo by claiming she hopes it will help ease women’s fear of crime.

She lifted a flap on the skirt to expose a large sheet of cloth printed with the familiar bright red Coca Cola logo.

By unfolding the sheet and stepping to the side of the street, she showed how a woman walking alone could hide behind it to outfox a potential attacker.

Aya Tsukioka unveils her design in Tokyo. She hopes it will help ease women’s fear of crime

Her deluxe model even boasts four sides for a more complete cover.

The experimental clothes designer has already sold 20 of the £400 hand-sewn vending machine skirts and it hoping to market the design worldwide.

She says the idea was inspired by a trick used by Japanese ninja assassins, who cloaked themselves in black blankets so they couldn’t be seen at night.

Tsukioka lifts a flap on the skirt to expose a large sheet of cloth printed with the familiar bright red Coca Cola logo

If the fizzy drink machine seems a little elaborate, not to mention impractical, she has also come up with the ‘manhole bag’ which is supposed to look like a sewer cover when you put it down so unwitting thieves walk right by without noticing it.

For children, she has a backpack that transforms into a fire hydrant.

While British women might prefer to take self-defence classes, Ms Tsukioka said: “It is just easier for Japanese to hide. Making a scene would be too embarrassing.”

She admits that making the switch from skirt to vending machine might prove a little tricky “especially when your hands are shaking”.

But she told the New York Times: “These ideas might strike foreigners as far-fetched, but in Japan, they can become reality.”

Tsukioka says the idea was inspired by a trick used by Japanese ninja assassins, who cloaked themselves in black blankets so they couldn’t be seen at night.

Still in doubt? Take a look at the Ninja skirt in action

If you are interested in seeing her other works, here the URL for her website (sorry, Japanese only at the moment – the English site is still under construction).
http://www.tucky7.com/

Japan's rent-a-pet business is booming despite the economic downturn.

Japan’s cat cafes lay on luxury accommodation for their felines In pictures Lola – or Rora – to give her a slightly more Japanese pronunciation – is a beauty and she knows it. Customers pay by the hour for her company. Usually they just want to stroke her, but as a special treat for favoured clients, she will lie back in a chair, close her eyes and pose for photographs.

This lady was a regular at one of Tokyo's biggest cat cafes, Nekobukuro, and knew every cat's name.

Lola is a Persian cat who works at the Ja La La Cafe in Tokyo’s bustling Akihabara district. It is one of a growing number of Cat Cafes in the city which provide visitors with short but intimate encounters with professional pets.

Cat cafes have broad appeal; this man was delighted with his photographic souvenir.

One of the customers, in his early 30s, was attempting to bond with an Oriental Longhair by means of a rubber mouse. Yutsuke, who speaks with a lisp, is normally rather shy with people. He longs for a cat of his own but frequent business trips make that difficult. Besides, he lives alone, so the Ja La La is his solution to the problem.

At another cat cafe, Nekorobi, luxury accommodation is laid on for the felines.

The right pet

It costs about £8 ($10) an hour to spend time in a Cat Cafe. Here’s the details of some Cat Cafes if you want to check them out yourself.

Cat Cafe Nekorobi – http://www.nekorobi.jp/english/
Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toyoshima-ku, Tokyo
Telephone : +81 (0)3 6228 0646
Open 11am – 11pm

Nekobukuro – http://www.petfirst.co.jp/amusement/ (Sorry, this site is in Japanese only)
Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toyoshima-ku, Tokyo
Telephone : +81 (0)3 3980 6111
Open 10am – 10pm

Neko JaLaLa – http://www.nekojalala.com/ (Sorry, this site is in Japanese only)
Akihabara, Tokyo, Japan
Telephone: +81 (0)3 3258 2525
Open 11am – 7pm

For those of you who are still interested in this worlds-most-perplexing-language, here’s a starter for you.  How to recognise and read the most basic of Japanese alphabets that is Hiragana. Have fun!

/a/

An antenna is on top of the roof. あ as in “antenna.”

/i/

There are two eels. い as in “eels.”

