Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 33694 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Fri Dec 23, 2005 4:30 pm Post subject:
I thought this was quite amusing, from the Mainichi Daily News:
Memoirs of a cocksure Kyoto rickshaw runner
Coolies are cool. At least that's the message coming out of Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto, where rickshaw coolies hauling around carts for tourists have become the latest heartthrobs, according to Cyzo (January).
Once a job largely for downtrodden types regarded as virtually unemployable anywhere else, rickshaw coolies are fast becoming one of the hottest attractions in Kyoto.
"Coolies are hot," a Kyoto resident tells Cyzo. "Nearly all of them are good looking enough to be with Johnny & Associates (a talent agency famous for employing pretty boys). There are whispers going around that operators deliberately employ hunks because they want women to ride on rickshaws."
Most Kyoto coolies are in their 20s. Many are handsome and, thanks to a job requiring them to lumber loads around all day, well built. There's little surprise in the idea of women finding them attractive.
Rickshaw hauling is a fairly busy business, running during Kyoto's peak tourist season that runs from cherry blossom parties in March through to the changing colors of the autumnal leaves that continues until early December. An average workday starts at around 6 in the morning and continues through to about 11 p.m. Popular coolies start receiving orders and the most famous of them attract patronage rivaling that of the most successful escorts working host clubs.
"Of course they're good-looking, but they also know a lot about the area and have a manliness that's pretty hard to find anywhere else," a woman in her 30s on tour in Kyoto tells Cyzo. "I don't think I'm the only one who finds the coolies a turn-on."
A Kyoto Tourist Bureau insider adds that the coolies do more than simply pull rickshaw around. "Transporting people isn't the only task rickshaw coolies perform. They're also fantastic tour guides and will always take a snapshot for you," the insider says.
Tourists aren't the only people to have fallen for coolies. With Kyoto attracting 45.54 million tourists in 2004, the market has grown to a meaty 40 million yen a month. Becoming a coolie is also one of the hottest jobs for young guys in and around Kyoto, making positions pretty hard to come by. Its popularity, though, doesn't necessarily come because the job is an easy one.
"You've got to run anywhere from 20 to 30 kilometers a day, pulling a rickshaw behind you. It's a hell of lot tougher than it looks," a Kyoto coolie tells Cyzo. "I wouldn't expect to become an expert coolie on impulse." (By Ryann Connell)
Joined: 23 Oct 2005 Posts: 5252 Location: The No, CA Country:
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 12:47 am Post subject:
Tu_triky wrote:
uh huh...that's why i told her to keep it fun...no need to trip over it.
I am having fun.. so much fun.. i fell asleep last night when i couldn't get the router fixed.. damn wireless internet.. damn you!!! *waves fist in the air*
not tripping over it.. already done with the ties and started with the caps.. it's all good.. *twiddles thumbs and shuffles feet* _________________
Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 9573 Location: バカナダ Country:
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 12:51 am Post subject:
Tu_triky wrote:
I thought this was quite amusing, from the Mainichi Daily News:
Memoirs of a cocksure Kyoto rickshaw runner...
That's funny and disturbing at the same time. Those poor men are abused just because they're cute and have a nice body. We don't do that to women, us men. You don't see half naked cute girls in car shows, game shows or behind a reception desk to... err.... never mind. _________________
Joined: 15 Jun 2004 Posts: 33694 Location: Los Skandolous, California Country:
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 12:54 am Post subject:
tabana wrote:
That's funny and disturbing at the same time. Those poor men are abused just because they're cute and have a nice body. We don't do that to women, us men. You don't see half naked cute girls in car shows, game shows or behind a reception desk to... err.... never mind.
Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 9573 Location: バカナダ Country:
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 12:56 am Post subject:
Thinking of flying with JAL on your next trip to Japan?
JAL plane carried passengers with engines fitted in wrong place Source
Quote:
A Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 747 aircraft whose left and right engines were mixed up during maintenance carried passengers on international flights for seven months before the error was uncovered, it has been learned.
Company officials said a maintenance firm in Singapore got the engines mixed when fitting them, and Japan Airlines officials failed to notice the mistake when the plane was handed over.
The error caused a check on one of the engines to be delayed beyond the specified period. Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry officials have instructed the airline to prevent a reoccurrence of the error.
Airline officials said the maintenance firm worked on the plane over two months from Feb. 14 this year. During this period the firm reportedly mixed up the far left and right engines of the four-engine plane. When Japan Airlines received the aircraft, officials failed to check serial numbers on the engines. From April 14, the plane departed and landed about 440 times on international flights.
The error was uncovered during an inspection on Nov. 14. Checks on a case covering the engine were delayed in the wake of the error.
JAL officials said the output of the engines was the same, but the placement angle differed depending on the engine, which affected reverse thrust. The error did not pose a safety threat, officials said. (Mainichi)
Joined: 07 Oct 2005 Posts: 9573 Location: バカナダ Country:
Posted: Sat Dec 24, 2005 6:04 am Post subject:
I think there's more people here in the middle of the night than right now. Everyone's having a party.
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