No coffee, no eggs, no bread, no butter

Wednesday 30th September 2009
 

AM

Least: At close to 9:30am, I discovered that my breakfasting stocks were at an all time low. No coffee, no eggs, no bread, no butter. To alleviate the sheer awefulness of it all, I trotted up to the Family Mart for resupply. To my horror the only bread that they had was some inedible and sugary loaf with slices about three inches thick. I settled on pancake mix, however in my confused state, I forgot to buy butter to butter up my meal. Despondant, I sat down to pancakes with faux maple syrup sans-butter. After one cake, Rosie stumbled through the door with a tub of grease for my meal. Despite the drama of breakfast, it was a grindingly boring experience.

Most: Approaching 11:50am, I finally finished reading The Grapes of Wrath after picking away at it for a few weeks. The ending was a little on the brutal side and shattered my hopes of a better outcome for the itinerant workers. The book is a condemnation of capitalism but rather than idealising it's victims, allows the characters to be crushed by their appalling conditions. The same process that had giant companies engulfing smaller farms it probably still happening today, especially in the developing world. I'm slightly sad that the book is over, but it was an interesting journey.

PM

Least: At about 1:50pm, I stepped onto the tram for my commute to work in Yao. Because it was the first time that I had been to this suburban sprawl (see its seal right), it carried ore stress than a usual trip to work. One mistake, or missed train could mean lateness or it could mean ending up on the wrong side of town. To make matters worse, there was a steady fall of rain and the wind allowed the water to sneak under my umbrella. After a wrong turn outside, Kintetsu-Yao station, I finally realised that my map had failed to notice that the MUFJ bank had relocated across the town square. I was only slightly damp by the time I arrived.

Most: At nearly 9:30pm, Rosie and I walked down some Tennoji steps into a below-ground izakaya. We were told that the last food orders were about to be taken, to we cut a swathe through the menu. By the time we had finished ordering, It was dificult to remember what we had actually requested. Each dish that arrived was slightly more suprising than the last and included, chips, edemame, fried chicken gristle, sashimi, tofu salad, samma and beer. The highlight was the slightly seared sashimi of salmon and tuna and the ultra-friendly manager. We'll be back.

The Market

Monday 21st September 2009


AM

Least: At about 10:45am, Rosie and I parked our bikes illegally at a Family Mart in Tennoji. As we walked towards the Shi-Tennoji market at the shrine, it seemed that thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of people had the same idea. The crowd was as thick and rude as it was old. I was elbowed and pushed several times as old crones desparately tried to reach the shrine where they could combine shopping for junk with a religious experience. The dirty looks I got as I waited at the entrance for friends was almost as surprising as the pornography for sale inside.

Most: By 11:25am, I had walked around perhaps fifty stalls selling incredible amounts of Japanese cultural refuse, including millions of figurines and endless pottery. The most interesting items, though included and ancient bear skin rug, carved ivory, fossils and medical equipment from long enough ago to make it terrifying. The surgical stall, included horrifying syringes, bone saws, pokers of some kind, and two bronze gynaecological devices - I wonder if anyone bought them. The thousand and something year-old shrine was kind of interesting too.

PM

Least: By 7:00pm, it was becoming clear that during my several attempts to install a wireless router, I had destroyed our computers ability to connect to the internet. Apart from trying to read Japanese instructions, I had lost some crucial papers that included a precious password. Being a public holiday, it was impossible to contact the service provider and therefore impossible to reconnect to the lifeline of the interet. On unexpected side effect was that it further reduced the certainty of our impending trip to the Hokage festival at Tamagawa by preventing us from checking train times. Boring times.

Most: Sometime after 3:00pm, I was escorted into Den Den town by our neighbour in search of electronics. Within minutes, we had bought a new high definition monitor and various cables. It was incredible to see the number of shops selling items to allow people to construct their own computers. Other shops sold thousands of figurines, swap cards and computer games, while others had girls dressed as maids trying to entice lonely customers. Within an hour the spending spree had ended, but it was interesting to see how massive choice, flashing lights and placards could put me into a ruinous fianancial frenzy. Fun.

The Newspaper on the Tram

AM


Least: At 10:05am, I began the incredibly boring process of munching through 'Pasco 5' bread. It is far to thick to lend itself to an admirable meal - the toast affected layer is far too thin compared with the doughy, sugary and bland interior of massive GI. Despite rapidly depleting Vegemite supplies, I managed to mask some of the horrors of Japanese bread, but it wasn't quite enough. And to think Pasco is the best of a very bad bunch.

Most: Around 8:15am, I crept down the stairs to go on a long overdue stroll 'round the pond. In the many weeks since my last laps, the leaves had begun turning yellow, grass was crazily high, and some of the trees had been dealt some brutal pruning. As usual, there were tens of old men ambling around the path and a few people walking their over pampered dogs. For some reason, two police on bicycles were roaming the area, evidently looking for something or someone - they looked like tough characters despite the bikes. On my way home I noticed that the large white cube of a house (right) was progressing nicely, though the lift and the tiny third floor seem excessive. The owners will probably feel modest and cramped given the enormous size of the houses that stand next door.

PM

Least: By 4:50am, I was once again trapped in an impossibly small office listening to yet another sleazy teacher who seemed to think every woman or girl was at his feet. He met the usual profile of a balding nerd who, probably a geek in his home country and found himself an adonis in Japan. The appalling thing was that he thought enough of himself to bore anyone close bye. He reported with a straight face that no woman in Thailand was as hot as his Japanese girlfriend. Even more boring than the tissues I was packing.

Most: Not long after 9:35pm. I walked through Tennoji, passed several homeless guys sleeping in cardboard boxes and alighted the tram to Himematsu. Sitting on either side of me was a young woman who looked like she'd forgotton to wear pants and a man reading a sports-based newspaper. Peeking at the newspaper, I noticed that the man on my left was perusing the pornographic pages of the paper - numerous sets of breasts covered the page. Perhaps self conscious (but probably not), he flipped to a section that gave him tips about improving his golf swing then quickly fell asleep. Many of the local tabloid papers double as porno mags and men often reading them on public transport without shame. The girl sitting on my right texted on a phone with a toy hanging from it twice its' size.