90 seconds

asahi.com raised raised an interesting question regarding last week’s train accident in Western Japan (article in Japanese): is the Japanese culture too obsessed with being on time? The train accident may have been caused by the driver who had done excessive speeding to make up for being just 90 seconds off schedule. In the article, asahi.com points out that in the N.Y., a subway train is only considered late if it is 5 minutes over its schedule when it reaches its terminal station, and in England, 4 minutes. Did JR’s (and on a broader scale, Japan’s) obsession with time indirectly caused the driver to speed up, which in turn caused the accident?

Having seen how the Japanese train system works in big cities I don’t think there is an easy answer to that one. Millions of people depend on the system every day and a late train could mean loss of productivity for thousands of companies, not to mention affecting the schedule of later trains. There is really no other way to run the system except to keep every train on time to the very minute. Having said all that, all train operators should remember that nothing is above the safety of the passengers, even if that means one might lose his job for being late.

But back to Japanese puntuality: most of my Japanese friends would go through all the trouble to synchronize their car clocks to a radio station’s hourly chime, instead of just looking at the watch and adjust the car clock to some time that is close enough. So many times riding in their respective cars, I have always gotten a kick out of watching the minutes of the clock turn :00 at the same time the radio station emits the hourly chime.

And once I asked a Japanese friend why don’t people in Japan set their watches five or ten minutes ahead of the standard time so that they give themselves a cushion to get to work or school a bit early. I remember my Japanese friend replied that after a while he would probably forget that it was set early and think that it was the standard time. (Isn’t that the point though?)

Spring

Seems that Spring is finally here for many people living in the northern hemisphere but Mr. and Mrs. Wanderlust have been experiencing a long hot summer below the equator, more specifically, in Brazil. We had a great time here but as we ready our journey back to the northern half we ponder the two difficult issues that have developed there while we were absent: the war on Iraq, and the mysterious SAR virus. Add to that the constant threat of terrorism, Mr. Wanderlust wouldn’t mind delaying our departure from this wonderful country. In a few weeks Mr. Wanderlust hopes to put his Brazil Travelogue online. Stay tuned.

Snow!

More snow in the Tokyo area forecasted. Mrs. Wanderlust should be glad that she doesn’t need to deal with that for a while…

Okinawa

Just watched a documentary about an Okinawan musician. The next place I want to visit in Japan is no doubt Okinawa. More than its supposedly wonderful nature, Mr. Wanderlust is drawn to these southern islands because of its haunting music.

Scooter

Before I got a scooter in Tokyo, I only knew Tokyo in the way the train systems - my sole means of transportation - presented the city. For example, I didn’t know Shimokita was only 3 minutes by scooter away from Sangenjaya, but by train it would take close to 20 minutes, requiring an inefficient transfer at Shibuya. My advice to Tokyo newbies: buy a street map and study it closely, because very often your destination is much closer than you thought it would be if you are confined to a train map.

“Roll Cabbage”

Magokoro Shokudo, Kichijoji. One of the best roll cabbage dish Mr. Wanderlust’s ever had. And cheap too at 690yen. Click here for more info in Japanese.

Good day today

Good day today. With my “photographer’s block” continuing, Mr. Wanderlust decided to take a break with my friend Yaya and her family. Took a train and sat in a seaside Atami hotspring for three hours. After that it was time for some fine sushi.

‘Heat Island’ Tokyo Is in

‘Heat Island’ Tokyo Is in Global Warming’s Vanguard (NY Times) Just as I suspected, Tokyo is getting hotter.

Outside my apartment window

Outside my apartment window I can hear the cicadas sing, a sign of summer leaving us soon.

Black

Black seems to be the color for this coming fall in Japan. Just a simple glance around a newsstand, I see that most of the fashion magazines have the word “black” written all over their covers.