Chris Kirby Photoblog

Japan Edition.

Before I get started, I should mention that I’m writing this from Japan. In fact, that is the very reason I am one week late on this installment, I simply haven’t had an Internet connection. I’ve been here about a week now and this is the first time I’ve been online since. So without further ado, weekly obsessions number five; Japan Eedition.

The Trains
It never ceases to impress me how efficient public transportation is in Japan. You can literally get to just about anywhere by train or bus and the amount of time it takes is extremely decent. It’s no wonder so many people use public transportation here. I really wish San Diego could pick up on this, it would be great not having to constantly rely on filling up that gas tank just to make a few simple stops around the city. But at the moment, it seems most southern Californians still consider public transportation to be something of the “ghetto” spectrum so to speak, or the rare, rare alternative to driving drunk from a ball game. A shame.

Max Coffee
I usually never drink coffee. But this stuff is insane and I think it’s my new addiction. I tried one of these out of a vending machine at a train station near Tokyo. I was expecting a cold coffee beverage, but to my surprise the can was very hot. I popped it open and chugged away. These little bad boys dose out a good buzz for about an hour and I really didn’t notice any type of crash afterwards. Quite the morning kick. I’ll miss this drink once I leave, as they’re not sold in America as far as I know.

Engrish
Okay. If you’ve ever been to Japan, or know a little about the language, you’ll know that Japanese labels and advertisements often use English words. However, due to the inevitable language barrier, you will oftentimes see words used in a manner that would never work in America. This happens so often that there’s even a term for these misconstrued statements; Engrish. Playing off the common confusion between the letter “r” and “l” that most native Japanese people have, the term Engrish refers to all things misinterpreted regarding their use of the English language. I’ve taken a number of photos displaying these Engrish acts. Stick around to see some more humorous examples.