Thursday, September 21, 2006
fun facts/observations
When it's sunny, many women carry sun parasols, which look like regular umbrellas but are often frillierMost beauty salons that do hair & makeup have English signs announcing that they do, except they never say "make up", just "make"! I will eventually find out why because I'm very curious about it (it probably has something to do with the kanji)Though many Tokyoites seem to imbibe on a frequent basis, partaking in the common practice of going out after work for drinks with employers/fellow employees, the law is absolute zero tolerance for driving. So your goose is cooked if the breathalyzer detects ANY alcoholI'm not so sure that law applies to bicyclists, since I've seen a few drunken onesSpeaking of cyclists, I've seen many sending text mssgs with their cell phones WHILE riding their bikes on busy sidewalks! Of course there're even more people who text while they walk (so they're not watching where they're going). Texting is way bigger here than talking on a cell. You don't see people talking on cells very oftenAnd speaking of things that people don't seem to often do, you very-very rarely see a Japanese person eating or drinking on the street. Cafés are everywhere but NO ONE carries a takeout coffee while walking. Could explain why the streets are so cleanSmall dogs abound, as do fancy shops that sell clothing & accessories for them. Sadly, far too many people actually dress their dogs. I saw a pug today wearing camouflage overallsSpeaking of mini-mutts, I think they're big on cross-breeding here, particularly with pomeranians and chihuahuas and I often see something that looks like a cross between a sausage-dog and a cockerspaniel. A cocker-sausage I guess you'd call itA popular (and very cute), medium-sized native Japanese breed is the Shiba InuOk, back to people. Lots and lots of twenty & thirty-something male kaishain ("company men" or office workers) wear their dark suits with skinny pant legs, skinny ties, pointy shoes and spiky hair. Very cool
