Japan Sunday April 16 2006

Sometime, Sarah, before your parents leave Asia, we’ve got to get you to Japan. “The country where the fringe on the rug is always straight”. This country was made for you. Clean, orderly, polite, friendly. They have rules, like the French, that aren’t always obvious, but I get less of a feeling of distain for not knowing how to behave. I think here its more like, well you’re not Japanese, so how could you possibly be expected to know? But they’re very polite about it. Everything is polite. I thought I would experience more indications of, well, prejudice, but I’m not seeing that.

Other stuff. Well, the weather, obviously. Its cool, crisp, a nice change from Hong Kong. The cherry blossoms are shockingly beautiful. Pictures can’t really do their delicacy justice. In the Shinbuku Gardens everything seems to have been tended with a loving ancient hand. And the people seem to compliment the scenery. It wouldn’t be quite the same with out the little old ladies peering admiringly at the flowers, the couples walking hand-in-hand, the men with their extensively outfitted cameras, the little kids in their adorable outfits being little in a universal way.

There is a definite difference between when Lee first came to Japan 15 years ago and now. It’s a lot easier now; there’s more English, both on the signs and in people’s language. Chances are people know enough to help us if we’re lost in the subway, which we almost were today. We made it though, and it was pretty complicated. Now I think I can make it back into Tokyo from Yokohama without too much trouble.

The restaurant we went to last night was a hoot. Sure, it was a tourist trap, but it was a uniquely Japanese tourist trap, and the food was great. The John Belushi-like waiters, the grilled prawns and fish and kobe steaks, the international clientele, well it was just so much fun.

I’m very very slowly getting used to the idea that just because someone is a westerner, that doesn’t mean they’re American and in fact they probably aren’t. In Asia they could be French, English, Spanish, and more often than I would expect, Dutch. Why are there so many people from Holland? Is it a good sign as far as business goes? Do they work for Shell? What? I don’t know.

Tomorrow I’m going to be lazy. I’m going to explore the Yokohama waterfront, maybe try a museum. Maybe use the bidet, maybe take a long soaking bath. I’ll go to breakfast in the 25^th floor lounge, but I’ll bravely eat lunch on my own (and maybe dinner too it sounds like). Then on Tuesday I’ll meet the 3M wives in Tokyo. I’ll be brave on the subway and not worry too much about getting confused. Not TOO much anyway.