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Published: August 14th 2017
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On the way home last night, Stephen pointed out that our plan to alternate local and long trips was somewhat meaningless, as both are pretty exhausting, since both involve walking several kilometres to, from, between and around stations, not to mention the walking at the destination. He said he'd just like to have a day at home today. So that's what we've done. I privately resolved to walk to the canal, and maybe to the sea, depending on the weather, as a way to explore the local neighbourhood, but then when morning came, it was a drab, drizzly day. A fine, misty rain, although not particularly cold. I put aside my thoughts of a walk to the canal, but suggested we walk to the supermarket we found the other day, in order to get something for lunch, and then for dinner we'd try a restaurant near K Station, an Italian chain restaurant.
So this morning comprised breakfast, some reading, and a nap, and at 11 or so we got up again. When we set off for the supermarket it was still drizzly, but it lightened as we walked. We did a full circuit of the supermarket to see what they
Apartment blocks, Chiba
This is just a couple of the buildings at the back of this block. had, knowing full well that we wouldn't be cooking, mainly because I don't think my cleaning skills would be up to it. I don't think I would be able to clean the kitchen back up to Giang's standard. Microwaving yes, but oil spattering all around the stove, no.
Observations about supermarkets in Japan: The top shelves are lower than other countries'. They are better stocked than Vietnam's. (No doubt most countries' are.) You can get wine in plastic bottles! Chilean, I think it was. Is that a thing now? We bought a bottle of NZ red to leave in the house for Giang to come back to, (it was in glass), and the check-out girl put a paper sleeve around it, an ingenious contrivance that is cut to stretch all around like a Christmas decoration, and whose sole purpose is to stop bottles clinking together. See photo. Is this a thing now too? A reason salads are so rare may be because veges are expensive. Okay, half a cabbage was 50c, but to make a salad with even only 5 or 6 ingredients would cost at least $10. And of course Japan is famous for the high prices of
From the front balcony
Again, just a couple of the dozen or so apartment buildings visible around about. Luckily, we also have a park to look at. its fruit: $2 per apple, $5 for half a melon, and so on.
We walked home again, obviously. Observations on suburban living around Tokyo: life in these apartment blocks seems to be deliberately designed to be not just private, but solitary. This particular block is 6 flats long and 8 floors high, but you will rarely meet your neighbours. The block has one lift, and it only stops at the 1st, 4th and 7th floors. This way nobody has to climb up or down more than one flight of stairs. Each set of stairs serves one pair of flats, so you'll usually only see that one neighbour. They are pretty well soundproofed though, so you don't need to be aware of that neighbour for most of the time.
Having said that though, I did go out on to our balcony this evening because I heard the people next door chatting out there. When I peered out around the screen between us, one of the speakers had gone back inside, so I greeted the elderly lady who remained, and we had a nice chat for a good 15 or 20 minutes. This was the mother of the people next door, and now I know that they are a mother and her son and daughter (the father died) and the grandmother was visiting for the day from her home in the country. The old lady kept apologising for the noise, as the brother and sister (who I think must be about 14 and 16) were laughing a lot and occasionally squabbling, but actually it was refreshing to hear. This place is so eerily quiet and everybody is so well-behaved that it's good to hear people laughing and talking like normal human beings.
Other observations: the Japanese are lucky to have the tradition of sleeping on futons, because it means that every apartment has a balcony. Walking around in the mornings, there are comparatively few futons hung out to air, but you can't not have a balcony. I don't know why there are few futons on view. Is it the weather? (It's been quite damp.) Is it that more women are working, and can't leave them out all day; or alternatively, they put them really early and bring them in when they go to work? Is it because western-style beds are becoming more popular? But I haven't often seen sheets hung out with the washing either.
For us, sleeping on the futons has not been too great a problem. On the first night, we found the bottom futons a bit thin, and the points of contact between body and floor somewhat uncomfortable, so now we're folding the top futon in half lengthwise, so that we have another layer under us, and half is wide enough for on top. They are very cosy but light. The main problem is just getting up from the floor in the morning. I'm lucky: I have the built-in wardrobe on my side of the room, so I can grab the shelf and haul myself upwards, but the joints are a bit stiff these days, even when we do eat our salads.
Oh, I've been forgetting to tell you: we had our third earthquake today. We had two about 3 days ago, the first quite strong and rocky for maybe 15-20 seconds, and a second a bit later that was just some small sways. Today's was sway-ey but maybe 10-15 seconds. We're on the 5th floor, and we looked out and saw a woman in the park across the road walking her dog, and neither of them seemed to even notice it.
Also today I used a phone box. There are still plenty of them around, and you can still buy phone cards for them. I did so the other day in order to call a friend of Giang's to ask for help with the wifi device, but there was no reply, and then the wifi fixed itself. Today I tried to call an old friend from my Shiba Park Hotel days. I'd looked for him online before we left, and he was on a website that gave his address and phone number. I'd already tried the business contact details I'd found for him, but he seemed to have retired (or worse) because he didn't reply to my emails. But today I tried this home number. And he answered! Yay! But he was at the hospital, not as a patient, so after a quick conversation to assess our respective situations, he asked if I could call back tonight at 10pm. So I did that. We had a nice chat, but the reason for his being at the hospital was his wife, who had been rushed there just yesterday. He doesn't know what will be happening for a few days yet, so we'll get in contact again, and maybe visit in a week or so. Ebi (Mr Ebihara is his formal name, but his friends called him Ebi, which means shrimp) lives in Kamakura, which is a lovely city on the other side of Tokyo Bay, so we would be visiting there anyway, but now it will be next week at the earliest.
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