A taste of Japan

We have decided that Japanese are the polar opposites of the Russians.

We went to the photo shop today to take a picture for Baila's visa. Here's how the photo shoot went:

Photographer got Baila sent up comfortably in the stroller, lined with a white cloth. She took a few pictures and could not get Baila to smile. Still smiling, she called down another employee. Prepared with a stuffed animal, he waved it in front of Baila repeatedly and made ridiculous noises, still trying to get her to smile. We finally had it and told them to keep it as it is.
Yisroel asked how long it would take for the picture to get ready.
"10 minutes." The lady answered.
We asked if it could be done any faster. We were, of course, on a super tight deadline. Yisroel was on the way to the consulate, which closed in 1 1/2 hours, at least an hour train ride away.
"O.K." answered the lady in her best English "8 minutes".

In Russia, we would get one shot. There's no trying for better photos. And in Russia, anything can be done, anytime, anywhere, breaking all the rules, if you ask the right way, or know the right people, or pay the right amount of money.