medic!

People are nothing if not polite here. In my own encounters, the locals are invariably cordial and accommodating. Sure people will push their way onto a crowded subway car but for some reason it doesn't come across as rude or offensive, just necessary (though I'm never on the Metro during rush hour). Crowds are strangely quiet, and though you're often forced to stand close to other people, like at crosswalks waiting for the light to change, on subway platforms and at museum exhibits, it doesn't feel suffocating, because there is a stillness, and when the crowd moves, the current is swift but gentle. The Shibuya Crossing is about as frantic as it gets, with pedestrians walking (and yes, sometimes darting) every which way to get to the other side, which is why it's often referred to as the "scramble crossing." When the Walk signs at every corner switch to green (and they do so simultaneously) the throng seems to spew forth like a fireworks burst, and yet for some reason it's not stressful to be right in with it/walking against it. Even the kids laugh about it: "They're coming!" they cry out in mock terror as we make our way across the intersection). So I was a little surprised by this Asahi Shimbun article about how an alarming number of hospital patients here, after waiting hours at a hospital to see a doctor, go crazy and attack the nurses. I guess everybody has their limit.