“Just for grins, I’ve translated Shinya Kusaka’s URA HELLO WORK. [...]

HELLO WORK is what Japanese call their unemployment office, where people go to find job listings. URA means ‘the dark side of.’ URA HELLO WORK basically means ‘grey-market’ jobs – things that are not entirely illegal, but everything is paid in cash, under the table.

Anyway, Shinya Kusaka interviewed twenty different people, each of which has a shady job! The 20 different jobs are arranged from least illegal to most illegal.

Anyway, this translation will be a regular feature on Tokyo Damage Report – every Monday, I’ll start off the work-week with a new chapter, and a new job for you guys to get!”

Here are the links to the individual chapters:

- Interview 1: Tuna fishing
- Interview 2: Human Lab Rat
- Interview 3: Publishing Broker
- Interview 4: Nuclear waste cleaner
- Interview 5: Locksmith
- Interview 6: Door-to-Door newspaper sales
- Interview 7: Cult member
- Interview 8: Out-of-court settlement negotiator
- Interview 9: Toxic waste disposer
- Interview 10: Korobiya – Drug Courier
- Interview 11: Sokaiya
- Interview 12: New Hida’s prostitute
- Interview 13: [Missing?]
- Interview 14: Uncensored porno shop owner
- Interview 15: Con man
- Interview 16: Night escaper
- Interview 17: Marijuana cultivator
- Interview 18: Forgery creator
- Interview 19: Loan Shark (Yamikin)
- Interview 20: Internal organ broker

Go ahead, try in fullscreen mode, you know you want to.

- Download (via blogs.com)

It covers 50 years of otaku history in 40 minutes. From the original 60’s science fiction/space battle otaku to the 00’s maid café/Moe otaku.

…over at the Tokyo Damage Report !

Yes, even in this day and age some sites don’t have RSS feeds – it’s probably because unlike 90% of the internets they aren’t some crappy blog, but sites with actual content.

I used feed43.com to create a custom feeds for Midnight Eye: “The latest and best in Japanese cinema – interviews, features, film reviews, book reviews, calendar of events and DVD releases”, the site about Japanese cinema that *does* live up to its tagline.

Midnight Eye RSS
 

Akihabara has apparently become too famous for it’s own sake : it is now alienating the very otaku that made it what it is. The big money is here : corporations are reshaping the neighborhood, massive uniformisation is underway and akiba is progressively loosing what made it unique. Otaku never intended to be part of the mainstream, they just wanted a place of their own, and if Macias is right on this, it won’t be long before they have to look elsewhere for it.

There isn’t anything in term of content on the new site yet (apart from the manifesto), but it already has a gold mine : the Neomarxisme Archive. It is a page featuring the best articles and essays from David Marx’s old blog neomarxism, arranged by subject matter. There are some good reads in there about everything Japanese, such as:

- Japanese culture aka “Gross National Cool” taking over the world (or failling to do so ?)
- Why everyone really hates the ganguro
- Saaya Irie and the underage “idol” obsession
- The underbelly of Japanese politics : Uyoku the “black trucks” yakuza-based right wing groups or Shinzo Abe and his Class A war criminal grandfather Kishi Nobusuke
- Why it’s “cute” for gaijin tarento (in this case Leah Dizon) to speak adorably broken Japanese
- The otaku boom
- The gaijin complex : all foreigners with interest in Japan hate all the other foreigners with interest in Japan
- Japanese universities : “fun time” before a life of dull employment ?

And of course David Marx’s personal obsession: CanCam, the number one fashion magazine in Japan.

Sometimes the articles are just a starting point and the most interesting part is the discussion that follows.

Best Okonomiyaki I’ve ever had ! (note that I won’t make the uninformed claim that this is “the best Okonomiyaki restaurant in Tokyo”, but it was oh-so-truly delicious). The place is in Fudomae (不動前), on the Tokyu Meguro Line just in front of one of the station’s exit, 2F, real easy to find.
 
 

This is a lunch menu from Baker Bounce in Sangenjaya (google map link). It’s a burger/dinner place, seems their burgers are pretty well reputed, there was a queue the whole time I was there, and they’ve also opened a new branch in Toyko Midtown. This specific burger has an extra patty (I told you I was weak), but next time I’m going to skip the bacon, because it is not added as a topping but ingrained inside the patty, that was a little too much for me.
 
 

A Bibimba/Yakiniku set (somewhere near Yokosuka), was so hungry I started eating before taking the picture.
 
 

Going to Japan without eating at CoCoIchi = FAIL
 
 

Chin-ma-ya ! A chinese chain. This was a real discovery for me, I’m a curry freak and CocoIchi addict, but Chinmaya almost dethrone CocoIchi as my favorite chain. I had the chili tofu with rice, the spiciness is just right: strong but not overwhelming, great! And you can actually delude yourself into thinking this is healthy food. They also serve spicy ramen.

I stumbled upon that outlet on hakuzan dori, but there others in Ginza and Akihabara.
 
 

Yup, I tried the Mega-Teriyaki while in Tokyo, I’m that kind of morally bankrupt individual. No picture of the beast, but the ad picture is pretty accurate (accurate fast food pictures can probably be added to the only-in-japan list).
 
 

Giant Pocky ! These are from Narita airport, never saw them anywhere else, maybe they’re only available in Narita ? About 1000¥ a box.
 
 

The much blogged about cucumbered-flavored pepsi. Seven Eleven was the only kombini that seem to have it. Tasted really nice, like sweet/sugary melon with a green (?) aftertaste.
 
 
Some flavor du jour KitKats

Yubari Melon KitKat

Maccha Milk (green tea and milk I suppose) KitKat. They couldn’t resist giving it a camouflage texture.

Sakura ? Peach ?
 
And if you (as I) are not in Japan and want to learn about all the KitKat fun you are missing, the Nestle Japan website is right here. Current flavor include Yubari melon, lemon and kiwi.