Hi Alina, Thank you so much! Lately, it's been Dr Trouble who does the picture taking and blog entry writing. Without him, I'd be lost. LOL! And he appreciates your comment even more. Thank you!

Hi Boom, For the photos and the story you need to thank Dr Trouble - I had to stay home that day. Danielle, Are you planning to visit Japan? Robert, thank you. You are always so kind and thoughtful in your comments! And I'm not sure we even deserve such kindness! Have a great Friday :)

I wouldn't say that "everything", but as I'm sure you're finding out now, many things are indeed quite ordinary here. The problem is that "ordinary" is a very flexible and hugely relative concept, especially when talking about Japan.

The stuff about uploading or sending large files is pretty standard in many countries, though it all depends on your internet provider and how stingy they are with bandwidth, not with policing the users. And you know what? I hear the stories about people being checked by cops while just walking or biking around all the time. Yet at this point I take them with a grain of salt. Just like the carp you can read on some blogs that Japanese children in supermarkets run away and scream when seeing a foreigner. Or that people stare, especially when you live in a small town. Heck, I can tell you that the only people who stare at me are drunks and other foreigners, and especially drunk foreigners, nobody else gives a flying fark through a rollin' donut about the fact that I'm a gaijin. I do get checked quite often while driving, but that might be simply due to the fact that I drive a lot more so than most people. However I've never been stopped while riding a bike or walking around. That's exactly the kind of stuff that many foreigners tell their friends and families back in the old country - just to show how "different", "strange" and "exotic" Japan is.

Hi Muza! Next year I'm planning to wear a scuba diving outfit and get a waterproof video camera and jump in the pond with them to shoot better footage!

I'm glad you liked it. :)

AWESOME! I will see what's coming up and let you know.

Hi MK, You should totally come out to Tochigi and troll some festivals with us - it will be fun! And I am not the master people photo taker, Dr. Trouble is. Also, Dr. Trouble, being the shinto otaku that he is, can act as our anthropology professor. hahaha!

Hi Chibaraki! Thank you for your comment. Yes, it is always fun to learn about and show others things that are not normally accessible to tourists.

Hi Pawel, Yes, I know... Sweden is also tragic when it comes to common courtesy (or is it common sense?) on public transport. But I think there's a bigger problem underneath it all. People complain how the young generation these days has no respect towards its elders, yet the same morons do not realize they are to blame for it. That dumb cow of a mother on that train in a few short decades will bitch and moan about how rude, nasty and disrespectful the kids are, apparently forgetting that she herself raised them to be like that, and they in turn are raising their kids the same way.

Hi Owl! Or you know what? If you come to Nikko during Golden Week next year, you can join us! It will be fun!

About the police presence and the internet control - I think you are confusing Japan with China here. :) or that Polish girl in a Japanese dorm is bsing you, big time. And the people here don't have to convince each other to do or think anything, because they just blindly follow, be it fashion, or ridiculous school policies, or whatever else. They may not like what they're following, but damn, you're told to follow and so you just do. This is why I said that the entire education system needs to be changed. But it won't come from the people, unfortunately.

Hi Robert, We had a good time actually. And they did feed us afterwards and reimbursed our transportation! Oh, the things we do for a free meal! LOL!