Drunkards beware....

...if you haven't noticed, i've been trying lately to provide my non-japan-residing readership with some insight into life here in japan, rather than keep this blog strictly about my boring life...with this in mind, i've been hightening my senses and trying to re-notice some of the things that struck me as different/odd/interesting/dangerous about japan when i first came here...tonight's observation: gaping trenches on the side of the road!!
...japan is by and large a very pedestrian/bicycle friendly country...the majority of roads have wide, clean sidewalks, there is an amazingly efficient train system, and in general drivers are cautious and aware of the fact that a college student may come zipping out of a side street and into the middle of the road on a bicycle at any time...
...in fact, japan makes it pretty inconvenient for people who depend on cars to get around...gas is silly expensive, tolls are astronomically high, speed limits are unreasonably low, cars are small and weird looking, and there are people walking and riding bicycles all over the place (before chieko and i came to america this summer, we drove up to her parents house...it's about a four hour drive...2 tanks of gas = about $100; tolls, EACH WAY, $60...not cheap)
...so, now that i've told you how great it is to walk and ride bicycles as opposed to driving in japan, take a look at those pictures again...yeah, those trenches are about 3 feet deep, and that water ain't clean either...granted, in more populated areas, these trenches tend to be covered up...around here, they are often only partially covered...just enough to give a pie-eyed salary man a false sense of security as he stumbles home in the wee hours after chain smoking and sake-swigging the night away...i'm curious as to how many people end up in these things each year...so far i've been fortunate, but i'm not counting my chickens yet...
...and that is tonight's insight about japan...
...now, back to me--another weekend has flown by at breakneck speed...back to school tomorrow...which just happens to be chieko's birthday!! for some reason, even though it's still 1000 degrees outside, i feel a hint that fall is right around the corner (perhaps that's because they started selling special fall beer at the local convenience store), and the prospect of fall makes me happy...and finally, as predicted a few days ago on this blog, the cicadas are beginning to drop like flies...really big, loudy, freaky looking flies...i saw one getting devoured by ants today...sorry, no pics...
...and now, it's time to go do some ironing and hit the sack!! see how exciting it is to live in a foreign country!