Joan's Observations

- Japanese men mostly always wear black, or at least dark suits- Women also are in black, white, beige. We Americans stick out!
The young women and teenage girls are very fashion conscious.

- Seldom do you see Japanese wearing sunglasses.

-Women almost always defer to men when leaving an elevator.

- It's considered impolite to blow one's nose in public, but coughing up a big old hawker in public is not a problem, even for women. Be careful where you step!

- It is not polite to eat or drink while walking outside.

- Everything is little! I happened to see the garbage truck drive by our building one day. Even that was cute. Most of the streets are narrow and many have to be one-way. I was shopping for sunblock, and found only a 1 oz bottle. I asked if there was a larger size. The cashier, who speaks English well, said something like, "In Japan everything is little. Little apartments, little restaurants, little cars, little people, little sunblock. Only size we have." Indeed. We have a baby dishwasher; the top rack is attached to the bottom. The bottom needs to be loaded first because the top rack unfolds to make more room, hence, almost it nearly sits on top of the plates on the bottom. Our oven/microwave is tiny. No turkey would fit in it. I bought the smallest cookie sheet available and found that that the oven door wouldn't shut because of the lip on the cookie sheet. Meals at the Smith home are basic. A friend lent me a few baking dishes, as we were given nothing to use in the microwave. At least this time in Tokyo I can use the internet for recipe ideas.

The same friend, Kristina, showed me the cutest little shop that sells hats in a popular shopping street. What you are looking at is the whole store! At the bottom of the stairs to the right is a mirror and the cashier. If two people are in the store, it's too crowded. It is apparent that space is very precious. The people live on only 3% of the land, mostly in large coastal cities; they farm 15%, and the remainder is mountains, roads, pathways and riverbeds.

- The Japanese are nuts about their dogs! Most are little (refer to above paragraph). There are doggie clothes stores (left), strollers--even double strollers for parents of two dogs--and yesterday I spotted this mobile dog shampooer truck (below).

Walking in my neighbourhood, I noticed a small, tall van with the curious label: "Coopoo - Dog Shampoo Service". And, surely enough, that's exactly what it was: a mobile shampoo station for dogs. Apparently, this is a Tokyo-wide service with vans in every ward.d only "coopoo." A groomer was inside the van giving a pooch a bath.

This is a common sight. These pampered pooches also travel in the subways.

And another word or two about potties. At left is the "squatty potty" or "bomb site," as Paul calls it. You point yourself toward the cupped end, squat and do your business. It is not always kept clean, nor is there any surety that toilet paper will be provided. Anyone who has been caught unaware once will subsequently carry little tissue packets, which are given away on busy streets as advertising for some business or other. Japanese men are known to urinate in public. They will turn their backs and face a wall or tree. This is usually seen in the countryside, but late at night, even in cities and especially if the man has been drinking, he'll relieve himself in this manner. Women always use toilets.

This cute little chair is provided in the women's stalls in some nicer bathrooms. You park your baby there while you are doing your thing.

Some women's stalls have a junior sized urinal for moms with little boys. A picture of a urinal is on the outside of the door so that you know it is inside.
Many times you find yourself in a bathroom with no soap or towels. You just rinse your hands and go. Most Japanese women carry washcloths to take care of their wet hands. (They also carry another washcloth to dab sweat off their faces in the hot, humid summer months.) Sometimes a electric hand dryer is provided. It is different from what we are familiar with, as you dip your hands deep into a crevice between two powerful fans that face each other. Your hands dry as you slowly pull them out.