And So It Continues – Part 2 – Forced Politeness

Greetings once more from not sunny Osaka (it’s nighttime now, and the sun is notoriously not up at this time).

I am once again struck by the height difference between myself and the average Japanese person.  I am also struck by low doorways and sometimes ceilings.  An unintended consequence of this, is that I appear, to the casual observer, to be the most polite gaijin in Japan.  Every doorway is traversed with a low bow.  I also feel like a giant, or that I’m somehow trying to recapture the joy of childhood, if only by the size of chairs and tables.

I forced myself to get out of bed at a reasonable hour, and even went for a run.  It did not go as badly as I expected. 

Last night, I unintentionally got dressed.  I bought a salad for a post-beer snack, and it came with a mustard vinegarette.  The container has two halves that one is supposed to pull together, following which the foil breaks and the sauce is ejected.  I figured this out three seconds too late.  The dressing traced a glorious arc through the air, and landed directly on my head, and all over my clothes.  I am officially a seasoned traveler.  It was Colonel Cameron, in the dining room, with the mustard.  Or something like that – I haven’t a Clue.

I don’t know if I have much more to say right now, so we’ll leave it here.

Yours most sincerely,

Colonel Cameron P. Clarence

Mustard Flavoured

Bumper of Doorways

P.O. Box 16 Melville 2109