Supermarket Sweep

As you know, almost everyone considers themselves contrarian. This is because almost everyone believes they are smarter than everyone else. However, this can't possibly be true, as we must explain the phenomenon of the widespread belief in UFOs, and long-dated government bonds.

And, deep inside, we know that we can't hold out against a tide of popular belief on all fronts, particularly when we see a crowd surrounding a traffic accident, or, if we are in a supermarket, and there is an uncommon interest rapidly developing around...

...a man cutting up a giant fish!

Now, you may say that the crowd was there just in order to buy the fresh fish, but there were plenty of packs available, and the pile of sample fish chunks on cocktail sticks was largely untouched.

Of course in 97% of cases store samples are they for getting some free food, pretending you are slightly interested, and continuing looking for salad dressing, however, the freshness was so overwhelming, that before I could even think about it, I already had a packet of deep red yellowfin flank in my hands.

Now, since we are in the Supa (supermarket), we should have a look around. In Japan, fruit is very special. It is peach season now, and oversized peaches are gingerly wrapped in a shock-resistant mesh, to protect the precious cargo. Why not buy a box for $55?


Or, for a hundred dollars, you can get a watermelon the size of a tractor wheel:

Or how about $84 for a bunch of grapes. They're very good, apparently.

Or an $88 honeymelon? Comes wrapped in a bow.


And all of this reminds me a little of the market - good quality will always find a bid.

Brainer!

Live somewhere for long enough and your perspectives change. This is, as I once heard an American say, a "no-brainer". I used to live in London, for three years actually, and almost never went to any of the tourist spots. I wasn't a tourist.

Japan is a bit like that. Except it takes about 1000 times longer before you start to just "live" there.

I have met people planning to travel here who say they're looking forward to eating the food and this excites me because I like food. Except, what they're thinking is Japanese food, and what I'm thinking is Japanese food, are totally different and almost totally unconnected things. While I'm thinking udon, soba, somen, ramen, tukemen, b-fun, harusame and more, they're thinking just "noodles".

To put in perspective, this is the equivalent of going to Italy thinking it will be great to eat "pasta".

And while I'm thinking tonkatsu, yakitori, oyakodon, tsukiyaki, nabe, nimono, yakisakana, nikujyaga, yakiniku, gyudon, mochi, anpan, taiyaki, takoraisu, omuraisu, chaahan, okonomiyaki and monjyayaki. They're thinking "sushi".

Putting this in perspective, it's like moving to America thinking you'll be rich, married to Pamela Anderson, and your son will have a shot at President.

Get to this point and, I'm not saying you've gone native, but you do notice the same things they do, simply because it's something out of the ordinary, not an everyday occurance, a bit strange, and definitely not a "no-brainer", which I think makes it a "brainer".

I saw a "brainer" a not long ago while walking in my local park. It was a hot day, which in Tokyo means an oppressive day. There was a nursery group out for a walk. Not strange in and of itself. But, what was particular about this sight was the nursery carers were all wearing building site helmets, and half the children were wearing padded silver head-things, and the smaller ones extra-thickly-padded orange blanket-things.

I heard someone else (a Japanese person) say "What?" to the person they were with so, I know I was not alone in bewilderment. (click on images for larger image)



I thought, overkill to be a UV countermeasure, they would surely faint, and to date still think, "Eh?".





For reference here is a normal nursery outing in the park. Same day, same park. Similar-coloured caps denote similar aged children. And notice that they are caps, not padded blankets.



Sorry. I'm not sure how this is like the market.

Jinglish of the Day

The Jinglish of the day comes from a trendy part of Tokyo.

It is a shop called...


... Sugar Tit



I think that they do haircuts or something.

Now. As JTMIJ has delivered over 100 nuggets on the markets, and how they relate to cheesecake and hippos, it is time for a break, so that you can digest all these important everyday connections. JTMIJ will not publish again till next Monday.

How This Affects You.

JTMIJ will continue to produce critical analysis into the most cutting-edge and important stories, however, you have to wait a little to get the next installment. You can simulate the enjoyment of reading a new post by simply going on to the website, and reading an old one, which you may have forgotten.


And one last thing. About Sugar Tit - it doesnt matter if you're wrong, as long as you make money. (That reminds me of the market).