November 18, 2006

OBSERVATIONS PART 2



CROWS. They are a common sight around Japan. I don't mind it that much since I don't see crows back home and to me they are as interesting as animals in the zoo, but apparently here, they are considered as pests and superstitiously, as an evil omen. Not only do they mess up the garbage but their population has tripled in the past 15 years. There also have been reports of attacks by these birds, especially around the nesting period. But these birds sure are intelligent. I read that some Japanese birds found a unique way of cracking walnuts. When the traffic light is red, they put walnuts in front of the cars on the road. When the light changes, and the cars drive over the nuts and crack them open, they wait patiently for the light to change again and collect their opened walnuts. Ingenious.
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EARTHQUAKES. I experienced my first Japan earthquake a few days after i arrived here. I learned there were 2 kinds of earthquakes: up and down and side to side. The one i experienced was side to side. It lasted for a few seconds and i could see some things in the room shake and sway. I fet a bit dizzy because it was similar to a boat ride. Then it was over. But i was still excited about it, of course. In Japan however, it's no biggie unless the building starts to crack or -God forbid!- collapse. I also learned that Yokohama experiences an average of 58 earthquakes a year. Scary stats.
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TAP WATER. This may be an insignificant observation but for one who comes from a country where tap water is perennially lukewarm, tap water here is actually COLD. Yup, cold, like refrigerated. Which is good if you are thirsty all of a sudden and have no bottled water left in the ref, but bad news if you have to wash dishes on a cold day or night. Although Ruther tells me that it actually is cold only because winter is approaching. So it's a good thing we have a hot tap as well. =D Oh well...
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MINISKIRTS. Yup, all those Japanese cartoons and animes were true to life. Most schoolgirls do hike up their uniforms to make them miniskirts. Why? I really don't know. But it sure makes riding the train during rush hours more tolerable for guys.
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PEACE AND ORDER. Japan feels like a safe country. How do i know this? When we went to Tokyo Disneyland, we had to leave our rented strollers ouside when we queued for rides or shows. We even left our bags there and just took our cameras and wallets with us. Fifteen minutes later, they would still be there, untouched and complete. Back home in the Philippines, everything would undoubtedly be gone, including the strollers. Sometimes too, i see people leaving their precious doggies outside supermarkets or restaurants without worries that someone would dognap them. Other times, parents would do the same with their strollers and nothing would be takan. Even bicycles parked along the streets with things strapped to them would be left there by the owners. Even Nikki's and Ethan's strollers are parked outside our door and they haven't been stolen in these past months. What else? The vending machines. You'll rarely find a busted, vandalized vending machine. Yup, i feel very very safe here.
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POWDERED MILK/JUICE. Disappointingly, they don't sell these in their usual supermarkets. Although Ruther tells me that their juices are natural, i still miss Nestea Lemon, Eight o' Clock Lemonade and Tang Pomelo. Powdered milk is also hard to come by. It's only available at the Filipino store. But it would be nice to have a ready pack stored in the pantry. Our powdered milk doesn't spoil after merely a week of storage. Their fresh milk does and it seems like such a waste.
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NEW RESEARCH. This I'm going to add because it interested me: "Researchers at Tokyo University Graduate School of Engineering have developed tweezers small enough to hold a single molecule." (Metropolis, April 14, 2006). Cool.

to be continued...