This week finds me in Tokyo, a city where you can see many interesting things but dirty cars is not one of them. As a Japanese friend explained to me on my last visit, any Japanese man with self-respect washes his car when he comes home – every day.

Yesterday it rained, and a couple of hours after the rain stops, these four policemen could be seen polishing their cars by hand before the next call to duty (which, given the low level of criminality in Japan could arguably be after the next rainy day)…