Waiting for the bus: Every morning I have line up for the bus to my office (actually I catch Taxis now). Standard process, line up, wait for bus, catch bus to office, get off, job done…. Well except for the people that decide not to get on the bus because they didn’t get a seat. Now I can understand this if it’s a ½ hour bus ride and 5 minutes waiting but this particular bus has a 15 minute waiting period with about a 7 minute bus ride.  Why would you stand up for an additional 15 minutes when you could stand on the bus for about 7 minutes and be in the office?

Standing in the wrong place: Catch some busy trains in Tokyo and you will understand this little mystery. Why would you stand in the middle of the train doorway when you are neither exiting nor entering the train? There is a pretty good chance that at least 1 person will exit or enter the train at Shinjuku Station (world’s busiest station). If you happen to luck out and be blocking my way you will get an 85kg hip and shoulder, everyday there is somebody new to teach. This also applies to people fiddling around for their commuter pass in front of the ticket gate… get prepared or get out of the way.

Why did the Taxi give way: I catch my fair share of taxis every week and this behavior never ceases to amaze me. You will be riding in a Taxi, driving on a main road and clearly with the right of way and the suddenly the Taxi driver decides to stop and give way to somebody facing a give way or stop sign. WTF? To get an extra 90 yen? To be polite?  Who knows… To me it’s downright dangerous as the people texting or chatting on their cell phones driving behind you aren’t expecting you to stop. These drivers are supposed to be professional drivers (I’m using professional very loosely here), actually they are just dangerous.

I’m know this behavior is not limited to Japan, I just see a lot more of it here. I just don’t understand some peoples way of thinking (or lack of thinking).

Before you comment and leave “If you don’t like it Leave” style comments, this has nothing to do with me not loving life in Japan. It’s commenting on quirky behavior that makes up the charm of living in Japan.

Once at Gundam the crowds weren’t that bad, only a 5 minute wait to get to touch the 59 foot tall Robot and pleanty of room to get any angle shot you want, however it was very hot without any shade so I didn’t mess around, got my photos and headed back to the station.

For those looking for directions to Gundam in Tokyo take the JR Yamanote line to Shimbashi Station then take the Yurikamome Line to Diaba Station, get of the train, head down the stairs and walk towards the park then turn left once your near the waters edge… or just follow the crowds. Here is a google maps image and link that maybe useful.

Select image for Hyperlink

I will probably head back down this weekend and get some more photos during and after sunset to get some more dramatic shots. For now here are the daytime photos. You can see the full resolution shots at my Flickr Page.

The story is that the spirit of a “Kitsune” fox god is transported between two shrines by boat and Kabuki actors dance while the rowers chant “Horanenya!” (a plea to the gods for a good harvest).

If you missed it don’t worry you can catch it again in the year 2021…

Click here for more photos

Click here for more photos