Hello from Japan, now with 50% more volcanic eruptions than before!
The big news in Japan right now is the sudden hospitalization of Prime Minister Obuchi, who suffered a stroke and has slipped into a coma Monday. Mr. Obuchi has had a rough couple of years as he tried to move the country through rough economic and political waters. Hailing from Gunma Prefecture, not too far from where we are, he’s been a good example of Japanese-style leadership — rather a strong leader, he’s been a consensus-builder, something more important to Japan than Clinton-esque Presidential political figures. It’s a rough time to lose the head of government, especially with the ongoing eruption of Mt. Usu in Hokkaido.
For Americans, the parliamentary form of government used by Japan (which is modeled after the UK, I believe) can be downright confusing — kind of like a soccer fan trying to understand the rules of American football. When I was on the plane to come to Japan back in 1992, the Prime Minister had just dissolved the Diet for some reason or another. I was concerned — if Clinton suddenly dissolved the Congress, there’d be civil war, tanks in the streets of Washington, machine-gun fire. Over the years, I’ve learned more about the Japanese political process, and even helped out on one political campaign (having a white boy among your staff really turns voters’ heads). Despite its differences from the American system, I do like the “grass roots” feel of democracy
For tonight’s update, we’ve got:
- First, a slew of new in-stock videos, on the in-stock videos page, including Deep Kiss, Miura Aika, Kano Mizuho, and the cat-like Hirosue Nao
- For fans of the excellent Soft on Demand videos, we’ve got three new “zamen” (sperm-centric/bukkake) video offerings (see in-stock and special order video pages)
- Several all-new gouka-bon books on the S&M/Fetish photobook page
- New DVDs from the excellent new “Gallery” collection, including titles by Wakana Sena, Misaki Mao and Hitomi Ryo — with multi-angle viewing and a ‘secret key’ hidden features on the disc
- Lower prices on tons of manga, magazines and videos
- Finally, for the fun-loving, funny Japanese hachimaki headbands, with slogans like “Looking for a girlfriend” “I’m ‘H'” and more! (see them on the Japanese T-shirt page)
Incidentally, the reference to “not by the hair of my chinny chin-chin” generated a lot of mail, so I thought I’d explain it: in Japanese, chin chin is a child’s word for penis, similar to “chinpoko.” Therefore the meaning is quite different from the original ^_^
