Only in Tezukayama

AM

Least: At about 8:00am, I was once again reminded of the horrors of living in such close quarter to so many other people. A very loud and distinctive honking noise smashed into our bedroom. My close analysis conducted over many months has revealed that it is a man in the shower clearing his nose. If only I knew the sound's exact origin, I could begin plotting revenge.

Most: At 9:05am this morning, I saw yet another sign that Japan's economic woes have yet to hit Tezukayama. A youngish woman was either dropping off or picking someone up from the local school in a very new red Ferrari. This sighting is only one of many along the same vein. In recent days, I have dodged cars from the numerous Porsche's to an Aston Martin. A recent only-in-Tezukayama moment was a road rage incident outside the Drug 11 involving an old lady on a bicycle and a 30s-ish man driving a blue Roller. The rich stay rich.

PM

Least: Atabout 7:10pm, I arrived to a home bereft of food. By 8:10pm, I treadled off to the local supermarket hoping for something raw and fishy. Instead, I arrived to find the fish shelves almost empty as closing time approached. Literally the only things left were a few scraps of sashimi and slices of whale at half price. I settled for some acceptable beef burgers, however they had so much grease that they almost rendered my sweet bread transparent.

Most: Sometime after 6:00pm, I looked out the window of the train at the speeding landscape to discover it was already in darkness. It is incredible how the length of day has appeared to shorten so quickly (see today's astronomical chart right). It is a reminder of how fast my time in Japan is going, and leaves me questioning myself whether or not I've made the most of it. I definately need to see more of Japan and get out a bit more. Perhaps next year I'll manage a real weekend with two days off in a row.