So I’m in Japan right now, it’s a strange place to get used to after China, the streets are spotless, the people next to me on the train are having a whispered conversation which I wouldn’t know was happening if I couldn’t see their lips moving, people line up on the platform in neat lines and wait for everyone to exit before they enter the train one by one and men pay large amounts of money just to talk to women.
Something typically Japanese happening in Japan (Nagoya to be exact) last night
My Chinese colleague doesn’t like the place, “it is TOO clean” he says, “it is not personal”, he can only smoke in certain areas and has to put the butt in the street ashtrays, this is “very inconvenient”.
One thing I really like out here is the road works, outside our office in Japan they’re fitting out a coffee shop, everything is boarded up and does not impinge on the pavement but they still employ two guys to stand at either end of the boarded up building to apologise profusely about the inconvenience and advise on how to best proceed past the works.
Apologising profusely to someone exiting the building
“Almost safe now, just a few more steps sir, you’re doing REALLY well!!”
Next to the road, leaning on the bollards, you can see two red batons, they normally use these to wave at passers-by and indicate the correct path to take. Actually there is a small blade inside each of these, if a pedestrian is too inconvenienced by the roadworks both streetworkers commit immediate ritual suicide to restore face.
Tomorrow - Japanese toilets
UPDATE:
Sushi!!! HAI !!!!
Surely these just all rattle against each other every time there’s an earthquake?
Hermetically sealed building work
Note the amount of effort to completely seal the work from the street, even the most minor gap is sealed up with tape and the boards have been perfectly cut around the steps. It’s pretty much watertight, If they get a water leak in there all the staff are basically going to drown.
