NYC Subway Ad

How to Recognize a New Yorker

Imagine that you’ve come to NYC, and you need a local. (I’m not sure why, since Google Maps is so wide-spread, but let’s say you need one.) Here’s how to differentiate the locals from fellow visitors and recent transplants: 1) They wait to cross the street in the street. New Yorkers don’t like to wait. Unlike the…

Tel Aviv Flowers

Surprising Things About Israel

There are bright-colored flowers all over the country, even though much of it is in the desert. Hot pink ones seem particularly common, and they often appear along the roadside. Many (non-Muslim) Israelis seem to have dogs – especially small ones. There are also many stray cats. They are neither aggressive nor timid: they mainly…

Beer Vending Machine

Surprising Things About Japan

Here are some things we found surprising about Japan as a whole – added to the surprises in Kyoto, Osaka, and Tokyo specifically: Attire All of the locals are well-kempt. You don’t see people with loose threads or worn spots or pills on their sweaters or worn-out shoes. It’s not that they don’t have hand-me-downs, but that they seem…

Tokyo Election Posters

Surprising Things About Tokyo

Here are 14 things that surprised us about Tokyo specifically. There were a lot more about Japan overall and about Osaka and Kyoto. There are a lot of brightly-colored flowers planted all over town, along sidewalks or on road medians. These are not flowers planted by individual households, but by public workers using city funds. This…

Kyoto Food Ordering

Surprising Things About Kyoto

We didn’t see as much of Kyoto as we might have liked, but there were still a few things that surprised us about the city: In many of the Kyoto subway stations, the subway worker – dressed like the conductor from the Shining Time Station show we watched as children – often says ‘Thank you’…

Osaka Manhole Covers

Surprising Things About Osaka

Here are some things we were surprised by in Osaka: Subway cars have heating vents underneath the seats, so you feel like your feet and/or butt are being warmed. Excellent idea! Toilet seats are also heated. An even better idea! They generally have a lot of features, from a bidet-like sprayer to a sound-making machine to cover the…

Thai King

Surprising Things About Thailand

These twelve things surprised us generally about Thailand: Pictures of the king are everywhere, not unlike in Cambodia. However, in Thailand, there is also a formal law that prohibits any negative speech about the king! It is called lèse majesté, and violating it carries a hefty prison sentence. The law was recently reinterpreted by the Thai…

Thai Taxi

Surprising Things About Bangkok

Here are a few of the things that surprised us about Bangkok: Many of the cabs are hot pink in color; it’s a bit like Barbie’s dream-taxi! It turns out that (a) they are also hot pink on the inside and (b) the color represents what taxi company the driver works for. So, there are also yellow,…

Singapore Crime Alert

Surprising Things About Singapore

Here is what surprised us most about Singapore: Food: There are Hawker Centres, which are like a cross between a giant market and a food court. They have many food options there, along with produce, toiletries, decorations, and even things like farm equipment. We bought everything from a pair of shoes to a toothbrush at…

Cambodian Road Marker

Surprising Things About Cambodia

This is our first trip to Asia, so much is new to us. But a lot isn’t, because – despite what you might suppose or see on TV – people are very similar, all over. Here is a look at some of the similarities and differences. Comparisons of child-raising, sanitation, cooperation and public welfare, off-the-books activities, and driving…