Some weird and, ummm, wonderful Japanese news!

[Todd M]

In the Daily Mainichi today, this was the most viewed Article and hella funny. Getting better than an article the other day about a drug which can give a man up to 43 (I could be wrong it was in the 40's) hours of hard relief (You take a guess at what that is).

 

40% of Japanese men sit down to pee, survey shows

 

About 40 percent of adult Japanese men sit on the toilet to urinate -- a staggering figure almost three times the number recorded in 1999 -- according to a survey by Western-style toilet manufacturer Matsushita Electric Works Ltd.

 

The survey of 518 men and an identical number of women whose ages ranged from their 30s to 50s showed that the younger the man, the more likely he is to sit down while peeing instead of the traditional method of standing up.

 

The 40 percent of men who sit while urinating is almost three times more than the 15 percent of men who did so when the company first started surveying toilet habits in 1999.

 

"Women hate it when urine sprays, so there appears to be an increasing number who are asking men to sit down on the toilet when they have to go," a Matsushita Electric Works spokesman said.

 

Matsushita Electric Works noticed the increasing tendency for Japanese men to sit on the toilet while urinating and started three years ago to accommodate the trend in such ways as designing toilet seats with larger holes.

 

The survey showed that 46 percent of men in their 30s sat while weeing, 38 percent of men in their 40s did so and 37 percent of men in their 50s also followed the trend. Matsushita believes mothers getting their young children to sit on the toilet when they urinate are also getting their partners to adopt the same practice.

Source - http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 8000c.html

 

 

[Todd M]

Moved this topic to General Chit Chat from the Golden Wing Club as tose forums will proabably disappear.

 

Japanese astronaut to test whether boomerang comes back in space

 

 

Two paper boomerangs that Togai made for Doi.

 

Japanese astronaut Takao Doi is set to throw a boomerang inside the International Space Station in March to test how it flies, after receiving training from a world boomerang champion, it has been learned.

 

It is thought that gravity is necessary for a boomerang to return to the throwing spot, but it remains unknown how boomerangs fly in space. Doi plans to throw a paper boomerang during a break in construction and other work at Japan's Kibo testing room at the International Space Station in March.

 

The 53-year-old astronaut decided to test the boomerang after receiving a request from Yasuhiro Togai, 36, a world boomerang champion from Osaka Prefecture who later gave Doi some training.

 

Togai had been interested in space since he was young, and when he was 18 he visited a NASA facility. After seeing the Space Shuttle before liftoff, he became interested in traveling into space.

 

Later, Togai started participating in boomerang competitions, and he took the No. 1 spot at the world championships in Hokkaido in 2006. He came to the conclusion that it would be difficult to travel to space himself, but he thought "I at least want to see a boomerang fly in space," and contacted the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), whose space education center head Yasunori Matogawa introduced him to Doi.

 

In the autumn of 2006, Togai visited JAXA's Tsukuba Space Center in Ibaraki Prefecture, and gave Doi instructions on boomerang throwing. Doi's skills soon improved.

 

Matogawa noted that astronaut Mamoru Mori flew a paper plane in a shuttle in 1992, but said nobody has tried to throw a boomerang in space.

 

"It's an interesting idea that could enable us to learn how things fly in zero gravity from a scientific viewpoint as well," he said.

 

Togai made a practice boomerang and a proper boomerang for Doi and sent them to JAXA.

 

"It's really overwhelming that a boomerang will go to space instead of me. I wonder whether it will come back or float upwards or go somewhere else. I'm really excited," Togai said.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 3000c.html

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Moved this topic to General Chit Chat from the Golden Wing Club as tose forums will proabably disappear.

That's right, it will no longer exist once the upgrade is made.

 

 

[Guest g_i_jack029]

hahahaha, i'd nearly take a crap standing up in one of those countrys, but i think japan is pretty good with there $hitters, press a button and you can get ur butt warmed.

 

and who, apart from that proffesional boomerang thrower would think of something like that, i am a space NUTT also. but thats... thinking outside the rhombus.

 

yes absolute astronomy and space nutt, got the telescope out (MEADE DS-114, getting a bit old yes)

 

whipp her out on a clear night, pull out a list stacked of NGC and Messier objects.

