Garden lizard
On Saturday, September 12, 2015 I saw this small garden lizard, or “yamori” perched on the exterior of my bedroom window. Even in the city garden lizards are sometimes seen during the hot months, although this is only the second time this year I have seen one. So like baby birds, you know that the lizards are around, but you never or, very rarely see one.
Notice that the glass is threaded, to prevent dangerous shattering during an earthquake. The glass is also translucent, which is common in Japanese homes. For privacy, you cannot look into peoples' homes through the windows like in Canada. Similarly, you cannot put holiday decorations in the widows first, because we have no window sill and, second, because nobody on the outside would see them if we did and, third, because light does not pass through opaque home windows here like it does through transparent North American windows. It compromises the effect of window decorations. It is difficult - even useless - for me to put up Canadian window decorations here. A Christmas Advent Calendar? Forget about it. Halloween decorations? Nope. I use the outside of the apartment door as a substitute for window displays. My door is typically plastered on special days for anyone to see.
There is an entirely different culture of windows here, with residual implications for human interactions and cultural celebrations.