Things I have already become accustomed to seeing on the streets of Tokyo.
-The Infamous Surgeon Masks (these are everywhere now, I guess people are getting sick often. They wigged me out when I got here a bit, but now they don't phase me. I was afraid to tell anyone about my cold after the ice bar, for fear that they would force a mask on me).
-Eyepatches (Yeah, I still don't know what these are about. But I see people with white eyepatches quite often. I think it might have a similar function as the surgeon mask, but I can't be sure. Maybe pink eye)?
-Girls dressed as maids (self-explanatory)
-Umbrellas in sunlight
-Weird inward foot walking (where one's feet point inwards, the tips forming 45 degree angles while walking. It's seen to be an attractive way to walk for Japanese girls, especially young cutesy girls. But seriously, I've seen some girls who overdo it so much that they look utterly retarded).
-The guy who looks like Raiden from Mortal Kombat standing like a statue at my train station.
-I saw a guy missing 2 fingers, I think he was Yakuza.
-I saw this old guy today at Shinjuku station, who was (no joke) bent over at a 110 degree angle. His head was lower than his waist. I didn't know back problems could get that bad!
Hmm this is all I can think of now, but I'm sure there are a lot more. This is a really strange city.
I know the photo isn't overly exciting (it's of Akihabara, electronics/video game/gadget central in Tokyo/the world), but I thought the girl showcased two of the above points (maid outfits, and a mild case of inward feet - but it can get much worse than that).
Otherwise, school/life is busy. It seems like my life right now is filled with little tasks that would take 5 minutes in America, but end up taking hours upon hours here. I miss Skidmore facilities, the faculty did everything for us. Today I got lost looking for the US embassy, so that I could clear up my absentee ballot business. But no, I just happened to forget my phone and my dictionary (for the word "embassy"), so I was useless. Tomorrow I get my alien card. The rest of my time is spent on homework. I am regretting Intensive Japanese. I hope I have more time for fun in the near future.
3 comments:
So how many of those girls who walk with inward facing feet trip over themselves? Are those in maid costumes the new kind of Geisha?
Hi Nina! I'm not sure, they must trip a lot! I saw a really severe one today - basically, in these cases, the very fronts of their knees are touching each other, so that the bottom half of their legs jut out and their feet are facing inwards. It looks so silly. And they are always in high heels, too.
I think the maid costumes are just another strange part of Japanese culture. I think the girls do it to be "kawaii (cute)" and appeal to the men. I forgot to add this to the list, but I do actually see a lot of Kimonos around! Even my host mom wears them sometimes.
WTF JAPAN IS SO WEIRD
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