Only In Japan

Order lunch or dinner through a vending machine and your order is brought out to you.

use bells that ring when you pick up something valuable.

Have community clean up once a month and everyone must participate

mark sidewalks with a ribbed marking so the blind can follow the path

there is a vending machine on every corner and no drive through's.  Instead of drive threw's a bunch of different types of vending machines are made available with a covering over them.  You can purchase beer, juice, hot and cold canned coffee, condoms, food etc

is their rows and rows of washcloths to buy in every store because most restrooms do not have anything to dry your hands on.

would you name a store HARD OFF.......

Maybe we should have these in places to eat...but we don't.  Bing Bongs tell your server you need something or are ready to order.

have different designs of street lights in every town

Use different cartoon signs to communicate

put magnetic labels on cars to show their driving age or ability.  EXAMPLE heart clover means hard of hearing, arrow means young driver

these cute animal barriers are used at construction site

Japan which offers hundreds of flavors, some specific to a certain region, some produced as limited edition ones, and a few new flavors that come out every year.
At the start of the New Year is when you’ll usually see a few new limited edition ones or new flavors. Some can be found at the various Japanese markets like Marukai (check Marukai Value if they are sold at at the Marukai supermarket), Mitsuwa, and Nijiya. Some sadly, can only be found in Japan.

Only students that ride a bus are Kindergarten students.  Since this is the first time they are leaving their parents Japan has made the buses into fun characters hoping the children will want to get on and ride :-)  So cute

so cool, a car mat cleaner at every car wash 

A stand at the car wash with a clean supply of towels to dry your car off and towels and mop to clean your tires (only in Japan)

Frog pee will heal anything............LOL

Check out the name of this drink...........!!

Look at the price of this melon, wow......

holders for construction

They produce God's hair......hallelujah

 This is for a huge chocolate fix....... 

Gum served - in an origami container - after a bowl of garlicky ramen.

How about a face lift...........?

Complimentary ladle with every haircut.

Laundry upstairs - that's what the balconies (verandahs) are for.

April 1 Katakuri In Full Bloom on Mount Mikamo,Tochigi,Japan

On our way home from many beautiful and fun places today; Ric noticed that many cars were going someplace because of traffic.  The policeman was out stopping traffic so cars could pull into a parking lot.  He did not know what was going on but we pulled in along everybody else.  When we got out of the car a Japanese man told Ric that the Katakuri was in full bloom on the mountain.  Teresa and I followed Ric to walk up the mountain and find the beautiful purple flowers. On the way up the mountain, we saw a building that had a few items for sale in it.  Some people were sitting on bleachers resting and eating from their journey up and down the mountain.  Time for us to keep moving to see the beauty of this magnificent flower.

 As we were moving up the mountain Ric spotted a beautiful flower he called skunk flower.  It looks almost like a jack in the pulpit flower in the USA.  The flower is lovely but not very many of them on the mountain.  This is the only spot we found them.

Oh my goodness, I can now see the stunning purple flowers on the mountain.  Together we have climbed high enough to see them. I have never seen this many flowers before in one area.  I feel so lucky to have witnessed this spectacular sight.  Ric and Teresa said they have been here 5 years and had never seen the Katakuri in bloom.  This was also a rare sighting for them.  Teresa told Ric it was his lucky day :-) and I feel like it was mine too :-)

I saw many, many photographers on the mountain trying to capture the beauty of this beautiful flower-covered mountain.  Teresa and I were right there along with them.  We wanted to capture many pictures of this spectacular sight.

I am going to post here some pictures that I captured during my visit to Mount Mikamo, Japan.

I liked these signs on the restrooms to show men and women's.  

I just can't believe how many places I have been to today.  It's totally amazing to get to go to this many places in one day.  I am starting to get tired and hungry.  We are leaving this beautiful place and going to try and find this coffee house that is located in the country.  It is on our way home maybe Ric will be lucky again and find it.  Teresa and I wanted to stop at a 7~11 to get a beverage, Ric was lucky again he was looking for the last part of a train set which he needed #6.  He found exactly what he was looking for on top of the canned coffee.  Some canned coffees in Japan have toys on top of them.  Ric is saving for his grandchildren.  I bought a double pack of cold coffee also so I could get for my grandchildren.

There was a shrine on the way home that Ric stopped at that has beautiful cherry trees.  We got out and went to look.  The huge cherry tree was not bloomed yet but it was so very close to blooming.  I saw many cars just pull in and look and leave.  It must be a popular place to come see this huge cherry blossom tree.

 Ric is lucky again as he finds the coffee shop that is in the middle of nowhere land but it was closed.  BUT he did find it.