Murderer Gets 15 Years in Prison

Image: Japanese public education poster about jury duty.

We in the United States may begrudge jury duty, but (speaking as an American) I can't imagine how the American justice system would ever function without it.

Japan has not had a jury system since 1943. Instead of a jury, panels of 3 or more judges would hear cases, decide guilt or innocence, and sentence the guilty. But the jury system was reintroduced by legislation in 2004. I was living in Japan at the time and can recall the public education effort, in the form of posters and TV commercials.

Now finally the first trial by jury in 66 years in Japan has ended, resulting in a verdict of "guilty" for a 72 year-old man accused of fatally stabbing his 66 year-old neighbor. But what I thought was remarkable was the punishment: 15 years in prison. The family of the victim wanted 20 years. I am surprised that no one asked for the death penalty, which does exist in Japan.

Gals and Gyarus

About ten or fifteen years ago in Tokyo, a fashion trend started which involved very, very deep tans, bleached blond hair, pastel makeup, platform boots, and a an f*-it-all attitude. Devotees to this fashion were called "Gyaru," after the English word "gal." The Gyaru eventually split up in to diverse sub-subcultures such as the "Kogyaru," "Ogyaru," and "Yamamba," the differences between which could be understood only by one immersed in their culture.

Now, weirdly, the Gyaru culture has crossed over into... Britain.

left: A Japanese Gyaru. Right: A British Gyaru.

Teeny hotel rooms

$1.71 per square foot, per night.

$1.76 per square foot, per night.

Those are the rates you would pay at two different New York hotels. The only difference is, at the $1.76 rate, you can buy only about 56 square feet of space. At $1.71, the minimum room size is about 500 square feet of space.

"Micro hotel rooms" are not new -- but they are attracting more attention as a business model in recessionary times.