 

and have a fun night searching for nebulas(emmision,reflection and planetary), globular clusters, open clusters and galaxys.

 

yes i love my aviation and astronomy

 

 

[Robbo]

oh people im eating a beef pie and drinking apple juice at the moment :(

 

 

[Todd M]

Toymaker introduces bubble bath in form of cash for 'rich bathing experience'

 

 

Bandai's cash-shaped 'Bubbly Bubble Bath'

 

Japanese toy manufacturer Bandai has giving a new shade of meaning to the phrase "splash out" by introducing bubble-bath tablets shaped like banknotes.

 

The bubble-bath tablets go on sale in mid-February, and the maker hopes they'll give people a rich bathing experience

 

"We want people to enjoy a luxurious feeling, as if they're in a bath of cash," a company representative introducing the product said.

 

Packets of the bubble-bath agent contain 10 tablets made in the form of "100,000 yen" notes, 10 times Japan's biggest denomination of 10,000 yen. When left to float in the bath, the tablets fizz away, creating bubbles.

 

Bandai plans to sell the product, dubbed "Bubbly Bubble Bath" through convenience stores and other shops, aiming to notch up sales of 300,000 packets by the end of March.

 

Click here for the original Japanese story

 

（Mainichi Japan） February 3, 2008

Source - http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 9000c.html

 

 

[Todd M]

Controversy arises over police crackdown on Iwate 'naked festival'

 

OSHU, Iwate -- Controversy has arisen over a festival at a temple here in which one participant holding a central role traditionally appears completely naked, with police threatening for the first time to take action against any acts of public indecency.

 

The Somin Festival, held at Kokusekiji Temple in Oshu, features men in loincloths who participate in scrambles for a sack called "sominbukuro." Every year one participant who plays the central role in the festival appears completely naked, in line with tradition.

 

This year, however, police said that appearing naked constitutes public indecency, and added that they would take action against such behavior.

 

The threat has met resistance from some of the 16 managers of the festival who say that they will "protect tradition" even if it means getting arrested.

 

In the festival, one designated participant appears naked and climbs the lattice of the temple's main hall with a knife in his mouth. When the sominbukuro sack comes close, he jumps down on top of the crowd of men and, after glaring in four directions, he slices the sack open, bringing the scramble to a climax.

 

Originally, all of the participants were naked, but the number of female spectators increased and some participants took part for the purpose of flashing their private parts, prompting temple officials several years ago to rule that people were not to appear naked outside of the festival, and that ordinary participants should wear loincloths. However, it still permitted for the participant playing the central role to show up stark naked.

 

Police said they could not allow activities that were against the law.

 

"It may have been thought that it was silently approved because it was a religious ritual, but if there are actions that run counter to the law, our stance of taking the action that we should take does not change," a police representative said. The representative added that because the festival had spectators it was of a public nature.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 4000c.html

 

Garlic chocolates an instant Valentine's Day hit? Don't hold your breath

 

The "black garlic chocolate" product being sold ahead of Valentine's Day is pictured on Feb. 7.TAKKO, Aomori -- A company in the Aomori prefecture town of Takko, one of Japan's top garlic producing regions, is testing the limits of good taste ahead of Valentine's Day with an unusual product -- garlic chocolate.

 

The product, called "black garlic chocolate" contains locally-produced fermented black garlic, covered with chocolate and sprinkled with cocoa powder.

 

Local company Takko Shoji had been developing the product from the end of last year, saying it wanted people to become more relaxed about eating garlic. After many trials, it was finally able to match black garlic, which has a sweet-and-sour taste resembling prunes, with the bittersweet taste of chocolate.

 

Boxes containing three of the chocolates are being sold for 600 yen apiece. The chocolates can also be bought over the Internet.

 

Recipients on Valentine's Day may worry about how their breath will smell after eating the chocolates, but company officials don't seem worried.

 

"If both people eat them, there'll be no problem," a representative of the business said.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 9000c.html

 

 

[Todd M]

Junior high school begins revision classes using Nintendo DS

 

 

Elementary school students use the game consoles in lessons ahead of their entry into junior high school, at Wada Junior High School in Tokyo's Suginami-ku on Feb. 9.

