| |
|
|
...a Pepsi _THIS_ small!
This can of Pepsi is 9 and 1/2 centimeters tall! For all the
conversion-impaired people out there that's 3.75 inches! True,
there are actual human-sized cans of soft drinks here, but in
general, the Japanese people drink very little (except when
drinking alcohol) when they eat. This can of Pepsi would do
quite nicely for a normal meal! |
|
Definitely
not
a Big Gulp!
|
|
 Look
closely at this advertisment for a local pizza parlor. Do you see
anything unusual? Yes, that's right! This pizza is topped with corn.
When I came here I'd expected squid (live and dead), fish heads,
and God knows what else, but not CORN. It seems that no Japanese
pizza (frozen or baked fresh) is complete without a healthy spread
of corn. It might also be of note to take a gander at the price.
A large pizza is 3,400 yen which is in the neighborhood of $28 US.
Directions in English on how to use chopsticks!
 |
|
Now THAT'S service!!
|
Upon turning into a gas station
in Japan, the customer's car is assaulted by attendants, checking
the oil, consulting with the driver, checking the tires, and so
on. A stark contrast from service in the States where the service
is good if the cashier doesn't glare at you when you give him your
money after pumping your own gas. After the car leaves comes the
bow. I counted these three gas attendants bowing for 14 seconds
towards their departing customer. Truth be told, it is unusual (even
in Japan) for attendants to bow this long after a customer has left
and already forgotten about his roadside assistants, but there is
always a bow at the customer's departure.
This curious exercise is played to music which
sounds like it would be good for brainwashing POWs. Its slow, methodical
rythm is accompanied by a voice which doesn't exactly say anything...
you just have to hear it for yourself. When the whole school is
involved in a physical activity, such as "Sports Day" or "Sports
Test" day, they warm up using this exercise (including the teachers,
principle and vice-principle, everyone is taught this exercise when
they are very young). Every movement is exact so the whole group
can do it synchoronously. The actual movements couldn't give any
person imaginable a warmup; it's more of a socialization exercise.
|
One of the many things I will truly
miss about Japan when I go back to the States is the little
towels they give you at restaurants before your meal. Many
are cloth, shrinkwrapped, and heated. Here is a moist towel
they provide you with at Subway .
|
 |
An elderly couple getting an early start on the
rice-picking. When I pass them on my way to Takatsumi JHS it's another
stark reminder that I'm most certainly not in California anymore.
|
