On Being the Right Size

Despite experiencing nothing but open friendliness so far, the Japanese can be unintentionally cruel to persons over six feet tall. I have experienced this prejudice within their architecture. I have hit my head on numerous objects no less than a dozen times since arriving. Hanging lamps are usually the most forgiving; doorframes, the least. Last night the corner of the grease trap above the stove expressed it's discontent with my height by not moving when I ran into it. That one left a mark. Drew said he's also hit his head numerous times on it and that there's definitely some of his hair there... and quite possibly blood.

"You can drop a mouse down a thousand-yard mine shaft and, on arriving at the bottom, it gets a slight shock and walks away; provided that the ground is fairly soft. a rat is killed, a man is broken, a horse splashes."

- on being the right size

J. B. S. Haldane