This is the sh?tengai (???) in Sannomiya, Kobe.

If you’re visiting a certain place in Japan that has no malls, don’t fret. Most likely, it has a sh?tengai – a commercial district that usually connects to a train station. Connected – meaning, you could find your way to the station by just following the arrows. ^-^

In a sh?tengai, you could find: supermarket, restaurants, cafés, pachinko, game centers, clothes shops, convenience stores, barber shops, bookshops, cellphone shops, 100-yen shops, and many more.

A good substitute for a mall, you say? Not really… because it depends on the size and the location. Smaller sh?tengais are usually lined with restaurants… never expect to find a Gap or a Uniqlo boutique. But, large sh?tengais like the one in the picture, are truly a joy to those who love window-shopping, like me! Some even extend to a few kilometers, like the one here in Osaka. If you have a bicycle, you could try sh?tengai-hopping. ^-^

Near Seishin Chuo train station:
Women and children donning their yukatas is the sight I love most here in Japan. Plus, seeing them dancing beneath the paper lanterns … what a refreshing sight! These are some of the “positive” indicators that I am really here in the Land of the Rising Sun. (I consider the unreadable signs and incomprehensible conversations as the “negative” ones).

I really would love to see people in the Philippines wearing the Baro’t Saya. Not just the politicians, politician’s wives and the celebrities… but ordinary people! How nice it would be to see almost everyone (not just the performers) wearing traditional dresses during fiestas and other special occasions. Unfortunately, I think these days the Baro’t Saya just represents a lady’s high social standing… do you think it’s high time we change this misconception?

It may appear safe here but I always make sure that the door is locked. And if everyone’s already inside, I always check if the door is chained. I got even more paranoid because of an incident which happened almost a year ago. A guy entered our apartment using a copy of our key! We had the agent replace the lock that same day.

Now, I have to make sure that the windows are locked, too because of the news report that a newspaper delivery man entered a woman’s apartment through the window and molested her. Am I being too paranoid? Well, it’s good to be cautious always.

A middle-aged couple stepped on the escalator. The man took the right side, while the woman took the left side…

Man: Chigau yo! (You’re wrong)
Woman: Ehhh? (What?)
Man: Osaka wa… (In Osaka…)

At first, I found this escalator’s “lanes” concept weird but I now find it convenient. It’s an unwritten rule, but there are fast and slow lanes in the escalators. Here in Osaka, fast lane is on the left side, and the slow lane is on the right side. But in Tokyo, it’s the other way around. So, if you’re just contented with the escalator’s speed, then, stick to the slow lane. When I’m in a hurry, I get irritated when some people block the left side. To appease my self, I just assume that those people might be new to Osaka.

I don’t know of other places where this is observed but definitely not in the Philippines… or am I only unaware?

Usually, big enterprises rely on the TV to promote their products, while the smaller ones rely on the newspapers. But here in Japan, both huge and small companies give away stuffs to advertise their products and services. Commonly, these are small packs of facial tissues. But on summer, they give away small things that people need. Yes, you got it right: hand fans! I have go to Umeda (one of the main commercial districts in Osaka) every Saturday and as usual, there were many people handing out those freebies. See what I got today:

( 3 handfans, 2 packs of facial tissues, a nail filer, and a face towel)

Hey! I’m not hogging! I just want to help those distributors finish their task as soon as possible! Ok, I admit it… I love collecting these cute hand fans. ^0^ But seriously, I really want to help them so I take whatever they hand me even if it’s only a piece of paper that’s a complete puzzle to me. Yes, even those campaign materials. ^-^

I might have grown up in a tropical country but summer here in Japan is I think, hotter than that of the Philippines. Back there, I could still wear long sleeves to work (even in Manila) without worrying about an ugly sight when I raise my arms! At least in there you could still feel the stirring of the wind, albeit a polluted one.

Summer last year, two Filipino colleagues and I had to brave the scorching heat almost everyday because of the job interviews that we had to go through. This picture was taken after an interview… have you noticed my very shiny forehead? ^-^ In every interview, we were inconvenienced by that sticky, wet feeling. Yuck!

But having learned my lessons, I think I’m now ready to face this year’s summer…

1.) I’ve discovered this Sea Breeze liquid soap which proved to be very effective in ‘controlling’ my sweat glands.

2.) Because it’s obviously not environment-friendly, I feel guilty each time I use this 8×4 deodorant & body spray. But it’s very effective in keeping you dry, especially those unexposed parts. I swear to stop using this when summer’s over.

3.) I love taking my bicycle everywhere so last year, I was really toasted. Now, I wear those arm covers when its impossible for me to use an umbrella.

4.) I always carry with me an extra shirt or blouse, and a smaller 8×4 spray.

Care to share other tips? I’m really grateful the Japanese don’t run out of ideas in maintaining comfort in the midst of uncontrollable and uncomfortable circumstances