Path: ccsf.homeunix.org!ccsf.homeunix.org!news1.wakwak.com!nf1.xephion.ne.jp!onion.ish.org!gcd.org!vda-gw!news.moat.net!meganewsservers.com!feeder2.on.meganewsservers.com!216.196.98.140.MISMATCH!border1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!pd7cy2so!pd7cy1no!shaw.ca!pd7tw1no.POSTED!53ab2750!not-for-mail X-Trace-PostClient-IP: 24.86.124.147 From: "Sryn" Newsgroups: fj.life.in-japan Subject: Fascinating Stuff Lines: 24 X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 6.00.2900.2527 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.2527 X-RFC2646: Format=Flowed; Original Message-ID: Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 22:39:27 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 64.59.144.74 X-Complaints-To: abuse@shaw.ca X-Trace: pd7tw1no 1114468767 64.59.144.74 (Mon, 25 Apr 2005 16:39:27 MDT) NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 16:39:27 MDT Organization: Shaw Residential Internet Xref: ccsf.homeunix.org fj.life.in-japan:26833 Quote from http://japaninc.typepad.com/terries_take/ General Edition Sunday, April 24, 2005 Issue No. 324 " Firefighting in Tokyo is a time honored (although not necessarily honorable) profession. Back 200 to 300 years ago, most of the houses were made of straw and paper and an official document from 1738 says that there were 11,000 registered Hikeshi (fire fighters). Increasing population meant even greater demand for their services, and by 1850 there were 24,000. The way they fought fires was to tear down nearby houses to isolate the blaze, then to douse the flames -- so these guys were pretty tough. Apparently they were pretty rough too, and often picked fights with the local Samurai...! You can read more about them at http://www.artelino.com/articles/edo_firemen.asp. " The linked article is funny too. Sryn