Clown Shoes

There isn't much to write about this week. I have been working instead of engaging in people observation or learning about cultures. However, that didn't stop me from seeing this young man on the train. Look at those shoes. They were even more impressive in real life. At first I thought it was some afflicted person with feet the size of David's on a regular sized body. Then I began to think the guy was wearing clown shoes on purpose - probably for fashion.

It is hard to tell what is going on in this picture. So I have denoted the clown ratio on the photograph. For the purposes of this discussion, the clown ratio is the length of extra shoe over what is normally required to house the foot. (By the way, "kutsu" is the word for shoe in Japanese - just thought I'd throw that in to make this a little more educational). Expressed as a percentage, I estimate the clown ratio on this fellow to be around 50%. The shoe itself, up close, actually looked like the extra had been grafted onto it or somthing. Note the box toe on the left foot and also look at his feet relative to everyone elses. Almost bozoesque. OK, enough about big shoes.

All too soon I have to leave Japan and it is going to be a sad day. I have never taken so much enjoyment from observing people elsewhere although I know there is just as much opportunity. I just really like Japanese people and it is not going to be the same...