Alexander's

I want to go out with you tomorrow Alexander -- Let's go pick up girls!

Honestly I don't want to go out that much this weekend. I have to finish reports, I'll go and drink a few beers with a friend on Saturday and before I forget there also is the photo exhibition, we have the "Open Lab Day" and a French delegation is visiting and I'm the designated photographer -- Oh did I mention this is in addition to the usual lab work?

Ten Minutes later they discover a new toy -- Bijin-Tokei[^1] and someone mentions a special calender, that shows new (clothed) girl every day. So for the next 20 minutes the lab schedule just got booked solid. Everyone is swooning over the pretty girls. Those girls even come with the all important background information, like a short biography, blood type age, measurements, educational background[^2] The average lab meeting has a worse attendance record, than the discovery of a picture of a good looking girl -- preferably in a swimsuit.

Isn't there an option to set a webpage as the desktop background?

Yes apparently there is and suddenly everyone sits infront of their PC, busily changing the desktop background. After all this is Japan and the conformity reaches even places like the choice of the desktop background.

Wow check out the girl from the 18th! She is the best!
No number 27 is even better -- she practiced classical ballett for 12 years.
University? Bloodtype?
Wow she is 155cm tall.
...

Today when I walked in the room, I was greeted by one of the assistant professors:

Alex did you see the bijin tokei? Yes Do you know there also is an iPhone application for it?

No I did not, but honestly pay 3 Euros just for some pretty girls that show the time? Luckily the resources pertaining legal sites that show pretty japanese girls seem to be endless here.

Try UNIQLOCK. It's an advertisement, but the girls are pretty cute.

Turns out they not only have pictures, but whole videos and the UNIQLOCK for the iPhone is not only fun to watch in boring lab meetings, but also free and with music! And for all of you, who still don't have enough here is the link to bijo-gyomi (the calender I was writing about)

Yes I can already tell it will be interesting to return home and find back in a European lifestyle after a year here in Japan.

[^1]: Pretty girl's clock [^2]: Educational background is her nearly as important as blood type or breast size and while breast size only comes in two flavours -- none and nearly none -- blood type leaves you with an amazing four choices