After watching the movie Avatar last summer, I went through a stage of disapointment that real life was not as cool as Pandora; a place where folks live in harmony and respect their habitat,... and a beautiful habitat at that. The cure eventually came when I arrived in Japan. I honestly couldn't stop laughing upon my initial first week here. My first lasting impression came shortly off the train, where i spotted what seemed to be a salary man in a business suit riding a pink bicycle with a basket and a bell..... I wasn't ready for that.... The longer I had stayed here the more I wished I had a camera. - (left mine at home) - But thanks to eventually getting a SoftBank phone, I now have the ability to share these moments with mediocre quality. The people are great and the random English used is hilarious. For example, in the accompanying photo you can see that my CocaCola was not only "sugar zero" but also "FREE CAFFEINE" - who doesn't love free caffeine? I missed oppertunities to capture the Hello Kitty-themed "house party" I went to and the break dancers by Hirakata Shi Eki..... However an important photo-opp for me was to capture for myself, the same scenary I have only seen in brochures..... The photo which focuses on the scenary under the giant solar panel sums up the image that comes to my mind when i hear "Kansai Gaidai" - This is my home now.
Well, laughter is usually a good thing. And there is a lot to laugh at in Japan. But there's lot to laugh at everywhere. So I hope you are laughing with the Japanese and not at them...
ReplyDeleteYou mention lots of interesting examples. But left your camera at home? What were you thinking? But thank god for our keitai camera. Actually, before I got my Nikon SLR, the camera on my cell phone was better quality that my Sanyo Exacti...
Anyway, I like the title of your blog and look forward to more creativity in your posts. Please add the disclaimer and Creative Commons.
haha... definately not laughing at them.... laughing from shock and excitement
ReplyDelete