TheManInJapan

Odd Thing #16: Hats

It seems to be an unbreakable rule in Japan: Whenever you see a group of schoolkids outside of their actual school, they will be wearing identical hats. Presumably this is so they can keep track of the kids more easily, and/or it’s just a school uniform thing.

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Odd Thing #15: Watch your knees

I found this in a train station near the escalator. I think the intended message is “don’t run on the escalator”. But the message I’m getting here is “don’t jump knee-first into a giant razor blade”. Good to know. – Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bekathwia/833394660/sizes/z/in/photostream/

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Odd Thing #14: Dinosaurs

I saw this at Gakugei. No idea what’s going on: – Image credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/scottkinmartin/457428714/sizes/z/in/photostream/

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Odd Thing #13: A place for pets

Sometimes, near a row of trash cans, you’ll see something like this: But despite appearances, this is not a convenient place to stash your dog, cat or parakeet. “Pet” in this case derives from “petroleum”, as in oil, which is the main ingredient in standard plastic bottles. So “pet” means “plastic bottles”. Thus, the inside [...]

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Odd Thing #12: Obscure Associations

What I found in the post office

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Odd Thing #11: Bumpy Yellow Lines

Many places, primarily train stations, are covered with these bumpy yellow lines: Normally the lines have long straight bumps. But at important places (like where lines intersect, or if you’re coming up to a slope or the end of the train platform) there are circular bumps instead. It took me a long time to figure [...]

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Odd Thing #10: Trustworthy Carnivores

There is a baseball team in Japan called the Lions. (At least, I’m pretty sure there is) There is a poster I’ve seen recently advertising this team. The intended message of the poster is presumably “I’m a Lions fan, and I believe that the Lions will do well in their future athletic endeavors.” Unfortunately, the [...]

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Odd Thing #9: Musical Garbage Truck

In Japan, the garbage trucks sound like ice cream trucks: – Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/acesolidwaste/4668955665/

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Odd Thing #8: Giant Sticks

It’s something I’ve never understood: People walking around with Giant Sticks. I don’t see them all the time, but when I do I try to get a picture. Sometimes I don’t manage to, because the person gets on a train or something, so keep in mind that I’ve seen even more giant sticks than I’ve [...]

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Odd Thing #7: Edelweiss

You may remember a famous musical called “The Sound of Music”: It’s about a nun-in-training who becomes a nanny for a large family, teaches them to sing and restores their happiness. It also concerns the geopolitical events involving Austria and Germany on the eve of World War II. The musical features a song about a [...]

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