Random Japan #27 :: The Red and The Blue

dbooster (64)in #japan • 6 years ago

Welcome to another edition of Random Japan, which is quickly becoming the main thing I do here. I'll get back to translating haiku in due time, but for the moment these posts are much easier for me to put out with my current schedule. They are fun too. Enjoy this latest issue!

We start with this:

The Red and the Blue!

There is an old clip from the '30s of FDR addressing survivors of the American Civil War at the 75th anniversary reunion. He begins the clip referring to them in his distinct New England accent by the traditional titles, starting "Veterans of The Blue and The Grey".^† I first saw the clip years ago and something about the way he gave the titles of both sides stuck in my head. I can imagine "The Red and The Blue" in that same speech pattern. I'm sure these walls with peeling (and probably lead based) paint have seen many kids' battles over the years.

Bonus Shots

A favorite of both kids and toy collectors everywhere in Japan.

Gatcha Gatcha machines, named after the sound they make when you turn the crank to get a toy. These things are everywhere. They aren't as cheap as you might think, charging up to ¥500 (around 5 bucks) for a cheap plastic toy that invariably breaks after only a few uses. To appeal to the collectors, there are usually numbered sets of the toys with one or two rare ones to ensure the collectors waste a lot of money on the machine.

On a completely different note, here are some trimmed trees.

Most homes grow trees like this, and many of those homes seem to pay far too much for landscapers to come out once a week to trim them. They do look very nice and give even newer style houses and apartments a bit of a traditional feel.

That's all, folks. Stay turned for more tomorrow!

Footnotes

†: Here is a clip. Sound starts around the 50 second mark and his speech is a few seconds later.

If you like this random photo from Japan, be sure to check out @kaliju's great Random Korea series. The latest entry there is Random Korea #13 - Something fishy; where do I rest and...Flower Shops!

Also be sure to follow @kafkanarchy84, @maxinpower, and @boxcarblue for even more random Japan fun! Also, follow the #randomjapan tag for more from Japan, #randomasia for random shots from the entire area.

Are you a Japan-based or Asia-based photographer who posts somewhat random photos from the country? If so, use the tag #randomasia, and #randomjapan (or randomASIANCOUNTRYYOUAREIN) on your posts. Also, join our Discord group. DM me on Discord for a link to the server.