Planning for the worst

So from what I have seen and read in the news New Orleans and its people got the serious shit end of the stick. And I don't just mean with the hurricane. Lack of communitcation by who ever was in charge seemed to add to the pain and suffering to those people. That is weak. My father-in-law even made the comment (in Japanese of course) "What happened to America, I thought they were a strong nation."
I felt pretty dumb about then, THANKS DUBA!! You prick.

Anyway, I started thinking about the mind set of the people here in Japan. They plan for the worst. They plan for the worst not to be doom and gloom all the time, but because they know that the shit WILL hit the fan, not IF it will hit the fan. They want to cover their asses and be ready for ANYWAY. Because seriously, a lot can happen in one day here. A typhoon and an earthquake happened in the SAME WEEK last month!

I wonder sometimes if more people in the U.S. should start thinking this way. Hell, more people around the world. I mean can you really put a dollar price on a human life? Is the well being and safety of an entire city's people worth more than the government want to spend on dams to make the city safe?

Sigh.

OK. On to the lighter side of Japan......

I have only seen like 5 street names in the 7 weeks that I have been here.
And everyone still seems to know how to get where they are going!?

You can not open an account at the video store without a bank statement.

A six (6)oz cup of coffee at Starbucks cost about $2.25 And I still buy it...........sigh

At work I am the last teacher at my office from the U.S.

ALL porn in Japan has mosaics covering all the actors private parts, which makes me wonder.....is it still porn?

I have to carry a card with me at ALL times that says I am a foreigner. You mean, I don't look Japanese?!? Why didn't they tell me....(sobbing uncontrollably)

There are a lot of 650cc engine cars driving around in Japan. For those of you that don't know engines sizes thats about 3 cylinders......and I kinda want one!

Pictures of my 'hood next post.