what is japan?

There is a saying in germany, that children's words are sources of great wisdom. i think it is true.
and when i visited a child care center recently, i was very curious what i would learn about japan from a child's perspective.
needless to say i was completely astonished about what i found out. it is daikon ... of course!

still alive.

Oh dear, a multitude of tasks is waiting to be solved and this month will leave me no time at all for putting something up here regularly.
but i am breathing, if you ask.

this picture was taken in ikebukuro, my town on the yamanote line.
i would like to raise two questions here.

1. how come high school girls seem to have no sense of temperature, running around in short skirts in the freezing cold? (no, no pantyhoses either)

2. how come japanese are attracted by grotesque figures with short arms and impossibly big heads? try to picture the person inside there for reference!