Japan
While
I
was
working
in
the
UK,
my
employers
sent
me
to
Osaka
in
Japan
(April
1992)
to
revise
and
install
a
Japanese
DOS
windowing/printing
library
I'd
written.
Japanese
train
stations
have
the
strangest
billboards.
Here's
another
sample.
English
rendered
from
Japanese
is
legendary
for
its
strangeness.
If
anyone
can
tell
me
the
other
purpose
of
a
hair
dryer
,
I'll
be
eternally
grateful.
Postscript
(thanks
to
Karen
Ide,
June
1996):
Hair
dryers
are
not
to
be
used
for
drying
clothes.
![[sakurabashi bowling alley: Lets enjoy bowling!! In order to keep your health, your beauty and your friend-ship. Please come in here soon now!!]](/image/jp/sakurabashi.jpg)
While
I
was
there
I
decoded
the
bizarre
district-block-number
scheme
used
for
addresses
and
went
ten-pin
bowling.
One
of
the
places
I
went
to
was
listed
in
the
phone
book
as
Sakurabashi
Bowel:
Sakura
=
"cherry
blossom",
bashi
=
"bridge",
bowel
=
rather
amusing
misprint
of
"bowl(ling
alley)".
Unfortunately
then
I
got
there
the
misprint
was
only
in
the
phone
book,
but
they
did
have
this
good
sign
on
the
wall.
I
thought
it
would
be
easy
going
bowling
when
I
didn't
speak
Japanese.
Nope.
First
they
had
to
communicate
that
the
shoes
were
obtained
from
vending
machines
near
the
entrance
(this
was
a
multi-story
bowling
alley!),
then
they
had
to
go
find
some
size
10.5
shoes
for
me
because
my
feet
were
sigma-2
by
Japanese
standards.
I
also
gave
blood
while
I
was
there,
again
not
being
able
to
communicate
a
single
word.
Other
shopping
adventures
left
me
wondering
exactly
who
or
what
was
walking
the
streets
of
Osaka.
