Saturday, December 8, 2012

Walking about this morning

O-hai-yo gozaimas!  It's Sunday morning in Itami City, and things are quiet here.  We went walking to a Family Mart to get some lunch (we love Family Mart) and we also stopped by the mall in the train station to try to pick up a tripod for my video camera.  There are always beautiful things to see and hear along the way.  Such as...

Packaging is a big, big, big deal in Japan.  Everything is wrapped and presented beautifully and with care.  An such colors!  Even simple food is organized with an eye towards presentation, with bright and attractive colors:



Here's my beautiful baby in front of Chez Tiller de Itami as we were heading out:


Since much of Japan is bound up in cities and covered in concrete and development that anything green is lovingly cared for and receives the utmost attention.  It's very common to see trees propped up with multiple layers of wraps to attract and trap bugs before they can damage the foliage.  Just a random tree on the way:


Here's another "not quite clear on the concept" sign - I love these!  What do you think they actually meant??


Finally, I'll leave you with an example of why the Japanese make the  best handbell ringers in the world.  They truly embrace and glorify the team concept.  Working together to produce the very best they can... it's deeply ingrained in the Japanese psyche.  We were passing by a grocery store that was just about to open, and we saw this:


Just like a baseball team at the end of the game, the workers are gathering together and slapping each other's hands in a line.  Is that an awesome way to begin a new day, or what?  What a way to focus on treating each person as a valued, important member of the team.  And what a perfect representation of what makes a handbell ensemble so special!

Off to our first concert!

---Jason

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