Now, this is an easy one...
A brain-sweater I found in an in-flight magazine :
Why is it always that non-citizens are kept waiting,waiting,and waiting in line at immigration every time one flys into the US. Only TWO officers to handle 300 or so passengers, and only one to handle lets say, 250 who are non-citizens. Yeah,yeah, no problem waiting in line for another hour after 8 hours of flying.
I'm quite sure that the signpost at Omote-sando intersection (or somewhere nearby) in Tokyo says "Aoyama-Dori Avenue" in English. This translated corresponds to "Aoyama-Avenue Avenue". As I drive by this sign, I always wonder why the sign doesn't just say "Aoyama Avenue". Mis-translation ? Intentional ? One reason that I can imagine is that "Aoyama-Dori" as a name may be helpful for visitors from abroad who may look for Aoyama Avenue by the name "Aoyama-Dori". However, the problem is that there are roads and avenues with the same sort of naming in Tokyo, and there are others with the latter naming rules. I wonder if any naming conventions even exist. By the way, I have never heard people around me say "Rodeo Drive-Dori", or "5th Avenue-Dori", so it would be ashame on the authorities if it was just a mis-translation...
Well, not too much...
create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide
Last weekend, my friends and I spotted a blue Bike Friday Crusoe as we came out of "Toraya", a Japanese confectionary located in Akasaka. As we headed towards Aoyama on R246, the guy on the Crusoe passed us by, exchanging several words with one of us riding a Pocket Rocket. I didn't have a chance to talk to him myself. Now, you don't so often see Bike Fridays in Tokyo, and I thought that I had seen the blue Crusoe somewhere.
Memories recalled, I had seen the bike on this blog, which is linked from the Bike Firday site along with my homepage. Good chance that we have met....yes, probably so. :-)
Haven't been reading lately. Some talk among my Japanese friends about English reading made me remember about a paperback I bought at JFK, New York but never got around to reading. Papaerbacks are rather expensive in Tokyo, so I pick up a few every time I travel to the US. Tom Clancy is one of my favorites.
Though I've already been blogging since last Sepember in Japanese, I've decided to setup this blog here so people can hear me when I want to say something in English, which I sometimes do. How often ? Well, let"s see...
