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Every now and then I see copies of the newspaper where I work floating around town. Sometimes in the hands of commuters but more often at florist shops, where the English text makes stylish wrapping for flowers.

This dapper old man, however, had one tucked into the pocket of his white linen suit, as an accessory to his other accessory — a handkerchief in the breast pocket.

I see that  jono caught a really good photo of this fish in the Ginza while I was away from Tokyo:

The fish, and other nautically themed window displays and things began appearing just around July 15 — which is “Umi no Hi” (”Ocean Day,” which sounds a lot less military than the official “Marine Memorial Day”). The date marks the start of real summer. Here’s my aqua-set, as promised to jono:

Elections start this morning, so there’s been lots of activity recently.

The slogan on the top reads “Now it’s my turn.” This candidate (not the man with the camera) is running for  party that had been in power for over 50 years until they were deposed last year. The campaigners were handing out lots of literature, even to these Chinese tourists in the Ginza:

At a different hour another candidate stumps on a small truck in the Ginza. She’s an animal-rightist who believes that lives of humans, cats and dogs all have the same value.

Below is a campaign flyer for a well known inventor. He claims that looking through  the mask improves eyesight. Incindentally I once had lunch with this guy a decade ago. Back then he looked older than this mask shows him. I can’t imagine what he actually looks like now.

In Ueno:

In Yoyogi, they were removing posters from the campaign trucks on the eve of the election.

Ah, the excitement that the World Cup brings.  Even the tofu seller is wearing Samurai Blue

Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” has got to be one of the best pop songs ever. Is it just me or is there more than a touch of Leonard Cohen to it?

His songs, and Rainer Maria Rilke’s poems (like this one I mentioned a while ago) are among my favorite strings of words. Still, it was a surprise to learn that Gaga has got this Rilke verse tattooed on her body:

“In the deepest hour of the night, confess to yourself

that you would die if you were forbidden to write.

And look deep into your heart where it spreads its roots, the answer,

and ask yourself, must I write?”

“It is cheerful, friendly, conciliatory; it tells the faithful how they must proceed step by step to reach — if not the kingdom of Heaven — the moment in which their document is printed. It is catechistic: The essence of revelation is dealt with via simple formulae and sumptuous icons. Everyone has a right to salvation.”

That comes from this 1994 essay by Umberto Eco that always comes to mind when I have to use a Mac, like I did today of all days — the day that the iPad came to Tokyo. In the week when Apple passed Microsoft to become the most valuable techlogy company on the planet.