Japanese Collage

Rather than focus on food, which is a most interesting topic to me, I thought I'd share some images from the last day or two.

Let's start with the infamous toilet. Here's the small box hung on the wall next to it. It still spooks me when the toilet lid rises when I open the door of the water closet. There's a lot of automatic things that go on when you sit down, that I still haven't quite figured out. (OK, Bob, stop cringing, I'll talk about something more than bodily functions in this post.)



The office I go to every day is about 5 or 6 blocks from the hotel and this morning the sun was shining so I was able to take some photos on the walk. Between the hotel and the main street, we walked through this shrine. I haven't figured out precisely what this building is, but it sure is photogenic:



Our office is located in a commercial district that is not unlike corners of Manhattan, with many commuters and office workers on the streets moving purposefully to their workday. To serve these folks, there are many types of small lunchtime restaurants that serve all sorts of food. Yesterday, as I mentioned, we went to a nice sushi place. Today, we went out in search of a noodle lunch and ended up in what amounted to a pasta restaurant, called "Pronto," which serves the Japanese version of Italian food. The lunch restaurants are narrow spaces with small tables with people eating quite closely together. In some of the restaurants, you simply stand at a counter.

Today, what we didn't know when we entered Pronto, is that we were sitting in the smoking section. People were like freakin' chimneys - young men wearing business suits chattering away and lighting up repeatedly. Luckily, our food came quickly and was quite tasty, so we were able to move along promptly. I had a carbonara dish with a soft boiled egg on top. It sounds a bit nauseating, but was delicious, I assure you.



After lunch, we walked around the block near the office and saw many similar type restaurants, like the one below. Luckily many of them have menus posted with pictures, often with English subtitles, making it quite easy to order food. Nearly everyone, it seems, has some rudimentary English. And, we've found that pointing, smiling and bowing serves us well, when they don't.



Vending machines are everywhere on the streets, mostly serving juices, water and energy drinks. I haven't yet found one that serves beer, but I'm looking closely! I've even got my colleague stopping to look every time we pass one:



Although we often have heard that space is a premium in Tokyo, I haven't so far found it to be any more crowded than New York. However, it IS expensive, so I doubt that many people have a lot of space to live in. Many buildings in the neighborhood where we are look like the picture below. I imagine this building is full of small apartments and balconies:



This picture is out of the office window. If you look closely, you'll see two men enjoying their small spaces:



When I was walking home today, I passed many locals on bicycles. The interesting thing is they simply park them in front of a shop, settle the kickstand in place and take care of their business inside. It doesn't appear that they are worried about someone stealing the bikes at all. The picture below did my heart good. A young boy traveling through the city on his way to a ballgame, wearing his uniform, with his batting helmet in his bike basket and a leather bat carrier slung over his shoulder. Truly an inspiration for children everywhere:



Then, I stopped for refreshment. Anyone able to guess where?



As I mentioned yesterday, this is rainy season in Japan. While residents may not worry about their bicycles, it appears that umbrellas are considered more valuable. This picture was taken right outside the hotel entrance. It appears to be a place you can lock up your umbrella until you leave and need it again.



And now, my comfortable, zen-like bedroom. It is so very serene I don't want to leave it every day!