OK, so the last entry was probably pretty gross.  I'm surprised no one emailed or posted a message to tell me I was being inappropriate. Where is my censorship board??

But now I've started getting used to the little things about being here again, like looking for cars coming from the "wrong" way when I want to cross the street, and bowing on the telephone.  I'm starting to revel in the things I like most about Japan.  Things like...

Having your presence acknowledged when you walk into a store, with a bright "irrashaimase!"
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Being a regular customer, when that means shopkeepers treat you with chatty familiarity, coupled with a warm politeness
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The little gifts you get when you open a bank account, or change something about your bank account, or apply for a credit card, or walk by the bank, ...
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The bank machines (see my entry on September 13)
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Convenience factors.  For example, the elevators in my work building.  They chime like a little doorbell about 10 seconds before the elevator arrives, so you know which one it will be (there are 6 or 7, arranged opposite each other in a hallway).  When it comes, a pleasant little chime announces that the doors are about to open.  Also, the carpets between the two rows of elevators are colour coded, so you know which way you want to go (north is blue, south is red). There are even little strips of paint beside the elevators doors on the inside of the elevators, so you don't even have to wait to get to your floor do decide which way you want to turn.
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The smell of leaves burning in the fall
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The little white gloves that taxi drivers, train conductors, crossing guards, movers, etc. wear
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The way sidewalks and subways/trains are extremely blind-person-friendly (we'll ignore the wheelchair issue today)
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Trucks that sell freshly baked (on an open fire) sweet potatoes (haven't seen one yet this year - they are a winter treat - hoping they have them in Tokyo)
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Japanese pickles
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"Genki" drinks - must be experienced to be understood
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Silly ads on TV
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The gods on top of the mountains, and the reverence for same said gods (also temples and shrines)
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The freaky teenagers who hang out in Harajuku on Sundays (pictures to follow)
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Overnight buses that have blankets and tea, with chairs that go far enough back to let you get a good rest - and overnight trains that have actual beds
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Gardens that use space as well as plants and rocks
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Beer vending machines (vending machines in general), and drinking beer legally on the beach
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Scary train drivers - living on the edge (sometimes I feel like I'm a rail surfer on a tsunami)!
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Young bamboo and other various delicous wild vegetables from the mountains
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The smell of tatami on a warm day
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Japanese proverbs