Public Transit Generalizing

I'm finding new ways of not being grumpy about days when, because I have my cello or don't have my bike, I can't ride to the hall.  One of them is to appreciate a different cross-section of Japanese culture that I get to experience when I'm on the bus and train.  I really like the river people (kappa included) but there are things that one gets to see and hear on the bus that simply aren't available on the bike.  Apart from deciphering the kana on advertisements and wondering what version of thank you will be personally bestowed upon you by the bus driver, there are many things to take in from fellow commuters.  Today I noticed an interesting trend in footwear (the manner not the matter) on the the bus.

rejection of footwear

The Japanese are known to have slippers available in many establishments and perhaps it's for this reason that they are quick to wish to remove their shoes.  There are no slippers on the bus, but after years of assiduously removing footwear, it's only natural that it would happen even when slippers are not available.  Of course the above is more an example of how easy it is to make a generalization as a foreigner based on some chance coincidence, but personally being one who is quick to remove footwear, I like to feel that I have found a home to which my feet belong.

And as a group of cute children boarded the train (they were out in droves this morning), I might have thought that they all wear white hats.

group cute children

But previous experience has taught me otherwise.

cluster of cute children

So it's very tricky to make generalizations about these things.  All I can be certain of is that I enjoy removing my shoes and am happy when I see others condoning this sometimes socially questionable practice, and that the only common denominator for Japanese children riding on the trains is undeniable cuteness.