June 7th, 2007
More EOS 5D goodness
Last weekend, on the way home from the Ueno Zoo.
Above. It’s quite common to see colorful crates of red, yellow, green, and blue in front of wooden and stuccoed bars all over Tokyo holding the previous night’s glossy brown sake bottles. I’ve lived here for five years and I’m still struck, pausing every time that I pass them.
Below. These papers are the Japanese equivalent of parking ticket warnings. Cars are not left without drivers very long, but bicycles, on the other hand, are as numerous as the scattered autumn leaves and senior citizens pass the time with civil service reminding everyone of the farce of municipal traffic regulation. The fact that these warnings are bound with wire and not self-adhesive tape speaks to the timeless and unchanging ways of shitamachi (old town) Bunkyo Ward, and furthermore that there are three tags indicates this bicycle hasn’t been moved for at least a week. The writing when translated is laden with the austere courtesy of Japan, where even if you are a public nuisance, you are informed of it through a veneer of specious eloquence.
Warning. This is not a bicycle parking area. Your one bicycle causes trouble for the elderly and disabled, a large number of people. If you leave it here, it will be considered unneeded and disposed of as such. Please exercise self-discipline when using bicycles in the neighborhood. -Bunkyo Ward
