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.

The Mean Streets of Sakai

AM

Least: Sometime between 2:00am and 3:00am, I woke groggily from my less than sleepy slumber. The night was silent except for the drone of a flight of pigeons that had decided to rest on the roof next door for the night. The pigeon problem has slightly diminished, however I suspect that the local flying rat chapter is planning a comeback. They were still there at 8:00am when I got out of bed. How boring for them.

Most: At nearly 11:00am, I felt the extremely unsettling sensation of actually missing the television. Despite earlier reports on this blog, I craved a half and hour or so of utter crap to help fill in the gaps of my morning. I have also sensed a gathering distance from everyday Japanese life and the ongoing courtcase of Noriko Sakai. It is amazing to think that an utterly vacuous stream of information could get addictive. I will resist for now and not pay my NHK bill as a reward.

PM

Least: Just after 3:15pm, I groaned again as the scrubbers from a nearby high school, flitted into my train carriage. Despite their Japanese flavour, they had all of the boring characteristics of bogans from the Melbourne suburbs. The general look included badly dyed hair, inches of make-up, dirty looks towards other girls and incredibly short skirts. Each of them could have easily fitted in to any notorious school a person could name. I wonder what their mothers think?

Most: Between 8:00pm and 8:40pm, I spoke to one of my regular students about living in Sakai city. Being from the north of Osaka, she viewed Sakai as an unrelenting hellhole. Her paranoia even extended to a fear of murderers lurking in the backstreets at night. Sakai is famous for its knives so maybe she has a point. Her fear of crime seems to be duplicated throughout Osaka to the extent that there are areas such as Shinsaibashi where some Japanese fear to tread. She also informed my that gangsters were easy to spot because they all have golden hair. I wonder how she would go on the slightly meaner streets of Melbourne?