I went to the bank today and I found two odd things!

When I first entered into the building, there was an umbrella locker near the main door entrance! Something very unusual for me to see!  People would lock  their wet umbrella, and keep the key before entering. It could be strange to think about it for a foreigner, but this way it avoids bringing wet umbrellas in the building in order to keep the floor clean and not slippery. Eventhough no one would steal an umbrella in Japan, it is a good idea to lock your own so that no one can take it accidentally (especially if it’s an expensive one or your favorite one!) .

The second thing that caught my attention was a rather unusual baseball ball. It was orange and it looked just like one, but only it wasn’t a baseball ball, but in Japan it’s called an anti-crime color ball! It is a plastic sphere filled with brightly colored liquid pigment. The idea is to trow it after a robber and mark him to improve the chance of arresting him. They can be found in banks and stores. Anti-crime color balls are parts of crime-prevention efforts.

At first these two things appeared strange to me, but they quickly made sense! Japanese are so clever!!! 🙂