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Issue 43 - July 1996 City Snippets |
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Issue 43 - July 1996 City Snippets |
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A pair of shrewd entrepreneurs are currently benefiting from the demise of the previously reported on J-men show. Sensing a market in the hard core fans post J-men depression, these sympathetic souls have introduced a bizarre Friday night event where the fans reunite to view videos of the throbbing bods while sipping cocktails, clapping, chanting and generally reliving the ambience of the defunct show. After the video, tears were dutifully shed on learning that even this residual happening will cease at the end of July, when the last of their heroes move on. One lad proved to have more talent than just getting his kit off, by playing an acoustic set of covers and his own songs, all of which were good, and were, of course, met by more tearful adoration. At 10 o¹clock, the crowd reluctantly shuffled off to get through another week without their icons. SB 50,000,000yen was spent converting Sams old "Bolero" into the short lived "J-Man do kokutaidori" bar - much of it on a state of the art sound and video system giving Chandu the best wired basement this side of Nakasu. Problem is it's full of J-men junk- Jeans, boots, opera top hats (with the collapsible tops) and a variety of other more exotic items modesty forbids us mentioning . Chandu is open to offers, so call him if you want your fancy tickled. NM Three Thursdays a month, I dutifully peddle from Minami-ku to Mushiroda, past the airport, for taiko drumming lessons which commence at 12.30. I always stop on the road just outside the airport's perimeter to watch departing or arriving planes surge over my head. It's exhilarating to watch unfathomable aerodynamics at work. I never really believe these massive steel hulks are going to make it into the air; sometimes they don't. June 13th was the one Thursday this month that taiko wasn't on, so I wasn't in my usual position at the end of the runway, marveling at my dare devillry in flirting with death yet again. This is just as well, as the evidence suggests my flirting might have been violently consumated by a DC 10 in the kisser.
With macabre interest, I decided to go to the crash site and have a gander. Wreckage was strewn from the end of the runway, across the road and about 500 meters through a field to the shell of the plane which looked remarkably as though a titan with serious dragon breath had taken a colossal chomp out of the middle of it. Hundreds of rescue workers and military were milling around or plucking piles of unrecognizable debris from the remains of the craft. Half a dozen media helicopters buzzed around like mosquitoes and clumps of civilians posed in front of the wreckage for memorial snapshots. As I cycled off, I noticed a farmer in the adjoining field in the back of his four wheel drive, surrounded by bags of fertilizer, looking perplexed as he talked into his mobile phone. SB Gleaner Contributor and Cross FM DJ Trey Burley is running the Yamakasa this year (15th July). He will be running with Higashi Nagare, the first foreigner to represent this team. Joining a Yamagasa team is a matter of knowing the right people in your community and being taken along and introduced - there is no official place you can go and register. There are three official practices. Running will cost “20,000, mainly, as far as we can discern, for beer. He hasn't been fitted for his shime-komi (nappy) yet - apparantly some gaijin are so hairy they have to shave their butt lest the bring disgrace to the whole team - he tells us this won't be a problem and that he is open to accepting advertising if you know a good tattooist.. Running the Yamagasa is considered to be THE way of improving your menial Japanese.
Good luck Trey.. With Sue Butler & NM
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