Guys, from what I heard, the orange sticks ARE supposed to last 5 minutes.
They are "super light sticks" of sorts and are apparently used by otaku to indicate their fav songs. Since a song usually lasts about 5 minutes hence the stick lasts about 5...
"NHK have their own pharmacy in the building too. They seem to have everything so people don't actually need to leave ^^;"
It's a conspiracy!
They take care of all your needs so you will work for them 24/7! =O
I hope by "Southeast Asian natives" you meant "locals" because otherwise you just sound prejudiced to me.
And honestly, there is no need to set up fines just to ripoff tourists. The Government sets up fines and do you think they would do so to earn...