The Persistence of Summer

AM

Least: At 8:55am, I woke an hour later than usual. The hour disappeared simply because I had forgotten to set my alarm back to the usual 8:00am. Sleep creep is a real danger while working strange hours in Japan. Some people sleep later and later until and 11:00am alarm seems harsh. If I'm not careful, my AM period may just evaporate altogether - then there really will be nothing to write about.

Most: At 11:20am, I careered up the street on the Impression on a lunch mission. When I wasn't thinking about how flat the tyres were becoming, I was considering the surprising strength of the sun as it pounded the back of my neck with UV rays. Despite a cool day yesterday, the whiff of a too-hot summer manages to persist. I'm hoping that this week is the last gasp of heat and that the chilly northerlies begin sooner rather than later. Again I am reminded today that the distance between the least interesting and most interesting is becoming very thin indeed.

PM

Least: Just after 9:00pm, my train pulled into Mikunigaoka station. On the platform was an old man in a Nankai uniform chipping solidified chewing gum from the ground. I have actually seen him on numerous other occasions with his scraper and atomiser of citrus solvent. Since I first noticed him, I think he had managed to clear about ten metres. I am sure that by the time he gets to the end of the platform, he will have to begin again from the other end. People often comment about how clean Japan is, however it is probably only so because poor old men like the one at Mikunigaoka have to clean it.

Most: Between 8:00pm and 8:40pm I spoke with a teacher from an agricultural high school in Sakai. Given the relentless urban sprawl, I was amazed to discover that the school has a full set of farm animals including cows, sheep and pigs and fields of grain and vegetable crops. I am still wondering where on earth they could have built such a facility in such a dense city. Maybe good earth might uncover the location.