Signs of the apocalypse?

The Japanese economy is tanking, and we're seeing fresh signs of trouble in our banker- and expat-friendly neighborhood:

"For Rent" signs in clothing shops.


The pricey "Ice Bar," where customers drank vodka in a freezing room and at a bar made entirely of ice, has gone out of business.


A homeless person on the street.


And grafitti outside a local building.

Street cleaning

Tokyo is so clean, and there's a reason for it. Every morning, the Japanese people sweep their sidewalks and curbs. And now that the trees are shedding their leaves, you see all these people sweeping each leaf into their green dustpans.

This is what Arno and I saw this morning at 8:15am when we walked to school.

Bewitched

For Halloween in Tokyo, we took a slow, candy-collecting walk through the expat Moto-Azabu neighborhood near Lucinda's school.

In Seattle, people flock to Capitol Hill to trick or treat. In Tokyo, they take taxis to Moto-Azabu.

Around 6pm, we strolled to the Moto-Azabu Place apartment complex, which some jokingly call "Melrose Place." Residents sit at the edge of the cobblestone driveway with bowls of candy.




Many Japanese children wear super-creative or Disney costumes. This girl was a frosted cupcake.



Buzz Lightyear is a cartoon fixture here:



We stopped at houses and apartments near Nishimachi, where the candy lines were long and crowded.

On the walk home, we found a Halloween party in a church called St. Mary. The pews in the chapel were skewed into a zig-zaggy maze to guide children to the altar, where they received a lovely package of candy. (No photos allowed of the chapel, alas.)

A church-sanctioned Halloween? Take that, Pat Robertson!

The Lamborghini neighborhood

What are the demographics in our neighborhood, Nishi-Azabu?

Here's one good indicator: Lamborghini Azabu




Click on this photo for a better view of one potential customer, who is wearing enormous sunglasses and a miniskirt. The unfashionable photographer is reflected in the window, to the right, in khakis and sandals.