Jon versus The Chikan (or why yelled at a Japanese person in English before throwing him off the train)
Last week I played the part of a confused and then horrified observer. I was on my way to work, riding the always overcrowded Saikyo line, when a nervous and (frankly) gross looking man got on the train. He seemed to be with his girlfriend, a man-ish looking woman dressed all in white with a knee-length frilly skirt. During the train ride I was sure some funny business was going on, but I wasn't sure what to make of it. At first they seemed to be together, but I had a nagging feeling they were not. Read more [...]
Google Maps in Japan Sucks
Don't get me wrong, Google Maps finds my apartment just fine. Observe these directions: Yes, it is telling me to walk half the distance to my destination in the wrong direction, take the train just one stop and then get out and walk half the distance to my destination again. Even though Google Maps acknowledges I can walk there it stubbornly refuses to map a walking route, instead it offers a giant swooshing arrow. Read more [...]
