Cute and kinky. Those two words sum up so much about the Japanese erotic. Hajime Kinoko is one of Japan's most famous shibari (aka kinbaku) rope bondage artists. We once visited his BDSM bar in Ueno, only for it later to be raided and shut down by police. Kinoko Hajime was himself arrested, though he has made a comeback, such as holding an exhibition called "Red". He now offers lessons and does events like workshops and "cyber neo-shibari" shows. He has opened a space again but this time it's not a bar. Instead it's branded as a "salon" for learning the ropes (sorry for the pun) of ...

We suppose it was inevitable that Japan's most famous cross-dressing elderly gent would get his own mobile phone game app at some point, and so it has proved the case with Sailor Fuku Ojisan (Sailor Uniform Uncle). Also known as Hideaki Kobayashi, this gentile cross-dresser has been a regular spot all over Tokyo the past couple of years (even we saw him by chance on a random train once). He has attracted fans (and also the police), so of course some people want to monetize this celebrity. Sailor Fuku Ojisan now has an official game. "Sailor Fuku Ojisan: Lucky Sorting Game" was ...

What were we saying yesterday about the police? Well, now they've turned their attention to someone who has been delighting Tokyo in recent months. Twitter has been abuzz with images snapped of an old guy wandering the city dressed in sailor school uniform cosplay and very happy to pose for pictures. He has companions who dress up with him! He even went to France dressed like that. The "seeraa fuku ojisan" (sailor school uniform old guy) is actually Hideaki Kobayashi, aged around 50. His cult has grown to the extent that he's been interviewed by the ...