Save the world

Today I met a friend for lunch. And dinner, it turned out, because we lingered over lunch (can you blame us?), and then did a little shopping, then stopped for coffee, and then, somehow, it was dinnertime. I guess we talked a lot. The shopping didn't take much time, and was necessary rather than particularly interesting things, although I thought the birthday card my friend bought for someone was rather interesting. The card said, on the front,

Why don't you open me?
This made us both laugh, so naturally she bought it. Inside the card was more conventional (Happy Birthday!). I'm not sure now why it made us laugh so much.

It was a day for amusing and baffling English, and I was sorry I did not have my camera with me. I used my phone camera, and most of the results made me even sorrier. The blurred pictures I was taking were finally explained when I realized I had the phone camera set on close-up mode. I wonder why I did that, and when?

After I figured out the problem I still got two pictures, at least.

One is of a sign in an underground mall in Kobe. Part of the mall is roped off, and inside the roped off area people are, apparently, prepating.


The other is of a clothing store. Please do not ask me to explain this sign. You know as much as I do.