My daughter flew from Lindbergh Field to Narita Airport in Japan on June 5. She visited a friend there and returned on June 20. Some customs in Japan vary widely from what is considered normal here. People in the US have grown accustomed to having many restrictions on where they can smoke cigarettes and warnings about cancer on every pack of them. None of that is the case for the Japanese. They smoke anywhere they wish. Some of them are chain smokers. However while in America a person who smokes outdoors may toss the butt on a sidewalk, or grass, or wherever they please. Occasionally the butt still smolders. That never happens in Japan. Littering is anathema there. They have popular bullet trains which work very well. It is ok to drink alcohol on the street or in public. When you ride an escalator most people stand on the right side. The left side is reserved for people in a hurry. They are very particular about recycling. Drink a bottle of beer and the paper label must be removed before placing it in the proper bin. They are trying to reduce the use of plastic as much as possible. Much of what we do is done a particular way and it remains the same for years or decades all the while no one considers that maybe a better alternative could be found. Change is constant and it becomes more rapid with the passage of time. The past is no longer prologue. We live in unprecedented times.
Deuel Woodward resides in Chula Vista.
