A Hit Consumer Product, From Yokosuka Prison...

Laundry soap made by prison labor selling for triple the price | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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A popular laundry soap made by prisoners is being sold online at more than three times the list price after production fell due to novel coronavirus restrictions on prison work.

Officials believe that scalpers are buying the soap in bulk to make a killing through resale.

The Blue Stick soap, billed as a “superstar stain remover,” is the top-selling item among a range of products manufactured by prison labor at correctional institutions across Japan.

A set of three 14-centimeter sticks, each weighing 150 grams, is being sold for around 1,300 yen (about $9) at a major online retailer, compared with the list price of 400 yen.

Often used for shirts, socks and shoes, the soap is made at the Yokosuka Branch Prison in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. About 150,000 bars were sold in fiscal 2022.

The Japanese Correctional Association, a public-interest organization selling prison-made goods under the CAPIC (Correctional Association Prison Industry Cooperation) brand, set a purchasing limit after customers complained they could not find the soap.

CAPIC Shop Nakano in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward limited purchases to two sets per family when the soap was particularly in short supply. Purchases are still limited to a maximum of six sets.

On the CAPIC online shop, customers are allowed to buy only one set per day.

“CAPIC products are characterized as being cheap and of a high quality,” said Satoshi Sakurai, a senior official of the Japanese Correctional Association. “We cannot allow them to be traded at an inflated price because it will hurt the brand’s image.”

The soap was developed at the Yokohama Prison in around 1990. It has been made at the Yokosuka Branch Prison since 1997.

About 20 prisoners work at a factory to produce about 1,000 sticks a day.

“The prisoners, themselves, rigorously inspect the products to maintain quality,” said Daisuke Yoshida, who supervises the prisoners’ work at the Yokosuka Branch Prison. “I am surprised by how much attention they pay to the details.”

Sales from prison-made goods go to national coffers. In the 18 years through 2022, 80 million yen from the sales were donated to organizations that support crime victims.

A Lighthouse Built Centuries Ago...

Way back in the year 1603, the top leader of Japan, called 将軍 "Shogun", established a new capitol city in 江戸 "Edo" (now known as 東京/Tokyo).  This shifted things away from Japan's traditional capitol of Kyoto (京都), and Edo steadily developed into the main center of political and economic power.  

As Edo grew larger, so did the number of boats and vessels which carried cargoes towards the city.  Due to this situation, and in order to ensure safer navigation, the Shogun's government ordered the construction of a lighthouse near the entrance to Edo Bay (Tokyo Bay), and the site chosen for the facility was a small cape called Tomyo-saki (燈明埼), near the town of Uraga (a district in present day Yokosuka City).  

The lighthouse (called Tomyo-Do, 燈明堂) started to be used in 1648, and then continued operations for 220 years, until it was dismantled in in the early-1870s.  Its illuminating light was produced by burning rapeseed or fish oils and it could cast a beam 7.4 kilometers out into the busy channel where boats and vessels entered Edo Bay.  

In 1988, a real-sized replica of the Tomyo-Do lighthouse was built on the original site, and it has become a local landmark which reminds visitors of the Yokosuka area's olden days.  

Of interest, located adjacent to the lighthouse is Tomyo-Do Kaigan, which is a rare, small, and unspoiled natural beach facing Tokyo Bay.  It has a parking lot which is open from 05:30~21:30 and is a great place to go relax & enjoy the sea breeze while watching all the ships and boats sailing in the bay.  

Japan is an ancient country, and like other cities and towns, Yokosuka has a long & rich history -- Tomyo-Do is a scenic location where that history can be sensed.

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* Public transport:  Take a Keikyu Bus from Uraga Station; Tomyo-do is a five-minute walk from the Tomyo-do Entrance ( 燈明堂入口 ) bus stop.

Sarushima island lures castaway partiers on early summer evenings

Sarushima island lures castaway partiers on early summer evenings | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

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YOKOSUKA, Kanagawa Prefecture--Known to locals as "Monkey Island," Sarushima, an uninhabited island in Tokyo Bay, is instead coming to life in the early evening hours as a party venue for human visitors.

Partygoers can drink cocktails and other intoxicating beverages at the beach while listening to live music and enjoying other activities.

The Sarushima Magic event is being held on weekends and holidays through Sept. 24.

The final ferry back to Yokosuka leaves the island 30 minutes after sunset instead of the regular 5 p.m. departure. 

Previously, the island has served as a venue for events after sunset and in the early morning.

But it is the first time for Sarushima to host an event during the magical early evening hours.

A new art installation set up in a driftwood motif on the beach welcomes visitors, while a bar is set up to serve cocktails and snacks.

Tourists can join a guided tour around the island, while live classical music performances will be offered on a special stage in September.

"We want to present a new style of leisure in which vacationers can visit Sarushima first and enjoy wining and dining and other activities in Yokosuka at night," said a representative of Tryangle Inc., which operates cruise ships in the city.