this photo? just a poor parking lot guy who has to sit in 100 degree heat and 100 percent humidity to make sure people park their cars in the appropriate place.
well, they are very polite. there is lots of bowing. the ladies in the department store bow as you walk past the different departments. the men who take tickets on the train bow everytime they leave the train car to go to the next one. at restaurants, everyone bows. the three of us had to refrain from bowing on our return to LA. that and saying, "Arrigato" and "Hi!" (not the hello kind of hi).
the police, i promised a story about police. we went to an art opening in a little gallery that was situated in a residential area (but all of Tokyo seems mixed together). about six of us were on the outside patio talking in regular voices. about 25 more people were inside the room talking in regular voices. the police showed up - three of them all on bikes. they chatted in very very quiet voices with the gallery owner. after they rode off (silently) the gallery owner asked us to come inside, and then she also closed the outer wooden doors over the glass doors, so that the noise inside would be contained. seems that a neighbor complained about the "noise." oh, and the important part of this story? this was at 7:30 in the evening. Not midnight, not 2 a.m. No, the opening was to run from 6 to 8, and we couldn't go that last half-hour without causing a disturbance.
okay, so that is a little TOO polite for a society i'd want to live in.
but really, we had a great time. more to come.
2 comments:
What did Rylan think of the politeness? I remember being amazed at first, and then I started to feel a little paranoid at all the nice ladies laughing softly behind their hands... I started to think they were laughing at me and my height and blondish hair.
I need to travel again soon, and not just to Catalina.
Earth calling Amylola... have you drowned in an onsen?
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