Miscellaneous Japan

 Following are some final thoughts and images from Japan.  There is much to enjoy and admire in Japan.  And the Japanese pay extraordinary attention to every little detail.  These are just a few details.  This post should be titled "Why Japan is a Truly Civilized Country".   

One of the surprising things about Japan is that, despite the large cities and dense population, most of the shops and restaurants and bars are little mom-and-pop places.  I'd guess they have large supermarkets, but I've never seen one.  Groceries are sold from small shops or markets stalls, like the one above, that open out onto the street.  You can see the shopkeeper arranging the fresh fish on the ice for display.  In China, all the fish are sold alive because that is the only way to protect against being sold a spoiled one.  In Japan, they do not worry about such things.  Quality and freshness are taken for granted.  No vendor would ever risk the dishonor of selling a stinky fish.

 Another example of Japan's high level of culture is shown above.  Grape Mountain Dew.  (No more need be said.)

 I haven't seen Tommy Lee Jones in a movie for a while, and kind of wondered where he disappeared to.  I guess he went to Japan.  He has become the Bill Murray character from the movie "Lost in Translation". You see his face on every second vending machine that you pass.  That's because every other vending machine is selling little cans of coffee - BOSS brand.

The really nifty thing about the BOSS machines is that they keep the cans warmed.  You just pop the top and you have hot coffee.  They usually sell soup too.

 If you need something stronger than caffeine, then there is also a vending machine for that.

Finally, the photo above shows one of the rickshaw runners of Kyoto.   In China, the closest thing we have to this is the bicycle taxi - a kind of tricycle that you get by grafting the rickshaw cab on the the back of a bike.  These bicycle taxis are, without exception, always pedaled by very rough looking older men. 

In Kyoto, the rickshaws are pulled by hand and the puller runs.  Running up and down the hills of Kyoto with 300 pounds of tourists on your back is a great way to become physically fit.  Consequently, the rickshaw pullers all look like 20 year-old male fashion models.  And they're all dressed in tight, spandex pants.  So if you ever hear woman gushing over the gorgeous views to be seen in Kyoto, keep in mind that she may not be talking about the temples.