There's a very large old clock shop in my neighborhood with a slightly gruff, but sufficiently polite old gent in charge. The shop is this odd mixture of old and new world with it's happy anime character clocks on sale and its 30 (or more) -year old chairs in front of a long counter. The fellow who runs the shop sits in the back watching T.V. behind piles of old clock and watch parts. He's so atypically Japanese yet competent at providing service that it feels much more "human" dealing with him (as opposed to the robotic service with fixed greetings and bows). Seeing the chaos he works in reminds me of my grandfather, who used to fix watches as his hobby. I also just like the feel of this particular store with its rough edges, 60's chairs, and ashtrays. The old guy can also replace a watch battery for us fast and easy for a reasonable price.
I'll miss seeing and patronizing this shop when I leave Japan.
Posts
