Is melancholy part of jet lag or is it just my constitution?

Trying to think of how the recessed economy was evident in Japan, besides in the stories I heard from friends about the job market…

There was a much smaller selection of shoes, for one thing, although there were still thousands to choose from. It’s just that they were all skimpy, kittenish little things. It could just be the fashion — but Japan used to make the most amazingly sculpturally clunky footwear — I longed for it.

In times of economic scarcity, manufacturers use less material. This is a commonplace. But I miss those crazy shoes.

Otherwise, people seemed to be doing nothing but going out and enjoying themselves and buying stuff. Tokyo is party city.