My mom once made a joke that the Japanese had invented something that was sure to make most road maintenance crews in the U.S. obsolete--a shovel that stands up by itself. (Get it?) The irony is, in Japan, a shovel that stands without the assistance of a "supervisor" would be even more devastating on the economy.
As you may imagine, a city the size of Tokyo requires a lot of maintenance. Any time you stroll around the city, you are sure to come across a crew of uniformed workers, performing any manner of routine repair. Unique to this scene, though, is the presence of at least two supervisors, often more. I've seen quite a few crews around the city and am amazed at the supervisory skills required for each one of them. The Japanese shovel holders put their American counterparts to shame.
What's even more amazing is the automated traffic guides that are set up on roadway projects. The Japanese have borrowed any idea straight from Walt Disney and set up animatronic traffic directors. Because you don't want to loose out on the value of a good supervisor, after all.
You must spend your time as a WRITER! I feel like I'm right there beside you.
A few years ago in Atlanta, a news crew followed a couple of shovel holders around from the moment they got into their city furnished truck until they signed off at the end of their shift. Amazingly enough they actually only worked a total of 3 minutes! The city's response was that the problem was that there were not enough supervisors for the crews. You might want to email our fair city here that their solution will probably not work as they expect it to.
Posted by: Lani on February 28, 2002 04:58 AM