PhotoZou Encounters

Princess Kiko has given birth to a little prince and the whole island of Japan is in a ceremonious mood that has extended past borders as well.

The birth of a baby boy will, for the time being, put an end to taking a step in amending the law concerning female heir. The new prince is third in line after his own father and uncle. The prince, his sisters, and his parents are allowed one butler each whereas his uncle’s family has 17 butlers on hand per person! No wonder Princess Masako is depressed. The yearly budget for the prince’s uncle’s family is 300 million a year whereas the new prince’s family is allowed only a 60 million by which are all paid by tax money. On the other hand, economy specialists are analyzing that there should be a whopping increase in economic growth especially in the areas of baby goods and the government is also hoping that young couples will be encouraged to have babies of their own.

I extend my congratulations to Princess Kiko and pray that her baby will grow up strong, healthy, and happy.

Posted by at 1:17 PM | Permalink

firework display posted from PhotoZou

I had the week off so I made myself available at a firework show.

There’s something about fireworks that speaks to the Japanese heart. The　abrupt rapture of color and magic that lasts only for a moment which quickly fades into the blackness of night is pure poetry for the Japanese. The same effect is achieved in spring with cherry blossoms. Aestheticism is heightened because beauty is neither guaranteed nor eternal. To many Japanese, beauty is appreciated because it fades and fails.

Most Japanese will also tell you that they want to die when they are in their prime, just like fireworks and cherry blossoms do.

Posted by at 12:48 PM | Permalink

vending machine that sells fresh veggies and eggs posted from PhotoZou

One thing you notice about the streets of Japan is the overwhelming number of vending machines.

What’s more surprising is what’s sold in these machines. Of course they sell drinks but alcohol as well (meaning that one can easily drink underage), cigarettes (ditto on the underage), batteries､snacks, bread, soup, cup ramen, stocking, socks, undershirts, and even porn.

No wonder it’s so easy to attain illegal stuff. The machine cannot tell apart your age. It’s not an exaggeration to state that these vending machines are actually supporting underage drinking and smoking.

Posted by at 1:00 PM | Permalink

Smoking has become a big issue in Japan. Up until recently many family restaurants allowed smoking while dining which, I personally thought was incredibly rude to non-smokers like myself.

Sure smoking is a choice but non-smokers have the right to breathe clean air as well. Smoking habits should be done with manners. Too many people throw out their cigarette butts on the streets and don’t give it a second thought. These days, many eateries, offices, public buildings have banned smoking and there are even cities that doesn't allow smoking on public streets. Taxes on cigarettes were also recently raised. And smokers are encouraged to carry portable ash trays. Who gets to make the call of freedon to choose? A smoker or a non-smoker?

On behalf of all non-smokers I would like to thank god for these rules! Now my friends and I don’t have to pretend to be pregnant every time we go out to eat!!

Posted by at 10:56 AM | Permalink

For a country that values personal space, Japanese people seem to have no problem having every inch of their body touched by random strangers while commuting.

Riding on the train during rush hour must be a terrifying experience for those people who aren’t used to being a sardine in a can! So of course train capacity is supposed to be 100% but during rush hour, it maxes up to 250%. A comfortable train ride would be having the space of .5 meter squared but during rush hour, this exceeds to 5 people per .5 meter squared. Even a math-idiot can figure it out! The answer is: CROWDED!

So, where do you draw the line of sexual harassment and can’t-help-touching-you? I know I certainly don’t want to be groping strangers but desperate times call for desperate measures, right?

Posted by at 3:03 PM | Permalink