Late news in Japan: Fort Lee cracking down on texting while walking, jaywalking

Chie Okuyama Kawasaki lived in Fort Lee from 2009 to 2011.

Now back in Tsukuba, Japan, she stays close to news from her adopted home here.

The story broke on Japanese news and amused Chie enough to post on Facebook, with astonishment, that Fort Lee is giving tickets for , which she did when walking along Main Street with her daughter, Akane, in a stroller, and , which technology did not allow her at that time.

Jaywalking is almost nonexistent in Japan, where streets are barely wide enough for one car and "sidewalks" are marked by a white line on the pavement to separate walkers from drivers and bicyclists. But texting has been going on there longer than here, from the safety of a subway seat (or standing space) to break up the monotonous long rides from home to work and back again.

Many local people remark that there are no longer any Japanese in Fort Lee.

There are still many Japanese here, but unlike residents from other countries, Japanese stay here temporarily. People like Chie arrive, and newcomers settle in for a few years. But those Japanese like Chie always consider Fort Lee a memorable second home.