Space on these roads is so tight, there are times when passing cars nick my shopping bag, making me worry for the safety of my toes. The intrepid pedestrian or driver has to be vigilant. Concrete telephone and electric poles are planted right in the roadway. With parks rare, children use the shelter created by utility poles to play in the streets. People walk primarily in the designated area, but wander all over the road if shops line both sides.
Japan is also the vending machine capital of the world.
Not all pedestrians scurry about fearful of collisions. Perhaps as a silent protest for their too-little reward after a lifetime of hard work helping Japan become what it is today, elderly women move for no one. They chat away walking two abreast pushing baby carriage-like carts for support. Many of these women have backs so bent over their chests are parallel to the street, and they walk looking at their feet. Drivers recognize the women's intractability and never honk, instead resigning themselves to wait for the opportunity to go around them.