Upon being away…
I’m back. My sister has been away in Japan on business for the better part of last week, and (as you’ll be aware), if she’s not here there’s no-one around to let me out to play.
Obviously I’ve missed out on a few things while I’ve been absent, but I feel like I’ve rejoined sl with a little vigour. As the doctor told the retired actress with chest pains: absence makes the heart grow, Fonda.
On the other hand, I’ve gained an (albeit secondhand) insight to another nation. Her observations mostly reinforce stereotypes, I suppose, but these are the impressions my sister returned with, reduced to a few words in no particular order:
order, cleanliness, community, spirituality, rituals, self-discipline, consensus, seafood, sake, chopsticks, wackiness.
Sadly, she had only a limited amount of free time to explore in and around Tokyo. You would probably have guessed that anyway, given the random subject matter (which is neatly echoed by the chaotic way Blogger display these images, too).
In no particular order… Akihabara (thanks Corwin), the Emperor’s palace, assorted temples and shrines, a toilet, and a pole-mounted power transformer (I think).