 

A junior high school in Tokyo's Suginami-ku has started special lessons for elementary school students about to enter junior high school using the popular Nintendo DS console, it has been learned.

 

The special classes at Wada Junior High School are dubbed "Dotera Junior." "Dotera" is a shorted form of "Saturday terakoya." Terakoya, or temple schools, were educational institutions for children of the Edo period in Japan.

 

In the classes, Nintendo DS consoles will be used with calculation software, enabling students to practice calculation techniques ranging from addition to calculation of fractions.

 

Wada Junior High School earlier gained attention after introducing paid "evening special" lessons for junior high school students preparing to advance to high school.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 2000c.html

 

Drunk men walk down Tokyo street in nude after getting excited about 'naked festival'Three men who drunkenly walked along a Tokyo shopping street stark naked after a lively discussion about a festival in Iwate Prefecture involving naked participants were arrested, police said.

The men, including an unemployed 38-year-old from Tokyo, were arrested on Feb. 8 for indecent exposure, but were released by police the following day. Police said the men had expressed regret over their actions once they were sober.

 

"We got all fired up. We're sorry," police quoted one of one of the men as saying.

 

Immediately before the arrests, the men had been drinking at a bar, where they were talking about Iwate Prefecture's Somin Festival. The festival, which involves naked participants, gained widespread attention after posters showing chest hair were criticized as a form of sexual harassment.

 

Investigators said the men walked a short distance along a shopping street in the Kitazawa district of Tokyo's Setagaya-ku shortly after 9 a.m. on Feb. 8 without any clothes on. The three were drinking and shouting, prompting a local resident to phone police, law enforcers said.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 7000c.html

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

Very interesting reports Todd. Quirky and all.

 

btw are you turning Japanese?

 

 

[Todd M]

I really think so......

 

 

[Guest Glenn]

Nice comeback Todd

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

Just what we want...more Vapours LMAO!!!

 

What we need is New Clear Days for flying eh?

 

Group/Album...I have it heh heh

 

 

[Todd M]

Japan pooh-poohs China's Olympic crappers

 

Japanese are rightfully proud of their toilet engineering feats, and Shukan Asahi (2/29) takes a high-handed approach to dump on neighboring China about the standard of its restrooms at facilities to be used in this summer's Beijing Olympic Games.

 

While Beijing has been widely blessed for the excellence of its newly opened National Swimming Center, where the Games' aquatic events will be held, not everything about the stadium is as world-class as its pools.

 

Nearly every toilet in the center is a squat style, not the sit-down type of loo most Westerners -- and Japanese -- are accustomed to.

 

Squat toilets are the dominant style nearly everywhere throughout China. And though individual cubicles have become the norm on trains and public toilets in smaller cities, doors on the cubicles are still a rarity.

 

"There are growing numbers of Western-style toilets in southern China," a Shanghai-born Olympic facility worker tells Shukan Asahi. "I guess squat-style toilets are still the norm up north."

 

Toilet paper is also posing a problem. Outside of classy hotels in the big cities, most toilet paper used in China is a rough, harsh type that doesn't dissolve well in water, the weekly says. To avoid blockage, it's more common to dump the dirty paper into a trash can instead of the cistern. And though most Chinese are well aware of this practice, there are no notices anywhere informing visitors to the country of the proper way to prime the potty, running the risk of clogging the crapper. It's a point the Games' organizers concede.

 

"We have to put up signs," an organizer says.

 

 

The simple language of this sign on a lavatory wall in China gives no indication of the foul fecal filth that lies in the waste paper bin below.

 

Some Japanese have already noticed the poor toilet situation facing those attending -- and taking part in -- the biggest sporting event on earth. Eiichi Kawaniwa, honorary vice-chairman of the International Tennis Federation, has already blasted the crap out of organizers over the toilet situation.

 

"If you've built a world-class tennis center, it should have Western-style toilets," he told the Beijing Olympic Games Organizing Committee while asking for improvements at the stadium where the tennis competition will be held.

 

At the tennis center, there is only one Western-style toilet in every block of public conveniences, the rest being squat-style. The cubicles are also cramped and have steps, rendering them unusable for those in wheelchairs. Organizers have promised to fix the situation by April, just four months before the Opening Ceremony.

 

Kawaniwa says he experienced no problems with blockages during test-run events at Olympic sites and does not foresee it becoming an issue.

