An endangered plant or animal species symbolizes a world that changes irrevocably every moment, but there are also man-made things that vanish. This week, on the variety show "Takeshi no Nippon no Mikata" ("Takeshi's Way of Viewing Japan"; TV Tokyo, Fri., 10 p.m.), comedian-filmmaker Takeshi Kitano looks at once familiar items that are "about to disappear."
Take nurses' caps. They used to be mandatory, but fewer nurses are wearing them, and not necessarily for reasons of style or because an increasing number of nurses are men. Caps are not necessary, and the less stuff a nurse wears, the less likely he or she is to spread germs.
And what about pedestrian overpasses, which used to be on practically every street corner? Most are superannuated, and while local governments have the money to tear them down, they don't have enough to build new ones. And shoeshine boys? You need a license.