Andrew Dickens Afternoons

So I come to you fresh from 12 days holiday in Japan. For those of you who are keen but the language difficulties keep you from going, I've got 2 words for you. Google Translate. The free app that translates anything written in most languages. It's the key to unlocking a different culture. Japan is the home of high performing public transport. The government decided to put all its effort into trains and subways, letting private enterprise build the motorways.  As a result the roads are tolled and expensive.  While the trains are plentiful and cheap and so on time. No one is ever late for work. Meanwhile bicycles and cycle lanes are everywhere because the costs associated with cars are prohibitive. Watching mums cycling around with 2 kids on their mama chariot bikes was eye-opening. It was my first big trip overseas since 2015 and Japan had only just lifted Covid vaccination controls the week beforehand. I was bracing myself for all the people calling New Zealand a laughing stock because of our overreaction to