I am sitting in bed with bronchitis...forced to stay here until my lungs choose to rid themselves of viral infection :( BUT! This time has caused me to finally nut out those contradictions I've been pondering for so long; the puzzling dichotomies that make Japanese culture so very intriguing to me...

1. You may hurk mucas and phlegm up noisily from the back of your throat and nose in company, but blowing your nose with a tissue or handkerchief in public is seen as extremely rude.

2. It is common practise to push and push copious amounts of people onto an already full train so that you are pushed up against strangers in their personal space, but the whole carriage will stare you down dissapprovingly if you're drinking take-away starbucks.

3. Showing cleavage is immodest, yet 12-year-olds wearing thigh-high socks and mini-shorts is normal.

4. I cannot wear only a leotard and bloomers in my breaks in my dressing room (I have to cover up), yet if I bathed naked in public baths nobody would blink an eyelid.

5. Rushing business-men will get angry at you if you don't move the LEFT of any escalator for them to get past (it is a strict written and unwritten rule), yet there are no rules when it comes to bicycle and pedestrian traffic; it's a game of chicken every time you find yourself riding towards one of the hundreds of daily bicycle commuters!

6. I find it so very difficult to know how to dress for the weather; I am either too hot, too cold or unprepared for a sudden downpour - The Japanese seem always to be wearing the same thing but are never hot and sweaty, never shivering from cold, and ALWAYS seem to know to have an umbrella when it's going to rain!

7. As I understand, in Japanese culture respect and care for older people is very important...so why do really old people have to work being cleaners, weed pullers and bike babysitters?!

8. AND FINALLY...I have never come across more bakeries full of sugary cream buns and garlic breads, ice-cream shops selling cream and custard-filled crepes, sellers of orange-looking deep-fried suprises, fatty meats, gelatonous sauces and sugary snacks...SO WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE ALL SO TINY???????!!!!!!!!!!!

These are the things that I think about when I'm in bed trying to heal my bronchial tubes.

Don't forget your raincoat...the Japanese never do!

xx