OK… if surgical masks are a must have in Japan then so are elbow-length white gloves and hats with plastic protective shields in front. Apparently, as much as the common cold is their enemy, so is the sun. I noticed this phenomenon the other day when I witnessed one obaachan riding a bicycle down a narrow sidewalk wearing long white burlesque gloves, a surgical mask,…
Many people in Japan wear white surgical masks when our in public on trains, buses, even when driving alone in a car. From the look of things, one would think that Japan is a country full of doctors. But I’m told in these crowded conditions, colds are easily passed along which is why people wear the white masks. Ironically when I visited the hospital, no…
Ever had a song stuck in your head? How about for more than a year? I’ve been walking around Japan with the same tune rattling around my skull for some time… “Motto motto, Takemoto! Piano utte choudai!” For godsakes, I don’t even own a piano so leave me alone!
I’ve now lived long enough in Japan to realize three things: Unlike Americans, the Japanese are always kind to family and occasionally rude to strangers The Japanese are America’s best friend (though no one bothered to tell America) A white guy walking in a Japanese suburb ALWAYS looks lost.
The art of door to door sales has not been lost in Japan as each day brings another unrelating salesman. Yesterday, Okaasan was unfortunate enough to answer. The man handed her his business card as he began his pitch. He attempted to convince her that she really needed her house painted and from his tone it seemed somewhat urgent that she have it done IMMEDIATELY!…
Note to self…. Ask someone why businessmen can often be seen taking afternoon naps in their automobiles, parked in plain view on city streets.
Reality pitches its tent where science and imagination converge… Yesterday a team of astrophysicists in Australia detected galaxies about 10.8 billion light years away in a remote region of the universe. With light traveling at 9.5 trillion kilometers in one year, this means the galaxies are being observed as they appeared 10.8 billion years ago. Meanwhile, this morning while standing outside Okaasan’s house in the…
Sometimes traditions refuse to die even when no one can quite explain them. Tonight I walked with the “Hino Youjin” (he-no-yo-jean) choir. At the end of every year, citizens get together to patrol their neighborhoods warning everyone to watch out for fire (as the paper-homed Japan had a long history of burning down). It’s an eerie sound to those of us who do not understand…
Okaasan decided it was time to replace the stone-age kitchen while we were away from the cave visiting America. Since Otousan and I had recently painted the walls, she picked out cabinets to match. However, the contractor arrived with the wrong cabinets both in size and color. Not wanting a confrontation, she didn’t object as they proceeded to install them. As a result, one drawer…
Funny thing about the flu season in Japan. Since the houses are so close together, walls so thin, you can usually hear the first outbreak in the neighborhood days before it reaches your house. Sounds like the Tanaka’s down the street got it. That’s about the time that everyone is instructed to scrub their hands raw anytime they enter the house. You’d better gargle as…
