I saw two things the other day that, for one reason or another, seemed very Japanese to me, and I thought I would share them with you.

What is the first one, you ask? Was it a gorgeous Bonsai tree, pruned to perfection, a tiny model of reality? Was it an exquisite flower arrangement? Was it a Ninja? No. It was a 65 year old man in a jumpsuit pissing in the middle of the street at noon. Believe it or not, this has Japan written all over it. Men, especially old men, are given free reign to whizz wherever they damn well please. This man wasn't drunk, he wasn't even tipsy, he was just elderly, and pissing in the street.

The second one I'm not so sure about, it could just be my school, but it struck me as odd, and most odd things that happen in Japan happen for a reason and that reason is Japan. I was leaving my school to go home for the day, saying my goodbye's to the various students still hanging about, and I came across a teacher, a full grown man, getting his back massaged by a third year high school student in baseball regalia. Can you fault me for a double take? This is not a homosexual thing, it is a question of decorum. The students are the students and the teachers are the teachers; there are walls that should not be crossed. Think about your High School English teacher. Mine was Mr. Siekmeyer. Now think about giving him (or her) a back massage. How does it make you feel? Not so good, right? I would never have given Mr. Siekmeyer a back massage. At least not during school hours, for crying out loud!


Oh well, to each their own, know what I'm sayin'? Cultural differences abound.