JAPANESE MEN:
EMBRACING THE JOYS OF
SHOPPING AND CUPCAKES
THE ‘GIRLY
MEN’ ARE
BIG IN JAPAN
Japan Thanks to David
Beckham, the metrosexual
man is alive and kicking in the UK
– and now Japan is getting in on
the act too. The country has seen
a rapid rise in soshokukei danshi aka
‘girly men’. Men who aren’t gay, but
who according to fashion designer
Shinya Yamaguchi, 23, “want to live
their lives their own way”. They
have a disdain for traditional,
macho Japanese manhood, instead
preferring to spend time shopping.
They view women as friends not
conquests, have humble jobs rather
than high-powered careers and enjoy
eating cakes, which is seen in Japan
as a profoundly feminine hobby.
A CHEAP
RESTING PLACE
US Retail giant Walmart
is famed for its many cut
price bargains, but its newest
products have raised eyebrows.
Cheap (but not so cheerful) coffins
are now on sale. Available in 14
designs, from the appropriately titled
‘Dad Remembered’ to the bizarre
‘Sienna Bronze’, Walmart coffins aim
to give other funeral homes a run for
their money. Bargain priced caskets
range from $895 (£560) to $2,899
(£1,811), which, compared with the
average coffin pice of $2,000 (£1,225)
doesn’t look so grave. Coffins
are delivered within 48 hours.
Manufacturers the Star Legacy
Funeral Network said the response
after the coffins launched in October,
has been better than they, or
Walmart, expected.
DON'T FORGET TO BUY
A COFFIN NEXT TIME
YOU'RE AT THE SUPERMARKET
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ELSEW HER E
LOVE BEER?
YOU’LL LOVE THIS
Austria Think health spa
and steaming saunas,
pampering pedicures and fancy
facials come to mind. Not in Tarrenz,
Austria. Located in a 700-year-old
castle, bosses at Starkenberger
brewery and spa resort have filled
pools with 42,000 pints of lager,
claiming the beer can treat skin
conditions, aid blood circulation
and even help to heal wounds. The
seven 13ft lager-lakes are chilled or
heated, by request. Rather than
drinking their own bath water,
swimmers can have a pint at the
poolside bar. “These pools can help
some health problems,” says barman,
Markus Amann. “But if not, you’ll
have drunk enough not to care.” Fair
point, but Champneys isn’t worried.
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BRIEFING�IN�ONE�
COMPACT�PAGE
SHE WAS UNSURE
ABOUT THE NEW
BEER HAIR TREATMENT
IN THE LUXURY
DOG HOUSE
Taiwan To stay at Taiwan’s
latest luxury hotel hot-spot
you’ll need to be of a different
pedigree altogether. To ease the
problem of the 180,000 stray dogs
dumped by owners in the city of
Taipei, two hotel proprietors have
opened a brand new exclusive pad
for pooches. The hotel offers an
alternative to owners who lack the
time or space to look after their pet
dogs. For $14 (£8.50) a day, plus food,
which is considered affordable to the
average Taipei family, guests at Pet’s
Dream Park paddle their paws in
an indoor pool and are groomed at
a beauty salon. Nervous dogs get
their own VIP rooms at no extra
cost. The hotel follows the lead
of Taiwan’s Little Treasure Pet
Lodging And Comfort School,
which takes dogs for nature
walks and encourages
them to listen to stories
to help improve their
moods. We know what
we’d like to come
back as.
“TODAY I'D LIKE TO SWIM IN
THE POOL, THEN HAVE MY
NAILS CLIPPED”
LIGHTS OUT
IN INDIANA
US From cheaper clothes to
fewer nights out, everyone
spends frugally in a recession, but
Merrillville, US is taking extreme
measures. The
north-western
Indiana town has
turned off half
the lights on its
major streets in
a bid to cut
electricity
costs. Council
officials claim
they had no
choice after
they received
a huge
electric
bill of
$400,000 (£243,724).
They have decided to turn off
FOR SALE: CHRISTMAS LIGHTS,
ONE CAREFUL OWNER, WOULD
SUIT SMALL TOWN
alternate street lights (and Christmas
lights) but leave the lights on at main
intersections and road points where
it would otherwise be unsafe.
Councillors say the 1,600 streetlights
cost over $15,500 (£9,445) a month.
Presumably torch sales have shot up.
RED MEANS STOP,
UNLESS YOU'RE
IN BULGARIA
TOO FAST, TOO
DANGEROUS
Bulgaria If you thought The
Fast And The Furious was
just a flashy film plot, think again.
A worrying new trend is sweeping
through Sofia in Bulgaria, where cars
speed through red lights for a
�5,000 (£4,482) bet. The fearless
drivers are informed via text
messages of the venue for that night,
then they must whizz through traffic
lights at busy intersections at top
speed and not crash into any other
cars or pedestrians. Known as
‘Russian Roulette’, the life-threatening
sport has already killed two people.
Despite the deaths and multiple
arrests, participants have not
been deterred. This is one bet
we won't be taking, thanks.
WORDS��SCARLETT�RUSSELL���PHOTOGRAPHS��CORBIS��GETTY�IMAGES
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