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Japan: Safety First

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A sign at the zoo warning patrons of the lion inside...just kidding.  This is just a construction site.  But don't go inside.  It could be dangerous! This isn't about safety per say but it's a good example of how the Japanese like rules to be clear.  In case you're not really into signs, here's a nice display of what to bring and what not to bring inside the library. Placed next to a bike path in a park.  The sign says, "BE CAREFUL". A pretty explicit sign warning of the consequences of touching the train while moving. Why is this dude wearing a tiger hat?  Don't we all when we're rushing? Something that caught my eye when I first got here was how big of an emphasis there is on safety.  Of course there are a lot of things you would expect, but Japan seems to take it to to an extreme.  Not only does the government post signs all over the place telling you to "not run" for the train and "stay away" ...
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Japanese food is Oishii!

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A light breakfast at a cafe.  They like hotdogs here (top of plate) A platter of sushi for 498 yen ($4.98)?! Not bad.  The price gets marked down even more late at night as things are no longer fresh. I LOVE the Indian food here.  All of this came out to just 800 yen ($8.00).  The naun is stretchy and delicious. Just a random seafood risotto I came across.  Not exactly Japanese food but damn good. This is where Japanese is expensive: fruit.  No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  Peaches often cost about 500 yen ($5.00) each.  There are slightly cheaper ones out there but not by much. Delicious Thai curry near where I work.  Chicken marinated and cooked to perfection.  Nice presentation too! This is an assortment of sashimi served over rice (salmon, salmon eggs, etc).  I bought this literally around the corner from my apartment.  Delicious and only about 800 yen ($8.00) for a big bo...
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Coffee

God I love coffee.  And I'm really glad that Japan supports me in this love affair.  There is a huge variety of coffee options here ranging from 120 yen (a bit more than a dollar) vending machine coffee (piping hot of course) to your fancy shmancy 750 yen coffee served in an elegant cafe by a uniformed waitress (I promise I'm not talking about a maid cafe!)  But my favorite place to get coffee in Japan is at down-to-earth, independent coffee shops, just like in the US.  You can have some really nice interactions with the staff at places like that, especially when it's not too busy.  For example, the other day I walked into a tiny cafe on a rainy day down the street from where I live and saw that the place was empty except for one man (presumably the owner).  He didn't seem especially friendly at first, not overtly rude, just not as welcoming as the staff can be at other places (Japan sets a high bar in that department) but later on as I was sipping on my co...
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The Blog Begins...

Well, here it is, my first blog post.  I'm not really sure the way this works but I suppose I just write about what's happening in my life in Japan and share it with the world!  As well as a few pictures.  This is my first blog so it may not be great but...頑張ります！
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