Stop, thanks

[spacealien_vamp]

Today I went out for a walk to the closest grocery store. It's only about a 15-minute walk, but I went in a leisurely fashion.

I also took my camera. Along the way, I stopped and took pictures of nearly everything. Houses, gardens, gates, street signs, walls, trees...everything that looked like it would help give the feeling of what an average residential neighborhood in Japan is like. On the short walk, I took about 300 pictures.

I was thinking...a lot of things about Japan are flashy. Bright orange shrines, temples filled with sakura trees, picturesque mountains... Yet even everyday sights can be startling to someone from a different culture. And it's the everyday things that are hard to remember properly once you no longer see them every day.

The picture on the right is an example of one of the shots I took. This is a random stop sign. I added a miniature version in the lower right corner with a translation of the text on the sign. "STOP...Thank You."

I wonder what pictures I could take if I walked to the bookstore in the opposite direction...

Comments

Super idea!

[megory.livejournal.com]

You are so right. It's the little things that are part of every day that we grow comfortable with while they add to the atmosphere and the memories. I am so glad you will have these. Imagine recreating a classroom someday to have a certain Japanese ambience. Or imagine planning for a Japanese theme party. Happy memories!