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 I was hiking in the mountains near Kamakura with my friend Kaz when I came across this sign on a high fence. It translates to “No Trespassing!”
Rather than just warning about the consequences, the sign quite clearly shows them!
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 It turned out that the spot was a place that hosted wedding receptions.
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 You might have heard the nursery rhymn, “Four and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie,” but did you know about “Lots of Oreo cookies baked in a pastry?”
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 A classic display in a restaurant window. While many samples look quite real, they are fake. Although Japan does have its own number system, fortunately, in most places where a tourist might wander, the prices are written using the Indic/Arabic system of the West. So, the good news is you can see how much each dish costs, even if you can’t quite figure out what it contains!
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 This is a paid parking spot. You park your car inside the rectangle, enter your place number in the machine, and get a ticket. The blue device shown front/center then raises up high enough that your car is prohibited from backing out without damage until you pay on return.
I heard of one person who paid, but had entered the wrong place number, which, of course, did nothing to release his own car. So, he had to pay again, with the correct number. Don’t you just hate that when that happens!
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 If you know anything about most of Japan’s geography, you’ll know that there is little flat/available land. As such, parking space is a premium. (In fact, one cannot even register a new car unless one can show one has a place to park it!)
As a result, it’s common to see multi-level parking paces with cars literally stacked one atop the other using some sort of mechanical lift. The one challenge I see is, “How do I get my car down from the upper level when there is a car directly below it?”
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 Umbrellas are very common in Japan, and it is bad form to carry a wet one when you go inside. I first learned of this 40-odd years ago, when I noticed long, thin plastic bags available at some store entrances. One simply took a bag and put it over one’s folded umbrella to stop water dripping on the floor.
Of course, with all their technological know-how, the Japanese were bound to invent a machine that would wrap it for you. Just don’t put your hand/fingers in the slot!
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 You know, you can never find a fortune teller when you need one!
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 No, those shoe marks are not for keeping a distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. They mark the spot where one must line up to board a shinkansen (high-speed “bullet”) train.
The train typically arrives 10–15 minutes before the next departure time, the passengers get off, the cleaners go on-board, and the gates close. When the train is ready for boarding, the gates open, and departing passengers enter. Unlike most train stations, there is no chance you will fall or be pushed onto the tracks when a train approaches. Of course, if you have a reserved seat, you’d better be sure you are in the line for the correct carriage.
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 A bridal shop, maybe? Me thinks not! Their website shows jewelry for weddings, engagements, and anniversaries. As to the 4-degrees C, I never did figure out the significance.
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 When it comes to “What is Normal?” it can be challenging to understand all the options you have when driving a car in Japan. Ordinarily, writing in newspapers and novels is written top-to-bottom and right-to-left. But in many other situations—like here—it’s written left-to-right, top-to-bottom.
Now, which one of those menu choices is the passenger-seat ejection button?
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 Apparently, it’s OK to keep driving here after minor earthquakes!
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 Traditional meets modern!
It’s not uncommon to see women around town dressed in beautiful kimonos. And sometimes they have white, powdered faces. I just love the toe-socks (tabi) they wear with their sandals.
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 In the entrance hall of many restaurants, one finds shoe lockers. One takes off one’s street shoes, puts them in a locker, and puts on a pair of supplied slippers. If there is a lock, one takes the key; otherwise, one simply remembers the number/position of one’s locker. (There is no need to worry about someone stealing one’s shoes!)
My problem is that with a size 14 shoe, the slippers available for guests might not be large enough for me!
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 I had a free day in Tokyo, so what to do! After looking on Google Maps, I spied Tokyo Disneyland, and it was easy to get to from my hotel.
Under its operating rules, it’s required to look a lot like its US counterpart. Having visited both Disneyland and Disneyworld in the US on numerous occasions, everything looked familiar, except, that is, for the people and the food!
By the way, how are your eye teeth?
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 And, finally, one from the US: From time to time, I see odd speed limits, usually saying something like 10.5 or 12 mph (miles per hour). However, this was the first time I’d seen one with a ¾ attached.
Now one might think these are rather silly, but apparently the psychology is such that people notice the oddity and actually read the sign, and maybe even slow down!
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