The Yamanote line rings the innermost sphere in my Tokyocentric cosmology, but I often have occasion to stop for dinner at a certain station a few layers out. The station's west exit leads into a brightly-lit labyrinth of pachinko parlours and cabaret clubs. To the east, there are a few coffee shops and fast food restaurants huddled by the station's main staircase, but you can walk into the silent residential murk in five minutes.

Why? Because the west side is run by one group of Yakuza, and the east side by another. I like to imagine them as two denominations of the same urban religion, both insisting on order, respect and tribute, but disagreeing fiercely on which of the old pagan traditions remain permissible.

Speaking of old pagan traditions, I can't believe they seriously made the Ghost Rider movie (via Gaijin Biker). I totally thought that character was just a huge in-joke. I also can't believe that they didn't proof-read the text in the trailer. "What he didn't know / is the price he would have to pay"? Someone get the New York Times on the phone -- I have a great story for them about gnarly flaming skeleton tribes with no understanding of the concept of time.

I love the flaming skeleton guy on the horse, too. Is this a thing in the Ghost Rider-verse, like all those historical Flashes? If not, it should be! I want to see:

• Flaming skeletons in fine silk robes, lounging around in bitchin' black palanquins carried by four other skeletons who only have permission to smoulder gently
• Fur-draped skeletons with pronounced brows and squat, stocky frames, balancing on crude stone wheels, but not flaming because they hadn't discovered fire yet
• Flaming skeletons with shoeboxes on their feet whose "flying boats" allow them to right injustices on land or water

Once word of this post gets out, I fully expect to be hired as a consultant for Ghost Rider Zero: The Penny Farthingening.