East Eats West

The sounds of Japan

Picture: Despite the sheer number of passengers on Japanese trains and subways, it is startling to see how little impact all those millions of commuters have. No waste, no sound and no wear. 

 To sit on the Tokyo subway in the morning is an astonishing experience for the lack of chatter and the constant sounds of the announcers. Whoever travels in Japan will be mesmerized, and sometimes annoyed, by the plethora of sounds and announcements. The approaching trains at the railway stations are announced by an ear-piercing sound while never-ending announcements provide the constant sound backdrop (next to the artificial chirping of birds). Also the escalators have a voice, so does the ATM machine and the credit card machine in restaurants. Upon entering a restaurant all the staff booms out a big welcome and the cashier at the till will repeat all items and count the coins out loud. Switching on the air-con will produce a message about the set temperature. Even in temples tour guides try to speak as loud and clear as possible. So silence is golden in Japan. And interestingly there is a lot of silence in Japan. While sitting in a regular subway I suddenly realized that there was hardly any human conversation in the coach, only the constant dull announcements made via loudspeaker.

 

Reduce, reuse and recycle

Picture: Shoes from the middle of last century in a Japanese vintage store. 

 Japan often sees itself as a pioneer in sustainable technology, the Toyota Hybrid being the prime example. Japan wants to pioneer the sustainable lifestyle with the three Rs: reduce, reuse and recycle. At the same time Japan, at least according to my book, still the biggest luxury market in the world (closely followed by China). So what to do if you went on a buying-binge and ended up with a closet full of Prada, Gucci and Louis Vuitton goods? Right, bring it to one of the many resell shops across Japan. Some pioneering shops in Japan now even let customers sell their used goods for a limited time. Other shops are big into vintage clothing, buying clothes from Europe and the US.

 

The secret of big eyes revealed

Picture: Big eyes in an instant in a Japanese photo booth. 

In a former blog entry I talked about the extra large eyes of young Japanese hostesses. It might not be all plastic surgery but only clever touching up on the computer! I came across this photo booths arcade in a shopping mall and was dazzled by the clever eye-enhancement features of those cubicles!

Picture: Big eyes not enough? Here are some clothes for the ultimate kawaii (cute) look!