my japan. [j].

[j] janken

rocks. scissors. paper. it's called janken here. the kids love it. and the bigger kids have all these fancy ways of playing it. all too confusing for me. while teaching university i always found it interesting how often the students would use it to decide things. seriously. i just don't remember doing this back home at that age. and i wouldn't be surprised if some top officials of companies or the government use janken. behind closed doors. every once in awhile. it is definitely a quick and simple way of decision making. and. yes. h-kun and i even sometimes use it. but mostly for fun. 

[j] jitensha

bicycles. they are everywhere. everywhere. and most of them look the same. basic. no gears. and a front basket. they are definitely one of the main modes of transportation in japan. especially for school kids. but many other ride them, too. moms with kids. business men. girls with really short skirts. grandpas. little people. grandmas. and me. though not as much as i used to. and not as much as i should. bikes are definitely a convenient way of getting places. as long as it's not raining. and the exercise is a good thing, too. i will be bringing my bike home to canada with me. and i hope to use it. often.  

Comments

[nicolette]

When I saw the word janken, it was like looking at a Dutch word. It means to howl. And bicycles are everywhere overhere as well! The only way to go somewhere and be sure to find a ‘parking’ place!

[britt]

it sounds like there are so many great things about japan. you are going to miss it terribly, i imagine.
i can't wait to read more!

[sooz]

Ha - D and I use janken all the time, usually for who has to do a nasty job like change a dirty nappy on the baby or clean up a mess. Works like a charm :-)

[jessica]

Argh, I'm going to miss my bike when I leave Japan. And the nice thing is even when you make the horrible mistake of leaving your key or something else with your bike, you come back and it's still there. I did that a few times when I was hurrying off to class or into the grocery store. In fact, I dropped my umbrella somewhere around town and someone saw it and recognized it as mine and brought it back to my dorm before I even noticed that I didn't have it. I'm guessing it's not like that everywhere, but my idiocy hasn't been exploited yet, so I'm thankful.