cultural oddities and fascinations...

This post is dedicated to one of the things I love about traveling to new destinations--encountering new cultural oddities in daily life, such as signs, public facilities, people, etc. I was sure to have my camera available at all times, so here is a short collection of everyday things I collected while in Japan that made me laugh or smile. Nothing says "tourist" like taking a picture of a toilet, but the "squatty" potty has already made my blog so I'll begin with something else...

1) Manners Street--Manners are a big deal in Japan, and no one wants to offend anyone or make another uncomfortable, especially when smoking. Smoking while walking is either illegal or just rude, though I never figured out which, so there are places strategically placed around the city (usually around train stations) for people to take a drag, though walking past these places is sure to give a potent dose of 2nd hand smoke.

2) Pointy Q-tips--these really frightened me, but I'm sure they are used for either make-up application or as a weapon, though I never ventured to sticking them in my ear. What do you think?



3) Child Bathroom Restraint--I was puzzled by this upon first entering the bathroom, only to realize that it's a seat to hold your baby while you do you "business"...ingenious!

4) Free Hug Signs--Though my next post will be dedicated to random signs, I feel that the "Free Hugs" sign people deserve a spot here instead. They seemed to be the happiest people and were standing ready to give a free hug to anyone that needed it. I wasn't brave enough to give this guy a hug, but on my last day in Japan, I couldn't miss out on this cultural aspect and just had to cuddle up with these kids...

I wonder what people from other countries take a picture of when they visit the United States? I'm sure that some things that are "normal" to us seem strange to others.