Super Japan News

[SatoriOne]

Monta Mino is a Machine

The hardest working man in the Japanese entertainment industry has again broken the record for most hours of live television in one week, a whopping 22 hours and 15 seconds back in April. Monta Mino has accumulated such hours by regularly hosting 11 TV programs. If you were to factor in his pre-recorded television appearances his weekly average total comes to about 35 hours. Not bad for a 63 year old. Last week his feat was recognized with a Guinness World Record certificate.

Misc:

Mino is living proof of the notion that there is no such thing as celebrity overexposure in Japan. His 40 year showbiz resume is unprecedented. It could quite possibly shame any other entertainer in to retirement.

Not suprisingly Mino is the highest paid TV-star in Japan.

He is the host of the Japanese version "Who Wants to be a Millionaire". Thanks to him the English catch phrase "Final Answer" has entered the Japanese lexicon.

Additional info:

AP News : Arts Weekend : Features : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)

[SatoriOne]

New Tokyo Tower Becomes Tokyo Sky Tree

To meet the city's future demand for digital broadcasting, NTT and five other broadcasters are working together to erect a massive 610m tower on the east side of Tokyo. Until recently the project was called the New Tokyo Tower. However a vote was held and it has now become the Tokyo Sky Tree. Pretty lame if you ask me. They should have gone with the second place name of Tokyo Edo Tower. Construction will begin next month and end in December of 2011.

Misc:

If completed as scheduled, the Tokyo Sky Tree will be the largest free standing tower in the world. The CNN tower in Toronto currently holds the title at 533m.

If completed today it would be the worlds tallest structure. However, that honor will go to the Burj Dubai which is to be completed next year. That skyscraper is planned to reach an incredible 818m.

Tokyo Sky Tree will make Tokyo Tower look like a small fry with its 277m height advantage.

Additional info:

World's tallest communications tower to be 'Tokyo Sky Tree'

[SatoriOne]

Quake Hits Iwate Prefecture

The Japanese archipelago is again struck by a natural disaster, this time in the prefecture of Iwate in the north of Honshu. The 6.8 quake caused 5 reported deaths and a power outage to 29,000 residences. The goverment responded quickly by sending in troops and police officials to search for survivors.

Misc:

One of the victims was killed after running out his house during the quake. He was hit by a truck.

The earthquake was felt as far away as Tokyo. I can vouch for that because it woke me up this morning.

This earthquake was not nearly as devastating as the Kobe disaster of 1995 in which 6,400 people died.

Additional Info:

5 dead as quake shakes northern Japan - Asia-Pacific - MSNBC.com

[SatoriOne]

Suicide by Hydrogen Sulfide

Another young woman in Kochi Prefecture committed suicide today by using Hydrogen Sulfide. Several people were evacuated to a gym to avoid exposure to the toxic fumes produced by the deadly concotion. Dating back to last year this method of suicide has become increasingly popular in Japan because of the painless and effective manner in which the person dies. Unfortunately, it has also caused several other related deaths because the fumes linger and can kill rescuers.

Misc:

This method is fast replacing Carbon Monoxide poisoning (tailpipe with hose affixed that feeds to the inside of a car) as the prefered way of commiting suicide in Japan.

Instructions for how to commit suicide with Hydrogen Sulfide are available on several websites.

Hydrogen Sulfide fumes by themselves are harmless. It is only when the chemical is mixed with certain common household products that it becomes lethal.

Additional Info:

Briquettes are out, hydrogen sulfide in as latest suicide method

[SatoriOne]

Few Deaths in Tohoku Quake

The death toll for the recent earthquake has risen to 9 people. Moreover, the amount of buildings destroyed total 12. This is in stark contrast to the Great Hanshin earthquake that occured in 1995. Both of these quakes measures 6.8 on the moment magnitude scale, however in Hanshin 6,434 people lost their lives (mostly in Kobe) on top of 200 billion dollars in property damage.

Experts believe the region's sturdy buildings prevented collapses during the shaking. This is because most buildings in the area adhere to the Building Standards Law that calls for structures to withstand earthquakes of the upper 6 point range. The local architecture is also robust as a means to deal with the heavy snowfall that occurs every winter in the northern Japan.

Other reasons for the low death toll include the time of the disaster. It was at 8:43 in the morning when most people were at home. This quake also had a low seismic wave frequency (1.0) which is less destructive than the higher frequency of 1.5 sec.

Misc:

During and after earthquakes that occur in cities, most people die from building collapses and the resultant gas leaks and fires.

Japan has the strictest earthquake building regulations in the world due to the high frequency of seismic activity throughout the entire country.

The Tohoku Earthquake was much smaller and less devastating than the recent Sichuan Earthquake in China. By comparison that quake measured 8.0 on the moment magnitude scale.

Additional Info:

Building damage surprisingly low : National : DAILY YOMIURI ONLINE (The Daily Yomiuri)