 

"If paper didn't flow through the toilets properly, it would become a massive problem within the International Olympic Committee," the tennis official tells Shukan Asahi, before adding undiplomatically: "They'll get it right, even if it is China we're talking about." (By Ryann Connell)

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/culture/waiwai/n ... 7000c.html

 

 

[Todd M]

Train station starts lending out 'strawberry bicycles'

 

One of the strawberry cycles that will be available for hire. (Mainichi)KINOKAWA, Wakayama -- Following the success of a "Strawberry Train" that promotes local produce, a station here has begun lending out strawberry-themed bicycles.

 

The idea behind the strawberry bicycles being lent out from Kishi Station on the Wakayama Electric Railway Co.'s Kishigawa Line stems from the popular Strawberry Train that runs in the area.

 

"We want to make trips around here even more enjoyable," a member of the local organization that came up with the idea of strawberry cycles said.

 

Strawberries are a local specialty and the red and white bicycles with a strawberry picture on the front basket are also aimed at promoting the local area.

 

Reservations are needed to hire a strawberry bicycle, with each session costing 800 yen. Organizers of the idea will also offer plans advising the best places to cycle in the area for picnics or other forms of entertainment, as well as packages including food and drinks.

 

（Mainichi Japan） March 15, 2008

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 9000c.html

 

 

[Todd M]

Cartoon cat Doraemon named Japan's anime ambassador

 

Japan's popular "manga," or comic book, character robotic cat "Doraemon", right, reacts in joy as he is presented a plateful of dorayaki, Doraemon's favorite Japanese sweet, by Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura after Komura named Doraemon as Japan's first Anime Ambassador at the foreign ministry in Tokyo. Doraemon will work as the main promoter of Japan's pop culture to the world. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

 

TOKYO (AP) -- Japan has created an unusual government post to promote animation, and named a perfect figure to the position: Doraemon.

 

Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura appointed the popular cartoon robot cat as "anime ambassador" on Wednesday, handing a human-sized Doraemon doll an official certificate at an inauguration ceremony, along with dozens of "dorayaki" red bean pancakes -- his favorite dessert -- piled on a huge plate.

 

Komura told the doll, with an unidentified person inside, that he hoped he would widely promote Japanese animated cartoons, or "anime."

 

"Doraemon, I hope you will travel around the world as an anime ambassador to deepen people's understanding of Japan so they will become friends with Japan," Komura told the blue-and-white cat.

 

The appointment is part of Japan's recent effort to harness the power of pop culture in diplomacy. Japan also created an International Manga Award last year under comic enthusiast former Foreign Minister Taro Aso, who likened it to a "Nobel Prize" for an artist working abroad.

 

Manga, the name used for Japanese-syle comic books, often combine complex stories with drawing styles that differ from their overseas superhero counterparts, particularly in their emphasis on cuteness.

 

This year, the ministry plans to arrange showings of a Doraemon film in Singapore, China, Spain, France, and at other Japanese diplomatic missions around the world.

 

Doraemon -- through voice actress Wasabi Mizuta, who spoke from behind a sliding paper screen -- promised Komura that "Through my cartoons, I hope to convey to people abroad what ordinary Japanese people think, our lifestyles and what kind of future we want to build."

 

Created by cartoonist Fujiko F. Fujio, Doraemon is a Japanese cultural icon and is popular around the world, especially in Asia. The robotic cat travels back in time from the 22nd century and uses gadgets such as a "time machine" and an "anywhere door" that come out of a fourth-dimensional pocket on his stomach to help his friends, allowing them to travel anywhere and to any time they wish.

 

Astro Boy, another cartoon icon, was named last November as ambassador for overseas safety.

 

（Mainichi Japan） March 20, 2008

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 6000c.html

 

 

[Guest Chainsaw]

I'm getting more worried about you Todd :?

 

 

[Todd M]

Now for something very practical.

 

Honda, police to provide crime info via car navigation systemHonda Motor Co. is teaming up with the Metropolitan Police Department and police in 13 other prefectures to launch a service providing drivers with vehicle-related crime statistics through their car navigation systems, starting on Tuesday.

