Oh god Jen, the tampon bag! Some of the feminine product packaging is so discrete nobody would ever know what they were, but that paper bag is a dead giveaway! But more importantly, why am I supposed to be ashamed of buying a product that half the population uses? Thanks Aelith and Alan!

Jonathan, I think our our most recent visit to the Honda plaza last December was when I realized he needed to get his license. He just looked so happy sitting on the bikes. Thanks Aspasia!

Jennifer, one of the things I kind of like about Japan is the relative lack of the hyper-safe mindset currently prevalent in North America (which results in playgrounds being deemed "unsafe" and taken down, never to be replaced, or Kinder Eggs being banned as choking hazards). But you're right, a fountain flowing down steps is a shockingly unsafe design. It gets worse: the steps are in a square pattern so each level has four sharp corners sticking out. I don't have a picture that shows it well but you can kind of see one of the corners here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluelotus/9756183295/ And the steps are slippery as hell. Shuma loves them, of course. He learned to crawl up stairs on them actually :)

Beatriz, I'm so glad you liked it! It is a very cool place, if only it was on a nicer beach. Definitely the beaches to the south are nicer, and there are some great ones. We've been trying to find one for over a decade that we came upon- not an official named beach, but just gorgeous. Big sand cliffs and no facilities, so no people. We found it once and have never been able to locate it again. The beach I mentioned in this post, Haraoka, is pretty good. It doesn't look great in the pictures but at low tide it's great, and not too many people. Just one Umi-no-Ie, and it's not a rip-off- very good fries and the coldest beer I've ever had on a beach. Of course it's probably already been packed up for the year.

Jonathan, that is so nice to hear. Thank you. Let me have an Old Person Moment and say: Oh to be 23 again! I hope you are enjoying it as much as I did (or as I think I did, possibly with some rose-tinted glasses on). Joe, there actually is an official day where students and office workers change their uniforms, and I think it's October 1st. This footwear thing is new to me, and seems to be more of a common knowledge thing than an actual rule. Judging by the comments on Facebook, some Japanese moms find it just as confusing. Yes David, Shuma and I are big Mr Donut fans. They are doing away with their point cards at the end of the month- just a warning if you've got a card you're eager to use on your next visit. Thanks Lil! Caroline, fascinating and frustrating sums it up pretty well! Oh Suzy, I'm so glad my eikaiwa days are over and I no longer need to wear beige stockings! Ugh. I never minded those rules for myself, and pretty much wear sandals from spring to fall as long as it's about 15C, but I can't get over the fact that Shuma's peers are noticing his transgressions. Thanks Nicholas!