I am a computer scientist also interested in the physical sciences, pseudoscience, and the borders of religion and science. More about me here. More about this blog here. You can contact me here.
Greetings to all of my (three) readers from Kawasaki, Tokyo! I am here on business with Fujitsu for a week, and it’s proving a great experience thus far. This is a crazy, crazy city…
Pretty much everything is hugely different in Japanese culture. Everyone is polite here (except when it comes to getting into a train, but I will get into this a bit later); people leave their bicycles unlocked in the middle of nowhere (and the funny thing is they will actually find them there when they get back!); punctuality is a great (and almost mandatory) virtue; there are ads in every imaginable place; and food is, well, raw and fishy!
So far I have had transactions with Yen; I have experienced the local cuisine in an izakaya bar; I got myself a travel card (like the Oyster card in London); I pushed my way into the morning train and got (severely) pushed by other commuters; and I have shopped in a 24 hour supermarket.
The pushing part in the peak hour trains was probably the most “shocking” experience though. When you think the train is packed, that’s when another thousand people will try to get in -and they will succeed too! When inside, you don’t really need to hold from anywhere, since it is impossible to fall down. Also, resistance is futile -most of the commuters just “relax” and go with the flow! There is lots of turbulence though when people deep inside the carriage want to get off…
Anyhoo, I have forgotten my camera’s data cable so I will only manage to upload photos when I return to London.
So, mata raishu.
Pretty much everything is hugely different in Japanese culture. Everyone is polite here (except when it comes to getting into a train, but I will get into this a bit later); people leave their bicycles unlocked in the middle of nowhere (and the funny thing is they will actually find them there when they get back!); punctuality is a great (and almost mandatory) virtue; there are ads in every imaginable place; and food is, well, raw and fishy!
So far I have had transactions with Yen; I have experienced the local cuisine in an izakaya bar; I got myself a travel card (like the Oyster card in London); I pushed my way into the morning train and got (severely) pushed by other commuters; and I have shopped in a 24 hour supermarket.
The pushing part in the peak hour trains was probably the most “shocking” experience though. When you think the train is packed, that’s when another thousand people will try to get in -and they will succeed too! When inside, you don’t really need to hold from anywhere, since it is impossible to fall down. Also, resistance is futile -most of the commuters just “relax” and go with the flow! There is lots of turbulence though when people deep inside the carriage want to get off…
Anyhoo, I have forgotten my camera’s data cable so I will only manage to upload photos when I return to London.
So, mata raishu.
1. banu
it seems that japan is an unique & an amazing experience for you my friend:)
keep having fun and let us hear about your trip
and try yakitori ,you wont regret!
see u
keep having fun and let us hear about your trip
and try yakitori ,you wont regret!
see u
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