I visited the mining museum on Thursday. (Thank you fishy business for pointing it out to me [see comments, "Public sculpture beautifies cities]) I noticed their mannequins were pale, almost to the point of diseased looking, perhaps it's from staying underground and acting like miners constantly. On the whole though, the museum was quite interesting with lots of old tools - if there's one thing I'm a sucker for it's esoteric mechanica. Moreover, as I suppose would be expected, there are many displays of mining history. I found all of this very nice, and entertaining even, particularly the part where it attempts to simulate being underground in one of the mines. However, the informational aspect was slightly lacking, at least from my point of view; if one has a limited grasp of the written Japanese language and does not enjoy looking at old gadgets, tools and contraptions, this museum would most likely be of little interest. The tower, unfortunately, was closed. I shall keep trying to ascend as, there is more than one thing I am a sucker for.
Here are some things that have struck me recently, comments overheard and reactions noted, that sort of thing:
-When I ask my students "What could be some status symbols for high school students?" Invariably, the first answer is "A good school uniform."
-Overheard in class (a young woman talking to a settled man): "I don't want to be a housewife." "You hate dishes?"
-Japanese women are nearly always floored when I tell them that I can cook.
I realize it's a short list, but hopefully that doesn't mean I've exhausted all of these minor cultural differences or that I won't be able to notice more.
neonvirus.com says... you can cook?! COOL! hehe :)
ReplyDeleteUhm. I love random collections of conversations, I gotta do that more on my site. Mining musuem seems to kick major booty!
You should ask the women what is the number one thing they look for in a man...
ReplyDeleteJust don't tell them that when you cook you cover pots on the stove with a towel, hoping that it will not catch fire.
ReplyDeleteThat was once Nick.
ReplyDeleteWhat? You make a claim you can cook -- and you cover pots with towels? Not impressive -- but funny. You could win humor points.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I determined at a young age that I never wanted to be a housewife. However, being a JAPANESE housewife sounds kind of cool -- almost like a superhero. Combine matrix style kungfu moves with scrubbing a toilet -- that's genius! There's another comic book idea! Now only if I could write and draw a little ....
Cammie