One of my favorite things about Japan is the quality of service you experience almost everywhere. Yesterday my employee Yasu and I drove into Tokyo to visit a company to discuss upcoming English visual novels, which takes about 90 minutes from our corner of Gunma and costs around $40. (Alas, Japanese freeways are not free.) Our timing could have been better since Typhoon Wipha was approaching the city, turning the streets of Tokyo into a giant Blade Runner set. During the drive down, a sensor in my car beeped warning that tire air pressure was low, so we pulled into a “gasoline stand” to have the tire pressure checked, which was done for free by an extremely cheerful and knowledgeable service station attendant. After we concluded our business we visited some stores in Akihabara to search for artbooks and other products we wanted to carry on the site, and were delighted when the staff of the bookstore bagged our purchases then produced plastic rain covers for our bags, so the books inside wouldn’t get wet. We were definitely happy with the good service we received.
I’ve…seen things you wouldn’t believe. Maids with shimapan handing out tissues in front of Tora no Ana…
