strange/interesting/cool stuff i've noticed in japan...

I wrote this on September 9, 2005.

Postmen ride red scooters (and are very diligent). Schoolkids wear helmets on the way to school- even if they're just walking. At schools and offices, you have to wear a separate pair of slippers when you go into the bathroom (or into the gym). In schools, kids solve all disputes with Janken (rock, papers, scissors). Construction workers do group stretches to funny music before they start working. Some grocery stores have shredded dry ice for your perishables. Some elderly women who have worked in rice fields all their life are permanently bent at a 90 degree angle from the waist (in other words, their faces look down at the ground). They have the best fucking customer service. Really, it's unbelievable. Gas station attendants wear colorful uniforms as they pump your gas and wipe your windows. Most public toilets are squatting style, and I've grown to prefer them. It's easier to squat over the ground, than squat over a higher toilet. School kids clean their schools themselves. School kids wear hats and face masks (like surgeons) when they serve lunch. They look like tiny, cute, neurotic chefs. Most shows on TV are "Variety shows" where a bunch of people sit around, watch videos and discuss them, or laugh at dumb stuff. They grow old really fast. Clothes dryers are exceedingly rare, which is a big pain in such a humid country! Nothing ever gets dry!! Many people (including me) carry around towels of varying sizes to wipe off the sweat that constantly accumulates. Some people just constantly wear them around their necks. My village is famous for milk, and we have delicious ice cream. Some of the streets here are so narrow that only one car can fit down them. There are mirrors at curves and turns, so you can see if someone is coming in the other direction (because someone will have to back-up or pull over). They have fish sausage here. Apples usually cost $4-5 for 2. All fruit seems to be ridiculously expensive. 100 Yen stores are a hundred times better than dollar stores. Shirts written in "Engrish" are everywhere, and I love them!!