For two days in a row I have been watching men do reckless stunts at the top of very high ladders. I have no idea how this tradition got started but I do know that it goes back at least several centuries. Last Thursday I saw some of these daredevils perform in Tokyo's old town.Before winding up at a temple they paraded though the streets occasionally stopping before shops to perform their feats of complete madness. Last Friday I saw a similar sight at the Tokyo Fire Department's annual shindig. In addition to this, firefighters demonstrated their skill at putting out fires on land and at sea. They simulated many kinds of disasters including massive fires on ships to terrorist chemical weapon attacks. The demonstrations were so realistic that they caused many young children in the audience to cry in fear.