Japanese Way of Life (Vol. 2)

The courtesy culture is extreme at times. Companies hire men to stand by road work to direct pedestrians around it although anybody with an IQ higher than 1 would just walk around the cones. The thing I love about these men is that they always have really nifty red flags and white helmet on, and they wear a proper uniform to do their job, not like the scruffy lot we have at home. I have seen up to four men at each corner of a small bit of road work to wave people on as they walk. I just cant see the purpose in them being there at all, and it must be a really tedious thing to do all day.

Another thing that is typical of Japanese courtesy culture is that the ambulances rarely ever break the speed limit, and when they do, they have speakers apologising to everybody else for troubling them! Following the rules is really important in Japan, no one ever seems to step out of line. I felt so guilty once just because I threw my banana skin into a bush when I couldnt find the right bin to put it in and I'd been carrying it for over a mile! Jaywalking is not the norm and people wait by crossings until the little green man lights up even though there are no cars coming on either side of the street. Sometimes, I'd forget where I am and just walk out and then Kevin or somebody would have to pull me back and remind me I'm not in London or Bristol.

More on the little technological touches they have here. Escalators are weight activated and only turn on if somebody is actually on them. Its such a simple idea that saves a lot of power cos in the subway, the escalators stop running automatically in between trains and when the next train comes and people get off, the weight of the people activates the escalator again.

Oh, and all taxi drivers wear a suit to work.