>>95388
> Page 24: Wow, is it legal in Japan for pre-schoolers to ride in front?
Japan has tended to lag behind much of the industrialized world in regard to auto passenger safety. Seat belts only became required somewhere around fifteen to twenty years ago (IIRC) and children's car seats have only become widely used in *this* decade. I understand it was not unusual ten years ago to see children standing on a car seat while the vehicle was in motion... So no one there bats an eye at Da Yots riding up front.
> (And for cars to have the steering wheel on the left side?)
Since Jumbo's car is of foreign manufacture, the maker may not bother making "right-side" cars for the British/Japanese market. I guess it's not a problem as long as you're *driving* on the proper side of the road. (I think it's not illegal to drive a "right-side" car in the U.S. I have seen one from time to time...)
Page 25: Can anyone explain the "Cow Day" pun?
Haha! Google is indeed our friend! I didn't get it either, but found stuff on *"ushi no hi"* here, for instance... The height of Japanese summer can get pretty nasty (though, nothing our board-mate from Alabama would be impressed by). It is traditional to send a special message to distant relatives and friends inquiring about their health around the middle of July. Because of concerns about people's health during that time, there is also *Doyo no Ushi no Hi* [ http://web-japan.org/nipponia/nipponia34/en/feature/feature07.html -- top of page].
Koiwai is protesting Yanda's pun about "Cow Day", saying that's not what it means. BTW, this is one of the rare stories where we actually know the date...