Sometimes it's like walking up a mountain
Persistence. Here in Japan it is an essential quality and those without it quickly leave (or are somehow by buffered from reality by an unknown force and stay on for years blissfully unawares). I’m not talking about the persistence a tourist needs to find an out of the way temple or a restaurant with English menus. I am talking about the amount necessary to live here, the grit to get through the mazes we find ourselves in, the inner fire that blasts through the unexplainable barriers thrown up in front of us, you know, persistence.
Continue reading Just a little bit more then them…
I’ve seen a lot of strange things on Japanese trains these past five years. Drunks passed out on the benches, old women (and I do mean old) dressed in school girl uniforms, ‘train parties’ where people spend hours riding around while drinking, just to name a few. But this evening as I rode home on a train packed with people going to and from viewing fall leaves I happened to notice something that made me pause and think, ‘well, that’s a first.’
Continue reading Now that’s a first…
My legs stretched out in front of me, at least as far as they could in the cramped space of a JR train. A long day of wandering around Wakayama city had had left me pretty tuckered out and in order to balance the scales I had treated myself to a nice long soak in a local hot spring (Sakura no Yu) and a McDonalds ice cream. Just an hour or so before I had watched the sun set slowly on the ocean from a deserted beach with only my iPod and a few couples spread out thinly along the edge for company. A satisfied smile sat on my lips and I was about to pull out my cell phone for a quick e-mail when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. My head turned and that satisfied smile turned into a mirthful grin. I almost couldn’t believe what I saw, but then again it is Japan.
Continue reading Bringing it to a new level…
Think about your workplace. The desks, the doors, the people, picture it all in your mind. Now imagine it in the morning, the quite murmur of voices as everyone files in still groggy from the commute. The day begins and the murmur turns into a steady drone punctuated by the occasional phone call and door shutting finally culminating in the relieved sigh as everyone realizes it is time to go home. Picturing this ‘typical’ day imagine what sorts of things would throw a wrench in the works, grate on your nerves, and leave you pulling your hair in frustration. How about a fire alarm, a shouting match between stressed out co-workers, emergency vehicles screaming by? Now imagine what it would be like to work in a small office with a small dog (Chihuahua) that barks at every loud noise, at every new person (sometimes even those it knows) and sometimes barks just because the sky is blue. Well, welcome to my world.
Continue reading My little foe…
