Clever Turtles

In a bizarre exhibition, a Japanese broadcaster arranged an exhibition match where a Korean kickboxer held back-to-back matches with three male entertainers. Of course, the public reaction is far more interesting than the actual match.

It is easy to see why Im Su-jong was chosen as the female combatant in this "battle-of-the-sexes" match. She is gorgeous and has delicate, feminine features, and in fact has an acting career. Not to mention she's a bantamweight. Perfectly girly to play the female role in the battle-of-the-sexes.

After reading about some of the assholes spouting bullshit about the Japan earthquake, I was curious to see how the event was covered in North Korea. After all, pretty much no one hates Japan as much as the DPRK. So, I turned to Asia's finest news source, the Rodong Sinmun.

When I found this article, my initial reaction was that it was just another example of how crass the sports dailies can be.

But I gave it a second thought, and I think my first reaction was a bit too harsh. The truth is that it is an event that is both distant and of such great scope that it is difficult to see as something other than an abstraction. To associate a familiar face, an entertainer in the public eye, really may be a way to relate, and come to terms with this far-off tragedy.

The article makes more sense if you understand that "working in a bar" in Japan is essentially being a sex worker.

here from the Maeil Kyongjae, picked up from The Marmot's Hole.

The daughter of a Chinese military officer working in a bar in Japan . . . Real identity?

News that the daughters of Chinese military officers are working in high class bars in Japan has become controversial.

NY Times has an article about the recent move of coffee hipsters towards japanese hand-pour products.

What really drew my attention was the last sentence: "Already, a few of the same people who once traveled to Tokyo and Kyoto are now talking and posting on Twitter about a country that draws on a variety of traditions, an emerging coffee culture that might also have something to teach us: Korea."

I had to post this just because I learned a funny new bit of internet slang:

배이글녀 (Baeigul-nyo): Baby-face + Glamorous body + woman (nyo)

Original here, from Sports Seoul. Man, got to love the sports weeklies and the high level of journalism they promote.

Even Queen of breasts Hoshino Aki, anorexic?

Sports Seoul.com, Kim Hye-sik reporting

Rumors are circulating that Japan's original Baeigul-nyo Hoshino Aki (34) is suffering from an extreme degree of anorexia.

The original, from Yonhap's Tokyo bureau via Han'guk Ilbo.

Japanese sumo wrestler, confirmed involvement in match fixing

There is an increasing uproar over the news that Japanese sumo wrestlers participated in match fixing, reported local media Yomiuri Shimbun and Tokyo Shimbun on the 3rd.

The Japan Sumo Association reported that "it is true that [active wrestler Chiyohakuhō Daiki, 27] has fixed fights."

I might have mentioned it before, but the American live-action adaptation of "Akira" is apparently in pre-production. My gut feeling is that the movie is going to suck dick like Jose (I was able to restrain myself from the mom-joke).

Article on the rising suicide rate in the Japanese Self Defense Forces, courtesy of the Christian Science Monitor.

I would be curious to find out if there is some sort of hyper-masculinization of the culture within the JSDF, given their lack of power (based on the Constitution of Japan) in contrast to Japan's martial history. The article mentions one death specifically linked to a hazing ritual.

Amazon.com Drops Japanese Simulation Video Game Featuring Rape, Abortion

Massive online retailer Amazon.com has dropped its listing for a controversial Japanese video game called Rapelay that involves raping women and forcing them to have abortions. The so-called "rape simulator" game was sold on the web site and included a graphic description of the gameplay.

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Gaming web sites that have reviewed the simulation describe the "tears glistening in the young girl's eyes" as the player attacks her in graphic detail.

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