Japan Number One Day

May 18, 2006
By LHP

A light drizzle all day. In fact, there’s been a light drizzle everyday but one since we’ve been here. On that day, all the balconies of all the apartments fluttered with clothing hung out to dry. They don’t like dryer-dried laundry here. 10:00 am: Tokyo Central Market. We bought souvenirs. My friend bought a...
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“Sumimasen”

May 17, 2006
By LHP

When you’re at the famous temple in Kyoto* — the one carved into the edge of a forest that clings like a low cloud of green to the mountains forming the city’s western border — and you hear a child, one of the thousands of school-children all dressed in their sharp school uniforms who...
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Travel Tips From Tokyo

May 14, 2006
By LHP

A few things to note: 1) Tokyo smells like North Carolina. Everybody smokes. 2) Pedestrian traffic flows on the left, just like street traffic. 3) Cyclists who ride on the sidewalks expect pedestrians, even those from distant lands, to understand item #2. 4) On escalators, standers stand on the left, walkers walk on the...
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Crazy Japanese Rube Goldberg Machines

April 13, 2006
By LHP

Long video, but worth it.
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My New Catch Phrase

April 6, 2006
By LHP

In the Inbox this am: Dear customer of Chase Bank, Technical services of the Chase Bank are carrying out a planned software upgrade. We earnestly ask you to visit the following link to start the procedure of confirmation on customers data. To get started, please click the link below: https://Chase.com/update?account152030896 This instruction has been...
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Crappy Business Letters

March 8, 2006
By LHP

Scores of them. Acres. A few excerpts: Congratulations on Outstanding Achievement: There is no doubt that your recent achievements will be spoken of for some time to come and that the admiration for your accomplishments is felt by all of us within the industry as well as the general public. Refusal of Request for...
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