He sloshed into the river heedless of his wet trousers.

Once again, it took a foreigner to reawaken my powers of observation and to begin to write about Japanese "uniquities" (turns out I didnt invent this word, a friend informed me there is a store in Chapel Hill, NC bearing this name). Last Thursday my long-time and oft-distant friend Alison arrived in Tokyo. We spent the weekend there sightseeing, walking a great deal, people-watching, taking advantage of her cousin and family's hospitality, and laughing at the marketing of Japanese vending machine products. My new favorites are "Love Body Beauty Queen" Green Tea (by Coke) and "Glamorous Body Black Coffee".

Browsing through a bookstore on her first night here, we came across a small book all in Japanese but with the following in English on the cover "How to be happy as soon as possible". Who has the time to spend their life in pursuit? We want it now! Not coincidentally, less than 48 hours later, we found ourselves on the inside of a 43ft giant bronze Buddha, rubbing his belly. If one is to find happiness quickly, we are sure this is the most advantageous place to start...

Alison was quick to notice too, the prevalent use of facemasks by the Japanese. You know, the ones you might see doctors/nurses wearing in an infectious disease ward. The apparent reason, as it is extremely rare for the Japanese to take a day off when sick, is to prevent their co-workers/citizens from getting sick as well. Effective or not I dont know, but breathing one's germs all day doesnt seem the best way to recover. It does however seem in line with the Japanese way of group before self.



Other things providing amusement in our ventures:

A crowded pedestrian street in Harajuku, not far from the Meiji Jingu shrine, where a great number of young folk stroll about trying to look as cool as possible and browse/shop in the many Western style shops/boutiques where they buy their cool duds. Bleached hair, fake tans, short skirts, and every kind of heeled boot you can imagine is the norm for females, while tight designer jeans, pointy shoes, tight sportjackets, flashy belts, and Bono-sunglasses (forgive me if I say metro-sexual) is the look for young men.



Along this street, we found a shop that sold clothes for dogs. Not real dogs like labradors and shephards, but what I call accessory dogs (the ones some women carry in their handbags). Anyway they had all sorts of costumes like Batman, Rastafarian, camoflouge with fur hoods, and HipHop wear too.

While walking around Kamakura, an area full of famous old temples and shrines and cemeteries, we found the following gravesite. If you look closely, you can see the relatives have left not only beautiful fresh flowers, but a beer, a pack of cigarettes, a can of Coke and a can of coffee. Ahhhh, enjoying vices in the afterlife...


We were taken out for some wonderful meals by Alison's cousin, one night for "okonomiyaki". A Japanese griddlecake with vegetables and meat and seafood, it is covered by wafer-thin fishflakes, which wriggle and squirm from the heat, making the dish seemingly alive.

And I almost forgot to mention, a Japanese product called the TowelKet. A very large towel that serves as a blanket, neither comfortable nor warm, but nevertheless used widely in Japanese homes. I even have a couple in my apartment, though I've yet use them.





Finally, I will close with a new feature, in which I tell you a word you really should try to use on a daily basis. This post's word is "lugubrious". As in "The lugubrious expression on her face made everyone uneasy".