The other day I happened to see my newphew’s bare foot, and I noticed that his middle toe was longer than his big toe, and I told him, “Well, it looks like you’re going to go farther in life than your parents did.” The Japanese superstition that you’ll surpass your parents if you have a long middle toe has no basis in fact, but coming from the West it’s one more wacky things to discover about the place. There are other foot-related superstitions in Japan, for example, if you cut your toenails at night, you won’t be able to be with your parents when they die. Also, if you want to know the weather tomorrow, do what Japanese kids do and throw your shoe as hard as you can. If it lands upright, it will be sunny tomorrow; if on its side, it will be cloudy; and if upside-down, it will rain.
I your middle toe longer than your big toe?
