Will Miss #309 - childhood memories (askew)

Since I grew up a little less than a half century ago and the world has really moved on since I was a young pup, I rarely see things which bring on a sense of nostalgia for my youth. It's not merely that I'm in Japan, but also that the "stuff" I played with isn't around anymore. Occasionally, I'll run across something both reminds me of my childhood, but also is a reoriented memory that makes it a "Japan-only" experience. For instance, I grew up with wooden maps of the United States that were meant to teach me the position, names, and capitals of every state. When I saw a similar map for Japan, I had this odd sense of nostalgia that was suddenly skewed.

I'll miss the unique experience of seeing these types of things which both are and are not a part of my deepest memories at the same time.

Won't Miss #175 - shopping carts for kids

In the U.S., there are big shopping carts and you can seat your kids in a section of the cart. There were no carts which are small and specifically designed for kids to push around and load purchases into when I lived in the U.S. In Japan, at least a third of the supermarkets I frequent have the equivalent of a cart which is pushed around or primarily designed for the kid to drive (often alone). Some of them are miniature versions of a normal cart and others are specialized in other ways. The problem with putting a cart in the hands of a little kid is that they have no concern for where they are going or standing. They just want to zip around the store pushing the thing everywhere, and their parents usually exercise minimal restraint (and attention) while this is occurring.

While I'm trying to shop, these kiddie carts block my way constantly and the kids are reckless and I won't miss having to negotiate around them.

Will Miss #140 - unicycles

One thing you notice in summer in Tokyo is that there are far more kids, especially girls, riding unicycles. It's quite impressive to see their balance and speed on them. I've been told that elementary school kids, and girls in particular, join unicycle clubs or teams. I'm not sure why unicycles are relatively common in Japan, but it is always interesting to see as one tends only to see acrobats use them back home.

I'll miss seeing kids on unicycles.

Won't Miss #137 - kiddy seats on bikes

One of the amazing things you see in Japan are bicycles with the equivalent of a baby seat attached to the front and/or back. What is more surprising is the way you see mothers (and on rare occasions, fathers) lurching or speeding around with their kids plopped into them. They are often helmet-less and not strapped in. If the mother were to lose her balance or have an accident, the kid could easily crack open a head. Since they aren't carrying my kid, I guess this isn't my business, but what does tend to be an issue for me is the parking of these massive bikes with their over-sized front and back baskets. Since most bicycle parking in Tokyo is packed, having one of these monsters parked (that is, crammed in) next to my bike results in my handlebars getting jammed and wedged into first the front and then the back kiddy seat.

I won't miss these unwieldy baby-carrying vehicles.

Will Miss #106 - beetles as pets

In the summer, Japanese kids and boys in particular buy big-ass beetles and keep them as pets. While I'm too old to appreciate the fun of keeping a huge bug with scary-looking pincers as a pal, I find the fact that they do this pretty cool. The appearance of the beetles and the sales of the cages they're kept in will always be imprinted in my mind as a part of summer in Japan. There's also something larger in this practice about the transitory nature of life. By taking on something that is certainly going to be short-lived as a "pet", I wonder if it helps people learn to see death as part of the cycle of life rather than a devastating conclusion.

I'll miss seeing these beetles and how they represent certain aspects of Japanese culture.

Will Miss #66 - kiddie caravans

It is not the least bit uncommon to see large groups of young kids being escorted en masse around the neighborhood. Sometimes they all have the same backpack. Sometimes the same type of hat, and sometimes the same clothes. This sort of orderly mass movement of youngsters is something I never witnessed back home and the way in which they are dressed to identify them as a part of the group is something I will always associate with Japan.

I'll miss seeing the kiddy caravans walking about the neighborhood.

Will Miss #58 - freaking out kids

Japanese kids are far more likely to stare, point, or obviously direct their attention toward foreigners. They have less control over their behavior, and frankly, a lot of their parents don't do much to break them of their bad habits. Given that kids are acting impulsively, you have several options to deal with them. You can ignore them. You can pointlessly get angry, or you can do something innocuous which 80% of the time will freak them out. I've taken to smiling, waving at them, and saying, "hello". More often than not, this will send them running away from you in the opposite direction. Sometimes they'll wave back and then run, and sometimes they'll just flee in terror.

I'll miss being able to freak kids out like this merely by being friendly.