vending machines

Japan has the highest number of vending machines per capita--an estimated 1 vending machine for every 23 people! They are everywhere!! Most vending machines that I saw were stocked with drinks and snacks which I'm sure is due to the large amount of people on the run (by foot) at all hours. Because of the large amounts of vending machines, one would assume that there would be trash cans to deposit the garbage, but people don't eat or drink on the street (and definitely not walk while smoking--I think it's illegal). The streets are immaculately clean even though there aren't trash cans anywhere on the streets! Japan has a high population density, limited space, a preference for shopping on foot or by bicycle (as most people don't have cars) and low rates of vandalism, so vending machines appear to a convenient way to sell and purchase various goods. While the majority of machines in Japan are stocked with drinks, snacks, and cigarettes, I heard of some selling sake, beer and various other goods and some even sell hot drinks and food! Want to guess what "Pocari Sweat" might be?

C is for cookie, that's good enough for me

When we first boarded the bus upon arriving at Narita Airport, the 2 hour ride provided our tour guide, Laura, an opportunity to tell us a few things about Japan and Tokyo in particular. The first thing she said was that Japan is not only the "Land of the Rising Sun" but also the "Land of the Rising Yen" which I thought was pretty clever. Another thing she told us was that Japan is composed of 5 C's (I've forgotten the exact ones that she mentioned, so I'm just ad libbing and adding my own about Tokyo in general):
1) concrete--the first thing I noticed about Japan was the vast amounts of concrete! There is alot of green too, but the concrete definitely takes over.
2) construction--and speaking of concrete, there is construction everywhere, with buldings and skyscrapers going up everywhere you look
3) congestion--of course it's crowded, but not as I expected. Very few people have cars, which makes the train/subway crowded at rush hour, as it would in any large city.
4) confusion--most streets in Tokyo do not have names which I'm sure wreaks havoc on the postman. They also drive and walk on the LEFT side of the street and road, which confused me all the time. It's hard to train yourself to look the opposite way, or walk on the opposite side of the street. Needless to say, Japan can be confusing for not only the gaijins (foreigners) but it seems that there are many things that confuse even the Japanese. There are rules for everything that I will get into in later posts.
5) contradiction--there is a Japan that exists now and there is a traditional Japan, which are very distinct yet blend at the same time. A Shinto Shrine may be nestled in between two buildings or my favorite example is this picture of a modern hotel that was built around a traditional garden. The Japanese do a great job of preserving tradition while embracing modernity...kind of like the contrast in the toilets!

which way is front?

Before visiting Japan, I really thought all toilets were created equal, aside from the European version of the bidet that the US never embraced, but that's another story. Today's story is about the Japanese style toilet "squatty potty" and it how it became one of my biggest challenges while in Japan, ranking right up there with eating. Who knew it could be so hard? I'm sure cleanliness and cost effectiveness were the driving forces behind the design of this style of toilet, but it comes as a shock to Americans and is somewhat perplexing, to say the least. I mentioned the high-tech toilets in one of my first posts, and the "squatty" is definitely on the low-tech end of the spectrum. Another contrast in Japan, I guess. Many foreigners are baffled as to which way to face when squatting to do what they came to do. I only had to use the squatty once while at a karaoke venue as I searched out for "western" toilets everywhere I went. Most department stores have them as do restaurants though I actually think these "normal" toilets are for the handicapped though "not being able to use the squatty without wetting my clothes" could be considered a handicap I'm sure. The squatty is something that I hope I will never have to do again without serious training. I'm sure Japanese women have thighs of steel from using the squatties and I bet yoga is a cinch for them as well. Oh yeah, just in case you ever find yourself faced with a "squatty" while in Japan...you should face the raised portion of the toilet, toward the flusher (does that part of the toilet even have a name?...hmmmm)

Pachinko

Pachinko is one of Japan's favorite pastimes and seems to be very popular with the salaryman for after hours entertainment. One of our last nights in Tokyo, we decided to venture into a Pachinko parlor, as we had passed by these establishments everyday and they are rahter mysteriuos venues. Pachinko is often described as Japanese pinball with a slot machine twist. Actually, the only thing that resembles pinball is the steel balls that are used. We weren't exactly sure what to do, and the constant clinging of the pinballs and the smokiness of the place is almost mind-boggling....it is LOUD and smoky. Hello 2nd hand smoke! We first had to purchase balls, which entails feeding the machine money thought the slot. The balls then come out of the machine into a loading area at the bottom. To play, you insert the balls and then turn the shooter knob to the right which adjusts the speed of the ball. From there, the ball is shot somewhat rapidly and fall through pins and other contraptions where the goal is to...well, I'm not really sure. There is a video at the top of the machine that I'm sure somehow relates to the game if we only knew Japanese. Confusion ended the game quickly for us and we just basically wanted to be able to say we had played pachinko, so we gathered our balls and hunted for the place to convert the balls to money or prizes though we never found either, so we just left the little balls behind. See, gambling is illegal in Japan but everyone knows that pachinko is played for money. To get around this, balls are exchanged for prizes (like at Chuck E. Cheese...though I've heard that some give tickets for the prize). You then take the prize around the corner to a small window in the wall (I never saw one so I'm sure they are hidden really well), and exchange it for money money money. Sure is sneaky but rather clever! Here is me "playing" pachinko...the seriousness of my face is actually a look of confusion.