/u/

Ooo! This is heavy. う as in “Ooo!”

/e/

I have to exercise. え as in “exercise.”

/o/

A golf ball is on the green. お as in “on.”

/ka/

A kite is flying in the sky. か as in “kite.”

/ki/

I have a key. き as in “key.”

/ku/

Here comes a cuckoo bird. く as in “cuckoo.”

/ke/

There’s a keg of beer. け as in “keg.”

/ko/

A core of an apple is hard to eat. こ as in “core.”

/sa/

I love sake! さ as in “sake.”

/si/ (pronounced as /shi/)

She has a ponytail. し as in “she.”

/su/

Sooey, sooey! す as in “sooey.”

/se/

This is Senor Lopez. せ as in “senor.”

/so/

Zig-zag sewing. そ as in “sewing.”

/ta/

“t” and “a”
make ta. た as in “ta.”

/ti/ (pronounced as /chi/)

She is a cheerleader. ち as in “cheerleader.”

/tu/ (pronounced as /tsu/)

Tsunami is a tidal wave. つ as in “tsunami.”

/te/

The dog has a wagging tail. て as in “tail.”

/to/

Ouch! A nail is in my toe. と as in “toe.”

/na/

A nun is kneeling in front of a cross. な as in
“nun.”

/ni/

I have a needle and thread. に as in “needle.”

/nu/

Noodles and chopsticks. ぬ as in “noodles.”

/ne/

I caught a big fish in the net. ね as in “net.”

/no/

This means NO! の as in “No.”

/ha/

I live in a house. は as in “house.”

/hi/

He is on the wall. ひ as in “he.”

/hu/

I climbed Mt. Fuji. ふ as in “Fuji.”

/he/

There is a haystack. へ as in “haystack.”

/ho/

A house becomes a home with a satellite. ほ as
in “home.”

/ma/

Mama loves music. ま as in “mama.”

/mi/

Who is 21? Me! み as in “me.”

/mu/

Moo-moo more milk? む as in “moo.”

/me/

Chopsticks and noodles without mess. め as in “mess.”

/mo/

The more worms, the more fish. も as in “more.”

/ya/

I am sailing on a yacht. や as in “yacht.”

/yu/

Make a U-turn as quickly as you can! ゆ as in “U-turn.”

/yo/

Yoga is hard! よ as in “yoga.”

/ra/

I love steamy ramen noodles. ら as in “ramen.”

/ri/

I’ll give you a ribbon. り as in “ribbon.”

/ru/

Look at my loop! る as in “loop.”

/re/

Let’s race! れ as in “race.”

/ro/

I’m a roper! ろ as in “roper.”

/wa/

Wow! A magic wand! わ as in “wand.”

/wo/ (pronounced as /o/)

Whoa! A cheerleader is on my toe! を as in “whoa.”

/nn/ (pronounced like /ng/)

This is in the end. ん as in “end.”

Oh, and before you get angry with the content, it’s actually made by a Japanese person called Kenichi Tanaka, and is made in Japan for Japanese people.

The SOB building

The sign reads “Owner’s Build Naka Itabashi”.  I hope it is not a comment on the kind of guys who live there. Can you just imagine telling this address to your American friend?

ASS Building No. 3

I’d love to see what ASS buildings Nos. 1 and 2 are like.

I’ve got few more of these silly building names.  Let me know if you like them – I’ll put more up in the coming weeks.  Cheers!

Michelin-starred UK chef Heston Blumenthal may have created the infamous “Egg and Bacon” ice cream few yeas’ back but have a look at this snapshot of an ice cream shop in Japan.  They have Lamb Raisin Ice Cream!!!

This ice cream shop proudly displays a sign that says “Brand New Product – Lamb Raisin” on their counter.

What’s more, this super-exotic flavour seems to be catching on in Japan.  I found another example of it, this time ready-packed in a tab.

Doesn’t it just look so yummy?  It says “Street of Dreams – Original Ice Cream Created by the Patissier – Brewed and Matured Lamb Raisin”.

Do you fancy a taste?  Get the ticket to Japan quick!!!