The Way Down from Prague Castle #2

kikokun

May 25, 2026

The Way Down from Prague Castle #2

I was worried about how much money the man was going to charge, but it turned out to be about 3,500 yen (around 450 Czech crowns). All he did was place a bunch of pigeons on the body of a tourist and take a photo.

After pocketing the money with a grin, the man asked, “Does anyone else want to try?”

At that moment, I thought, “There’s no way anyone else would want to do that,” but then someone raised her hand. It was R, the Slovakian woman. I was surprised by how little hesitation she showed.

For a moment, I thought, “Wait, didn’t she say she didn’t have much money?” But at the same time, I also felt that the willingness to enjoy moments like this without holding back was somehow different from the Japanese mindset.

Tourists coming down from the top of the hill also stopped to watch, and before long, a small crowd had formed.

どのぐらいお金を請求されるのか心配したが、日本円で約３５００円（約４５０クローネ）ぐらいだった。たくさんの鳩を体に乗せて写真を撮ってもらうだけである。

お金を受け取ってにんまりした男は、「ほかにやりたい人はいるか」と尋ねてきた。ぼくは「誰もやりたい人なんかいるはずがない」と思った瞬間、そこで手を挙げた人がいた。スロバキア人のRだった。その迷いのなさにびっくりした。

一瞬、「彼女、お金がないんじゃなかったの？」と思った。しかし同時に、こういう場面でためらわず楽しもうとする感覚は、日本人とはどこか違うのだなとも感じた。

坂の上から降りてきた観光客たちも足を止め、いつの間にか小さな人だかりができていた。

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Ed1975

The Way Down from Prague Castle #2

I was worried about how much money the man was going to charge, but it turned out to be about 3,500 yen (around 450 Czech crowns).

All he did was place a bunch of pigeons on the body of a tourist and take a photo.

After pocketing the money with a grin, the man asked, “Does anyone else want to try?”

At that moment, I thought, “There’s no way anyone else would want to do that,” but then someone raised her hand.

It was R, the Slovakian woman.

I was surprised by how little hesitation she showed.

For a moment, I thought, “Wait, didn’t she say she didn’t have much money?”

But at the same time, I also felt that the willingness to enjoy moments like this without holding back was somehow different from the Japanese mindset.

Tourists coming down from the top of the hill also stopped to watch, and before long, a small crowd had formed.

The Way Down from Prague Castle #2