What You Don’t See
Welcome to my random musings about the world, on a weekly-to-occasional basis.
Where we are: We’re in Tokyo; Lane is here as well, and is dragging us to all the TikTok trendy snacks. I feel like a (very satisfied) blimp.
What You Don’t See
I’ve spent the last three weeks walking and walking and walking, just paying attention to the world around me. Lee and I were talking one day about the vibe in the parks and touristy spots in Osaka, and I was thinking about other tourist-friendly cities we’ve been to recently (London, Edinburgh, Paris, Rome). It suddenly occurred to me that there are no buskers in Osaka. I didn’t see anyone singing, or posing all painted in silver, or dressed as a gladiator to take photos with visitors.
Which made me wonder: what else is ‘missing’ in Japan? So I made a list.
Things I don’t see in Japan:
Buskers
Public trash receptacles (plan on taking your rubbish back to your hotel)
Smog
Brightly colored clothing
People playing phones out loud
Pan-handlers (okay, I’ve seen one—he was extremely tidy, with his head bowed, holding out a plastic cup. The exception that proves the rule, I believe.)
Unruly school children
Random eye contact
Jaywalking
Dirty cars (y’all—I saw a cement mixer that looked like it had just rolled off the lot—all shiny chrome and sparkling windshield)
Cigarette butts
People eating or drinking on the street
Dog poo
Scruffiness
And because I like balance and contrast, I decided to make another little list, of noticeable things that are indeed visible.
Things I do see in Japan:
Toilets—no need to worry, because there’s always a public toilet, and it’s always clean. Even in metro stations.
Signs (I can’t always read the signs, but they’re there—about everything)
Elderly people, living their lives, walking the city streets, riding the transit, carrying on.
A sign requesting that people who wear headphones keep their volume low, because sound might leak out and bother others.
Business attire. Even casual wear is stylishly chosen & arranged—if someone shows up in the hotel lobby in pajamas (which they sometimes do), they’re the tidy, stylish pajamas that the hotel provided.
Queues—I mentioned the queues a few weeks ago, but it bears repeating: this is a country where people line up for everything and wait quietly, patiently.
Stand on the left, walk on the right
Cute socks—I love to look at people’s socks on the metro, especially men in sober suits. Personality shines through in socks.
And one contradiction: All the dark, formal business attire, the conformity, the conservative public face that is the norm here is turned upside down by the costumes. It’s not unusual to see a young woman dressed like a manga character, or a maid, or wearing a kimono. I don’t pretend to understand that element of Japanese culture, and I suspect some of my readers do, so I’ll just leave it there. In a sea of pinstripe suits, occasionally I see a babydoll dress complete with petticoats and a full face of makeup. I wonder what inner impulses those costumes represent?
Ps—Lane has just started a newsletter as well; go give them a follow at The Trans Traveler.
Turns out we’re a whole family full of wanderers!
Take care,
Lisa
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