Aka Yo!

I was biking home from work tonight with my colleagues, and we came to a stop signal (the red one, pictured left). As is customary in America, we looked to see if there were any cars, and since there were none, we crossed the street. On the other side of the street was someone waiting for the light to change. He was quite upset that we had skipped the light, and called out to us "aka yo!" (It's red!) I had completely forgotten that the custom in Japan is always to wait if someone else is waiting. But, if nobody is waiting, you're free to take your chances. Safest is to wait, but I'm still used to the American way of crossing the street.

Coming up: Lots of plans for the weekend! A party with co-workers and clients; hanging out in Kagawa with a new friend; and a solo trip to Dogo onsen in Matsuyama. Stay tuned!