Category: Japan

sunday morning 4/12 tachikawa

whbeebe

As predicted Sunday morning broke bright and sunny with no rain in sight. Walking out of the hotel and greeting this was a great start to the day after a week of rain, mist, and snow. I was happy to look out as the sun was coming up over the buildings. I also came to appreciate how the city planners have been trying to put as much green in the central urban area as possible. It’s soothing to look out and see the new greens of spring, especially in the middle of human urban structures.

As I walked from my hotel to my daily breakfast at a local Starbucks, I passed other businesses quietly getting ready to open. Single individuals out getting everything clean and straight for the day’s customers.

The Toma monorail was busy and full of passengers, especially early in the morning. Every time I see this I can’t help but think of Blade Runner.

My only companion at Starbucks this morning was this gentleman, quietly drinking something (tea? coffee? cocoa?) while deep in thought. The fact he had a paper book open in front of him and was looking at something on a single sheet of paper gives me hope for humanity.

Besides, it makes me wonder what he was looking at and what he was thinking about.

He does have an electronic device with earplugs, which leads me to believe he was listening to music perhaps. And that’s fine. Humanity has grown up with the printed word over thousands of years. I’d hate to see that great legacy wiped out by visual cultural trash available over smartphones.

dogs in the park

whbeebe
18 1/2 years young and wearing a cardigan and ear hair clips

The Japanese like their dogs. They own a lot of them by my observations and seem to go to a lot of trouble to dress many of them up. They also like to bring them out to the park, which makes for interesting signage, such as the following:

Which, I think, is pretty clear in any language to clean up after your pet. This was reinforced on a periodic basis with loud-speaker instructions, in Japanese and English, to clean up your trash and clean up after your animal. And it seems to work. In spite of the large amount of traffic that goes through the park (and the city in general), I saw no poop anywhere, as well as no trash. It’s a very clean environment.

PERSON: Please look at the camera? Please? DOG: No, I will NOT look at the camera.

And, of course, what better place to combine love of flowers, dogs, and photography, then the tulip garden? In this instance one well groomed little character was having the best of times being a bit disobedient and cute at it at the same time. How could you scold something dripping this much cuteness?

PERSON: Well did we get anything? DOG: Let me see! Let me see!

Probably the most touching, and extensive, example of dog care was this couple and their injured animal.

This cute and well-behaved little guy was being pushed about by his persons so that everyone in the family could enjoy a day in the park looking at the tulips. I did get to peek inside the carrier and all I can say is he had bandages around the middle part of his body (he could have been a she, but I couldn’t tell). It’s a good things my Labs don’t read my blog…