Friday, November 14, 2008

Two Things I Saw That I Wouldn't See in the States



I've long harbored a desire to be a new member of the Beastie Boys, and while driving through Naha I thought I'd found my chance when I saw:

Black Candy, Beastie Shop.
Unfortunately it has nothing to do with the Beastie Boys and everything to do with Japanese fighting beetles! These were some of the coolest looking bugs I've ever seen, and they were hundreds and hundreds of dollars! Every year in the mainland there is a big tournament where the kids can have their beetles wrestle. Apparently these tournaments are a source of financial loss for many in the Ryukyus.

The other thing I saw here recently that I know I won't see in the U.S. any time soon was this:

This is the paper place mat that comes on the food tray your given at MOS Burger. MOS is like a WholeFoods-meets-McDonalds kind of fast food chain. If you click on the image and look closely you will see that not only are there all sorts of trivia questions on this mat, but there's even a geometry problem. I was so embarassed at my complete lack of ability in mathletics.

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