http://www.adekun.com/blog/fame-and-the-rubbish-solution Enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of first-time parenthood. Progress on the organic vegetable garden and other ramblings of a gaijin in Japan's least populous prefecture. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 17:02:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 http://www.adekun.com/blog/fame-and-the-rubbish-solution#comment-55 Adekun Sun, 08 Apr 2007 05:41:00 +0000 http://www.adekun.com/wordpress/?p=80#comment-55 Most times I pass a convenience store, there is a least one empty car with the engine running. I expect this isn’t the case in Tokyo, but the change in attitude is for a different reason.<br/>Being foreign here attracts undue attention and carrying a bag for shopping seems to increase the appeal to security guards. Perhaps I’m paranoid or perhaps I look shifty.<br/>I got a similar treatment to you when buying a jar of honey. I asked them for a sticker instead of bagging it, but they insisted on the bubble wrap.<br/>I felt more like the item in need of bubble wrap at the time. Most times I pass a convenience store, there is a least one empty car with the engine running. I expect this isn’t the case in Tokyo, but the change in attitude is for a different reason.
Being foreign here attracts undue attention and carrying a bag for shopping seems to increase the appeal to security guards. Perhaps I’m paranoid or perhaps I look shifty.
I got a similar treatment to you when buying a jar of honey. I asked them for a sticker instead of bagging it, but they insisted on the bubble wrap.
I felt more like the item in need of bubble wrap at the time.

]]> http://www.adekun.com/blog/fame-and-the-rubbish-solution#comment-56 Nishikata Mama Tue, 03 Apr 2007 14:20:00 +0000 http://www.adekun.com/wordpress/?p=80#comment-56 I thought supermarkets would start charging for plastic bags (5 yen per bag) from this week, but I haven't noticed any change. At one fancy place near us where I go to buy speciality items like Cranberry Juice I practically have to arm wrestle the clerk to keep her from putting bubble wrap around pickle jars and extra bags around camembert cheese (to keep it from smelling up one's cloth bag? I don't know what that one's all about!). Out of the many shops near us, only Coop and a tiny local shop encourage the use of cloth bags. I thought supermarkets would start charging for plastic bags (5 yen per bag) from this week, but I haven’t noticed any change. At one fancy place near us where I go to buy speciality items like Cranberry Juice I practically have to arm wrestle the clerk to keep her from putting bubble wrap around pickle jars and extra bags around camembert cheese (to keep it from smelling up one’s cloth bag? I don’t know what that one’s all about!). Out of the many shops near us, only Coop and a tiny local shop encourage the use of cloth bags.

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