I’m just another foreigner living in Japan. I live in South Tokyo just outside of the huge ex-pat community. I hope that what you find here in these pages will be useful, informative, entertaining, or some combination of the three. And, if you have anything you’d like to share, feel free. I, for one, enjoy learning new things and hope to learn something from everyone who has something they want to share here. So come on in, browse, and share.
George Carlin: You Are all Diseased – 1999 (Part 4 of 7)
The following made the national headlines in Japan today, October 22nd. Is there another country in the world where such stories make national headlines? Other national headlines today in Japan included ones on the recent gang-rape of a Japanese girl by US Marines and a cop being stabbed in Chiba Prefecture.
Hobby horse collapses at park leaving girl with injuries
OSAKA — A teenage girl was slightly injured after a hobby horse at a playground collapsed over the weekend.
According to police, a hobby horse at Sumieoka Park in Osaka’s Sumiyoshi-ku collapsed at its spring-buffer base when a 13-year-old junior high girl was riding it at around 4:35 p.m. on Sunday.
The girl, who lives near the park, was thrown off the device and suffered injuries to her head and shoulders. The Osaka Municipal Government, which administers the park, banned the use of another similar device at the park after the accident until it can be investigated.
The attraction, made of reinforced plastic, is meant to be used by toddlers and young schoolchildren, park officials said. It was installed in the park in 2000 and has undergone monthly inspections, the officials said.
According to police, the girl was visiting the park with her family. She was quoted as telling police that the device collapsed after she bounced on it two or three times.” The spring-buffer base was rusted, police said.
The body of the ride stands at about 53 centimeters tall, while the spring-buffer base stood at about 35 centimeters in height, according to the park officials.
（Mainichi Japan） October 22, 2007
This is definitely a nation obsessed with safety precautions and children. Here, every child is believed to be cute and special. Yeah, there are problems with child abuse, but one only needs to watch some TV commercials with children singing jingles for products like health insurance and pain relievers to understand just how much people love childish things here.
More people here need to check out some George Carlin on the topic of children. See the You Tube link above
Filed under: Commentary, News-Japan
I like the way they list the measurements of the thing, as if everyone really wants to know.
You’re right, the Japanese do worship their kids.
You only have to teach kids for a few minutes to realize they ain’t all cute!