The largely unexciting mid-week rears its indistinctive head, therefore may it please my readers to hear some more random little thoughts and reflections.
- Brooms - A rather quaint thing I've noticed while in Japan is that the majority of people still use proper brooms. By "proper" I mean the brush is made from twigs rather than synthetic fibres. I don't know why I like this so much, perhaps the organic-looking brooms are so much more aesthetically pleasing?
- Chalk - This may be a feature more of Nagoya, or even just of Nanzan University, but I feel it's worth mentioning. Chalk and blackboards are still used! Quite a change after many years of marker-pens and (sometimes interactive) white boards. Though as I understand it real chalk is in short supply nowadays (can a mineral be an endangered species?), so the stuff commonly used is just a chalk-like substance. Still, combined with the individual wooden desks that usually adorn the classrooms this all gives the University the sort of look one "traditionally" associates with "education."
- Banks - I finally got around to opening a bank account on Tuesday. It was not like banks in England, where most of the office work goes on behind closed doors, so visitors are only aware of the presentation of the bank employees they're directly dealing with. Instead, behind the counter the rest of the office was in plain sight. Perhaps this is to imply the bank has nothing to hide, thus inspiring trust in their customers?
- 1-Yen Coins - These are annoying! Japan's smallest denomination of coinage are worth (by current exchange rates) about three-quarters of a penny, and look like coins from out of a toy till-and-money set. They exist mainly just for making change. Some may say this is true of pennies and five pence pieces as well, but 1-yen coins weigh so little it's hard to take their existence seriously.
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| A shrine |
