observations of the outbound 5

"Are you French? You look French" says the man in front of me, while chomping on tiny balled bites of raw ground beef out of the package. He has peeled away the plastic wrap and shoveled down the whole packet of Safeway meat. Impressive in a Rosemary's Baby kind of way. Though his head is clean shaven, Bic style, blond hair bushes from his ears and I notice a streak of blue dirt behind them, tucked in the creases. He steals an occasional glance backward toward me, trying to catch my attention again. Perhaps I should tell him that my family heritage is French.

There's a little boy on the bus, dressed in a green snowflake sweater and a red scarf. He is missing his two front teeth; he giggles at his mother and squeezes himself between the spaces of the seats which sit back to back. The bus wrenches to an awkward stop, throwing me forward in my chair and the child falls forward into the leg of a man standing up. His mother apologizes and grabs him, her hat falls forward over her eyes.

this is very japanese

etoooooooo ne...eeeeehhh!?

the drunk business man passed out on the train...this is very japanese















the girl who sits next to you at a coffee shop and pulls out an electric curling iron...this is very japanese.

the shirts in strange engrish, usually offering some strange sexual suggestion...this is very japanese














children (or adults) dressed as cartoon characters or animals...this is very japanese







(by the way: these outfits are placed next to the lingerie)










pickled anything and fish on a stick...this is very japanese



















really really short skirts with boots and really really big hair for girls. really really white boots and pink leapord shirts for boys...this is very japanese.

bars and restaurants crammed into one tiny office building, with a tiny sign outside that makes it impossible to find a place if you're actually looking for it...this is very japanese.
















hostesses wearing thin dresses in the cold while bowing to a group of departing businessmen repeatedly, as if the bobbing warms them up...this is very japanese.

littles in really kawaii outfits...this is very japanese













puppies for 235,000 yen...this is very japanese

bling...cell phones, belt buckles, boots, jeans, fingernails. if it's got surface area and you can put jewels on it, it needs bling....this is very japanese












a high pitched phone voice and a costume to sell electronics...this is very japanese








getting really red and falling on the floor OR pretending to be mickey mouse when you get wasted....this is VERY japanese