They're doing what for Golden Week?
May. 6th, 2008 07:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbarkerThis morning's news had a short piece on what I have to consider a very strange new phenomenon here in Japan. Apparently during the last week -- which was a holiday week in Japan -- there have been street performances in Akihabara.
Akihabara, for those who are wondering, is the electonics sales area in Tokyo. If you want the latest and greatest electronics stuff, that's the place to go. So call it geek central for Tokyo. It has had maid cafes (the coffee shops with waitresses in French Maid outfits and definitely overdone service), and maybe that's sort of a precursor to the performances.
See, this week there were young ladies (or at least one) who did . . . I suppose one would have to call it a pole dance? On the street side. Which had been closed for the week, turning it into a large walking area.
They had video of one young lady, and she was wearing a miniskirt, but apparently posed with one leg hiked dramatically high so that the crowd could see her panties (blacked out on TV). And the video showed groups of men clicking cameras, and other people just staring. She was also passing out some kind of flyer after her display. If I understood correctly, the police arrested her shortly after that (spoilsports?).
So in response, there were men in green coats parading down the street with placards saying "No Performances In Akihabara." And other people in clown suits cleaning the streets, willing to tell the news people that they are not doing a performance, they are cleaning street. And a young man in a waist long wig, white blouse, and skirt wobbled through the crowd, even passing the police, without comment.
I gather that for some reason street performers have taken to pushing the limits this week, and discovered that some kinds of public display are not acceptable by the police. It sounded pretty confusing, frankly. Apparently you can't show off your panties, but it wasn't clear to me whether a bikini, for example, would set off the same reaction or not. Or was it the flyers?
No panty displays in Akihabara this week, though. Or maybe just virtual ones?
Akihabara, for those who are wondering, is the electonics sales area in Tokyo. If you want the latest and greatest electronics stuff, that's the place to go. So call it geek central for Tokyo. It has had maid cafes (the coffee shops with waitresses in French Maid outfits and definitely overdone service), and maybe that's sort of a precursor to the performances.
See, this week there were young ladies (or at least one) who did . . . I suppose one would have to call it a pole dance? On the street side. Which had been closed for the week, turning it into a large walking area.
They had video of one young lady, and she was wearing a miniskirt, but apparently posed with one leg hiked dramatically high so that the crowd could see her panties (blacked out on TV). And the video showed groups of men clicking cameras, and other people just staring. She was also passing out some kind of flyer after her display. If I understood correctly, the police arrested her shortly after that (spoilsports?).
So in response, there were men in green coats parading down the street with placards saying "No Performances In Akihabara." And other people in clown suits cleaning the streets, willing to tell the news people that they are not doing a performance, they are cleaning street. And a young man in a waist long wig, white blouse, and skirt wobbled through the crowd, even passing the police, without comment.
I gather that for some reason street performers have taken to pushing the limits this week, and discovered that some kinds of public display are not acceptable by the police. It sounded pretty confusing, frankly. Apparently you can't show off your panties, but it wasn't clear to me whether a bikini, for example, would set off the same reaction or not. Or was it the flyers?
No panty displays in Akihabara this week, though. Or maybe just virtual ones?
