Barking

Being allowed to ride along the pavement is very different to cycling in London.  It feels a lot safer for one.  It also comes with its own challenges but Im getting good at weaving in and out of people, and people with people and people with dogs, and other bikes.  It also gives you a great way to observe pavement users, without their knowledge!  

Now, I was going to talk here about the fact that, although Japanese women have excellent taste in clothes and accessories, they struggle in the shoe department, frequently sporting the Japanese equavalent of Dolcis (RIP), and even more frequently with heels worn down to a jaunty angle.  I was going to put this down to their cultural heritage, in particular the kimonos and the wooden shoes in which they are restricted to shuffle, and the fact that this seems to give many of them them a bow legged gait.  However, I had lunch today with Carl (Kiwi friend of Adam's who has been living here for years).  He has suggested that the reason for this is that I have been looking in the wrong areas and the wearers of these shoes are indeed buying them in supermarkets.  Carl says I should look in some of the smarter areas for more expensive shoe wearers.  So I'm going to research this one further and let you know of my findings.  

Instead I'm going to talk about dogs.  In particular, Tokyo dogs and their accessories.  Yes exactly!  It seems that Tokyo, and in particular, Fukuzawa where I live, is home to many little lap dogs.  Chihuahuas in their thousands, as well as toy poodles and a few other strange looking varieties.  Now I understand fully why people want a dog.  And I understand that in a city such as this, where people live cheek by jowl and the open spaces are heavily manicured, a small dog would be the most appropriate choice.  But do people seriously think that it is normal to put a dog in clothes?  Not just clothes but baseball caps, underwear, jewellery and perfume.  Im told you can even get a bikini for a dog, although its still a bit parky for that at the moment.  In my town there are actually more clothing shops for dogs than there are for people.   There are also specialist take away dog food shops and hairdressers (furdressers?!) You can get special prams for dogs, as well as carry baskets and ruck sacks.  Yesterday I was sharing my hilarity on this subject with my NBF Maiko and she said, 'yes but otherwise the dog would be naked'.  Naked!  Its a dog!  

Anyway, although we have a lot to learn from the Japanese, somehow I have a feeling that this craze is not coming our way.  I just don't think we are barking (sorry) enough.  It seems though that many of the shops and ideas here are coming from the West, rather than the other way round.  Paul Smith is flourishing on every street corner.  So is Gap, Top Shop, Starbucks, Gucci, Prada, Chanel blah blah blah.   All into the big global melting pot so we can all look the same (except some of us bigger than others!)  And so would I, of course, if I were Mr Armani.  The Japanese are most professional shoppers and the country boasts being the second largest consumer society in the world.  Every shop is stuffed full of people buying the latest of everything and every person in the street carries a mobile phone and a bag from a luxury brand.  The Japanese markets may have taken a dive, but I think when it was mentioned on the news here, everybody was out shopping.