10 most interesting and unusual first impressions: August 28, 2004
1) Singing appliances. Actually singing everything including the miniature purple garbage trucks. We need to get a sound clip of our washing machine -- you really won't believe it till you hear it.
2) The call to children. At 6:00 p.m. loudspeakers all over town play music to let children know it is time to go home. They also use them for announcements and for emergencies. It is loud and seems kind of big brotherish to us -- though after two weeks it is amazing what seems normal already.
3) The vending machines which are everywhere and sell everything. Brian is working his way through the different iced coffees in one machine with some language barrier induced surprises.
4) The bike police. Yup, there are bikes everywhere and bike police to match. Improperly registered bikes or breaking a rule (such as talking on your cell phone or holding an umbrella) can actually get you hauled into the Koban (police box) -- especially if you are a teenager or child.
5) The bathroom sink in our house is the top of the toilet. This way the water runs into the tank. Very efficient but it takes some getting used to. I'm thinking of getting the American concession to sell in drought prone areas!
6) Clerks greeting you: irasshaimase Clerks automatically greet you when you come into a business. They do so automatically, repeatedly, with a cheerful tone, but often without interrupting what they are doing or even being anywhere near you. Sometimes you hear one clerk starting a cascade of calls or see someone clearing a table on the opposite side of the restaurant seemingly talking to the table.
7) Money trays. Money is never to be handed directly to a clerk. You put it on the counter or in the tray provided. When change is returned they put the coins on top of the receipt and you are supposed to take it without touching their hands. Bette handed a clerk a bill one of the first days we were here and he put it in the tray -- then picked it up and made change.
8) There are cute pictures on everything and for everything!
9) Recycling is a religion here complete with a complex theology and enforcement system. More on this later but you have to know what is burnable and what of the burnable is burnable but shouldn't be burned and if you mess up they won't pick up the garbage and your neighbors will call a meeting or... We have at least 8 different locations/bins for different types of garbage and recycling.
10) In spite of the extremism of the recycling system and the rigid environmental rules, the farmers of the small vegetable plots burn their plant waste in piles in their fields. Since the fields are often an acre or less and surrounded by apartments, businesses, and houses this seem incongruous to us. Brian has gotten up several mornings at dawn to see if the house is on fire.
