Conformity







Cars and 4 wheeled vehicles were often far less customized than those that only ran on two, but we saw a few during our time that stood out, most notably this VW van and the car below.

One of the main things that gets noticed in Japan is the way everything moves with effeciency, and conformity. A famous Japanese proverb is, "The nail that sticks out shall be hammered down". Perhaps this is the thing that creates a country that is so different on so many levels than America. It is hard to see anything but, when walking through cities and towns, as there is something about the people and the city that moves in an orderly and sophisticated fashion.Other than Harajuku, where it seems the majority of free spirit goes during holidays and weekends to blow off steam, we didn't see much difference in the people who moved about on the streets. The way they dressed, even when dressed casually seemed to blend in to everything else. All the men clean shaven in pants, all the women with long hair in skirts and heels.Perhaps that was why I found myself taking so many pictures of motorcycles, cars, scooters, and bicycles we found during our walks around Japan. It seemed that the method of transportation choosen, provided people with a way to individilize themselves from each other, almost two wheeled vehicle different from the next. I found it interesting and wanted to share some of them.