Vending machines

The other amazing thing about Japan is that you will find drink vending machines in the most remotest places of the country. You would find at least one in many road junctions. The light that it throws onto the street at night is nice to see though.

You do ask yourself sometimes though: "How do they power up these things when the nearest energy source seems so far away?" Imagine travelling across row after row of padi fields in the countryside to find a vending machine in the middle of one.

In vending machine country, it's easier to buy a can of coke than to dispose of it. Rubbish bins are rare in Tokyo, and you are encouraged to take your thrash back for recycling. Take 1 minute to buy a drink, take 20 minutes to throw it away...

Waterboys

Some of you may remember the movie "Waterboys" (2001) about a bunch of high school guys forming a synchronized swimming team. This is a video taken on 9 Sept 2007 at the Kawagoe boy's high school festival featuring the real waterboys on which the movie was based on. Kawagoe city is in Saitama prefecture, about an hour away from Tokyo. Enjoy!

Japan has gone fruity!

In Singapore we can buy fruits at a nominal price. In Japan the price of fruits is unbelieveably astronomical. In supermarkets, a packet of 4 mandarin oranges cost 600 Yen ($8) while rock melons costs around 2000 Yen ($26) a piece.



Fruits hold some kind of status symbol, and are considered good gifts for people or companies. I was in Shinjuku Isetan recently and I chanced upon watermelons at various shapes and sizes. I've seen those on TV but never in real life. What is more surprising is the cost of honeydew melons there. One box of 2 prized honeydews will set you back 31,500 Yen ($4,200). I once heard that a company bought one for a few million yen only to display it in their showcase. FYI once the T-shaped stem of the honeydew melon is bent or broken, they lose all of their value.