My husband and I were walking around Nishi-Ogikubo, one of many little stops that have little of note to offer that we decided to explore, and I decided to peruse a Japanese sweets shop. I found myself waiting to buy a couple of small bean cakes behind a woman who apparently needed a remedial class in how to purchase goods from a shop. In the few minutes that we twiddled our thumbs, one of
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mercredi 14 décembre 2011
Will Miss #397 - shops that serve tea
Posted on 08:00 by Unknown
My husband and I were walking around Nishi-Ogikubo, one of many little stops that have little of note to offer that we decided to explore, and I decided to peruse a Japanese sweets shop. I found myself waiting to buy a couple of small bean cakes behind a woman who apparently needed a remedial class in how to purchase goods from a shop. In the few minutes that we twiddled our thumbs, one of
lundi 1 août 2011
Will Miss #347 - UFO Catchers
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
A UFO Catcher prize bag from a Sega game shop.
I can't believe I'm writing this post. Not a year ago, UFO Catchers (claw crane games) were something I wanted nothing to do with because I thought they were scams and you had to put a ton of money into them with little chance of getting a price. Some time around the end of 2010, my husband gave one a shot to win me a debu neko (fatty cat) and he
I can't believe I'm writing this post. Not a year ago, UFO Catchers (claw crane games) were something I wanted nothing to do with because I thought they were scams and you had to put a ton of money into them with little chance of getting a price. Some time around the end of 2010, my husband gave one a shot to win me a debu neko (fatty cat) and he
jeudi 5 mai 2011
Will Miss #316 - "capsule" services
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
A lot of hoopla has been made about capsule hotels in the West so many people are aware of these tomb-like spaces meant to allow people to sleep on the cheap in expensive areas. The truth is that capsule hotels are losing some of their appeal these days because business is changing in ways which aren't allowing for the expenses that brought people (mainly men) to use them. They're still around,
mercredi 23 mars 2011
Won't Miss #301 - stingy drink service
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
Have you ever researched the cost of a fountain drink to a business? In some places, it costs mere pennies for enough syrup to make a few hundred glasses of Coke. While I'm sure that this is slightly more expensive in Japan (as many things are), it's not greatly more expensive, yet free refills are almost unheard of in most parts. Costco Japan's food court is a rare exception to the rule. I'm
lundi 21 mars 2011
Won't Miss #300 - born in a barn
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
I have no pictures of people being born or barns, so the best I could come up with is this pachinko place with the door hanging open in winter (hence the coats on the players).
There are some curious habits that Japanese service people have which I find troublesome. While it's good that I only need some sort of repair, installation or service in my apartment about once or twice a year, when it
There are some curious habits that Japanese service people have which I find troublesome. While it's good that I only need some sort of repair, installation or service in my apartment about once or twice a year, when it
jeudi 2 décembre 2010
Will Miss #261 - not sweating the small stuff
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
When I talk about character traits, I'm talking about tendencies, not each individual person. There are cultural concepts that underlie the tendencies of people in their particular culture and each person acts a little differently. Mainly, I'm talking about behavioral probabilities. When it comes to getting upset about small things, the Japanese are much more likely than not to just let it go.
mercredi 27 octobre 2010
Won't Miss #248 - Softbank
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
My issues with Softbank are two-fold (at the moment). First, if you sign a contract with them and you are not Japanese, you must provide two forms of official identification such as your alien registration card, passport, or government issue health insurance card. If you are Japanese, you only need to provide one piece of official identification or two very flimsy pieces (like student I.D. and
lundi 18 octobre 2010
Will Miss #244 - automated ordering
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
A few buttons on a huge automated ordering machine. These are for curry and curry toppings.
Japan has long been famous for its technological innovations. Some day, I'm sure that they will be able to do away with people altogether in the service industry. Given that the birthrate is a bit under 1.4, they'll probably need to do this. For now though, they do the best they can to put technology into
Japan has long been famous for its technological innovations. Some day, I'm sure that they will be able to do away with people altogether in the service industry. Given that the birthrate is a bit under 1.4, they'll probably need to do this. For now though, they do the best they can to put technology into
mercredi 11 août 2010
Will Miss #215 - discretion
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
There are vending machines everywhere in Japan, but I've noticed that certain types of machines (e.g., condom machines, marital aids dispensers) are discretely placed while others are out in the open (e.g., rice, soda). They're either behind barriers or in places where there isn't much foot traffic. I can't say for sure, but I think the positioning as well as the fact that these types of items
jeudi 8 juillet 2010
Won't Miss #198 - stock blockers
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
Aisles in shops in Tokyo are narrow, as I've mentioned before. One of the things that seems to happen often when I'm shopping is that an employee (or several employees) will largely or completely block the aisle while you're trying to shop. This happens nearly every day. I can understand that they have a job to do, but more often than not, they won't move when you need to get by or they leave
vendredi 14 mai 2010
Won't Miss #170 - being refused service
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
There are several bicycle repair shops in my immediate area, and every time I walk past one of them, I feel just a little irritated. The reason for this is that my husband and I were refused service at this shop. While the "no gaijins allowed" situation isn't as bad as it used to be, it still happens. The main difference between now and 10-20 years ago is that the printed signs in windows telling
mercredi 21 avril 2010
Will Miss #158 - easy acess to service centers
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
My husband and I bought a Nikon camera from Amazon in the U.S. (because it's cheaper than Japan) and had it shipped to his parents in California. My husband picked it up when he visited them. Shortly after getting back to Japan, the camera broke and we were able to take it directly to a Nikon service center about 10 minutes from us by subway. And we got to repeat that about a week later when it
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