Put Your Prom Gloves On and Watch Out For the Guys With Missing Fingers

It is hotter than hell in Tokyo during the summer. I am so happy I got a perm before arriving - that way I look like a drowned poodle instead of a drowned rat. This summer broke the all time records with a heat index of 114 degrees and a real temperature of 104 degrees. There is a reason all those ancient Japanese paintings show the lovely ladies with their rice paper parasols and fans. They probably had handkerchiefs stuffed up their big sleeves too.

When you are a visitor to Tokyo in the summer, it takes only a few days to realize that umbrellas and fans are not just for impressing the tourists. I now have my sun umbrella, my rain umbrella, 2 fans, and 4 beautifully colored Japanese handkerchiefs (which are really sweat rags). Even the men carry fans - one of the most popular is a freebie from SoftBank phones. The serious sun-avoiders wear the old 1960's style prom gloves - to keep from getting a tan on their arms. They cut the fingers off the gloves so that they can ride their bikes without slipping.

Speaking of "missing fingers" ... If you work for the Japanese Mafia and make a mistake, your punishment is to have part of a finger cut off. If you make another mistake, they cut more of your finger off, and so forth. Eventually, if you are really dumb and make a lot of mistakes, you just end up in the bay with cement shoes. So, if you see guys walking around with missing fingers, just remember that they probably received "B's" and "C's in Mafia 101.


PS: So far I have lost 2 umbrellas.