The service -- available to the 660,000 or so members of Honda's "Internavi Premium Club," -- displays information on crimes such as car thefts and break-ins, and flags high-risk areas near the driver's destination, throwing in audio and visual cues (such as a bomb icon) as the car approaches them.

 

In addition to the Metropolitan Police Department, police in Fukushima, Gunma, Saitama, Chiba, Gifu, Aichi, Mie, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, Hiroshima, and Oita prefectures will provide information for the service.

 

Osaka Prefectural Police conducted a trial starting in December 2006, and concluded that there was a high rate of people using the system.

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 1000c.html

 

And People, Crox are EVIL :twisted: Those ugly things deserve to go, and now I have a reason why (Apart from the being ugly).

 

Soft resin material in sandals blamed for escalator accidentsA selection of resin sandals.An investigation into a spate of accidents in which foam resin sandals have got caught in escalators, injuring people's feet, has found problems with the soft material used in the sandals.

 

The survey, carried out by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation (NITE), an independent administrative institution, also singled out escalator maintenance issues, including the failure to use lubricants.

 

Based on the results of the investigation, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is set to ask manufacturers and importers of the sandals to improve the products to avoid further accidents.

 

NITE officials said that 66 accidents caused by people wearing the sandals on escalators had occurred since last summer. In many of the cases, the victims were children of elementary school age or younger.

 

In one case at JR Tokyo Station in August last year, a 5-year-old girl got her foot caught between one of the steps and the side of the escalator, and suffered a broken middle toe.

 

In its survey, NITE compared resin sandals produced by U.S. company Crocs and seven similar products with sports shoes and other sandals not made from resin. It found that only the resin sandals got caught.

 

Factors contributing to the accidents were that the sandals were soft and thin, did not slip easily, and stretched easily.

 

It also emerged that when lubricants were applied to the steps and side of the escalator, the same resin footwear did not get caught. The Japan Elevator Association has guidelines promoting the use of lubricants when maintenance work is carried out on escalators, but it has no binding power.

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 3000c.html

 

 

[Todd M]

Now with Content Warning!

 

Well these came right out at me when looking at the articles today, and made me laugh in a way. As these are a little raunchier, I will post the first few lines with a link to the Article. Well the first one anyway!

 

Porn filmed in Japanese McDonald's? I'm rubbin' it!Friday (5/2)McDonald's customers suspected something amiss when one guy pulled out his whopper. They knew for sure when he began partaking of fur burger. The upshot was four people trying to make an adult movie in a fast food outlet ended up getting arrested, says Friday (5/2).

 

Arrested in the case earlier this month for indecent exposure and obstruction of business were Kunikazu Ishii, 52, the director, Nahoko Shimada, 21, an actress and dental nurse, and actors Yuya Ochiai, 29, and Makoto Nishizumi.......

 

More at http://mdn.mainichi.jp/culture/waiwai/n ... 3000c.html

 

Shiga Prefecture's schoolgirls boast of skimpiest skirts in JapanSchoolgirl uniforms in Shiga are so short, they're less hem than ahem, according to Weekly Playboy (1/29).

The Japanese language Internet is awash with rumors that schoolgirls in the central Japan prefecture wear the skimpiest uniforms of anywhere in the country.

 

Local schoolboys seem to agree, saying one school in particular is known for its micromini uniforms.

 

"When the girls from the school all get off the train together in the mornings, it's a real sight to see," the schoolboy tells Weekly Playboy, adding that many people deliberately go to look. "We call it the Schoolgirl Rush Hour in these parts."

 

Shiga schoolgirls don't deny their reputation either.

 

"Shiga's the sticks, right? Well, long dresses might be popular in the cities, but it takes ages before the trend gets picked up around here. Besides, Shiga girls always wear minis," one schoolgirl from the prefecture says. "We look good in miniskirts. What's wrong with that?"

 

A downside to the propensity for flashing the flesh is that Shiga Prefecture apparently attracts a disproportionate number of perverts who travel from outside the prefecture to track down the short skirts said to be on display.

 

It's a trend noticeable in the statistics, where 10 arrests for upskirt photo shots were made of non-Shiga residents last year compared to just three in 2004. Police admit the short schoolgirl skirts are creating problems.

