Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Mr. Ose is ...so small

Being the sturdy, corn-fed, 5'9" American woman that I am, I worried that I might feel somewhat large compared to the Japanese. Surely I would tower above everyone. In my head, my visit to Tokyo played out somewhat like this:



So you can imagine my relief when my height turned out to be quite average among the men. On a crowded street, I wasn't just a disembodied head bobbing along on a river of black hair. No, no I was okay. Even in heels (which, incidentally, I couldn't believe had made it into my suitcase considering my state of mind beforehand.)

But that's not to say I felt like the daintiest pixie in the land. Oh no, most of the women were just as petite as I had imagined.

Especially the older generations


Now, I'm usually not one to recommend interesting articles from the Times, but there's an interesting article in the Times you ought to read.

It basically states that Japan is indeed going through a growth spurt. Its voice is cracking and it's starting to notice girls.

And that's more than I can say for New York. Friggin' Oompa-Loompas. I swear, when we got off the plane at JFK, they all sang the "We Welcome You to Munchkin Land" song from the Wizard of Oz.

I'm afraid at the rate things are going, pretty soon Japan will have us in a headlock and make us say uncle.