 

"We don't know whether the rumor on the Internet ahs anything to do with it, but there has been an increase in concealed camera-related arrests and it's a bother," Shigeru Morita, deputy chief of the Shiga Prefectural Police's Railroad Police Division, tells Weekly Playboy. "We've had cases where people have deliberately come all the way from other prefectures just to take secret snapshots in Shiga."

 

Shiga education officials are also aware that there are problems.

 

"We know there was a write-up on the Net about Shiga having the shortest schoolgirl skirts in Japan, but the prefecture hasn't done a survey on anything of that nature. We are fully aware that some of our students have very short skirts," a spokesman for the Shiga Prefectural Board of Education says. "We are teaching our students to be aware that there is a danger that people will film up their skirts if they keep the hems so short."

 

Shiga's schoolgirls, however, say that nothing's going to deprive them of their microminis.

 

"There's nothing wrong with wearing a short skirt," an irate Shiga schoolgirl tells Weekly Playboy. "What's wrong are those perverts who deliberately look at our panties. Why should we have to change our fashion just because of a bunch of perverted old men?" (By Ryann Connell)

 

（Mainichi Japan） January 18, 2007

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/culture/waiwai/a ... 8000c.html

 

 

[Todd M]

Cigarette vending machines with face-recognition technology approvedThe Ministry of Finance has approved cigarette vending machines that use face recognition technology to determine whether the purchaser is a minor or not.

The vending machines, which determine a person's approximate age from the size of their eyes and mouth and their bone structure, were developed by Kyoto Prefecture company Fujitaka Co., a major producer of vending machines.

 

Vending machines designed to prevent minors from purchasing cigarettes were rolled out across Japan in July, but the taspo cards that are used as age identification have yet to become widespread.

 

With face-recognition technology, users will be able to purchase cigarettes without a taspo card. There are already 5,000 such machines in operation across Japan.

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 5000c.html

 

Nagano governor goes goofy over Disney drop-ins

 

A Disney character hugs Nagano Gov. Jin Murai, right, on Thursday morning. (Photo courtesy of the Nagano Prefectural Government)

 

NAGANO -- Mickey Mouse and a host of other Disney characters visited Nagano Prefecture to greet its governor as part of their nationwide tour to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Tokyo Disneyland

 

Nagano Gov. Jin Murai looked delighted as one of the Disney characters hugged and kissed him during a courtesy call on Thursday. Murai was also presented with a magic key said to make wishes come true.

 

The prefecture has been suffering from a sluggish tourism industry, with the number of Nagano-bound skiers dropping to 40 percent of its peak figure, and Murai said his prefecture has a lot to learn from Disneyland.

 

"Disneyland is filled with repeaters. We, Nagano Prefecture, would like to learn from that," he said.

 

The Disney characters are visiting 29 cities across the nation on the tour commemorating the opening of Tokyo Disneyland in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, a quarter century ago.

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 8000c.html

 

 

[Todd M]

FamilyMart opens eco-friendly stores made of wood

 

A wooden outlet that FamilyMart has opened in Chiba on an experimental basis.Convenience store chain FamilyMart will formally open its eco-friendly wooden stores from September.

 

Compared to steel-framed structures that are commonly used for convenience stores, wood can reduce about 60 percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from processing materials and construction.

 

Amid concerns over global warming and growing requests from some local governments for convenience stores to voluntarily restrain from opening late at night, FamilyMart expects to gain consumer understanding by enhancing its environmental policies. The chain will build some 1,000 freestanding stores made of wood in four to five years.

 

FamilyMart opens about 500 new and rebuilt stores every year, and around 60 to 70 percent of them are freestanding stores that are not in housing complexes or office buildings. The chain will basically use wood to build all these freestanding stores, except in areas where strict fire protection measures are enforced as well as in areas of heavy snowfall.

 

Wooden structures can cut down CO2 emissions in the process of construction from 81 tons to 33 tons per store compared to steel-framed stores. FamilyMart is also going to use insulation panels to reduce annual electrical usage by 15 percent, including air conditioners.

 

The chain also estimates that it can reduce its construction expenses by over 3 billion yen as it costs about 12 million yen to build a wooden store, compared to about 15 million yen for a steel-framed store that could cost more in the future due to a rise in material prices.

Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20 ... 9000c.html