Will Miss #509 - neighborly behavior

Some qualities of an experience are so subtle and hard to describe that language, no matter how precise, will mislead the reader. I've found this to be the case many times while writing this blog, especially when it comes to titles. Brevity is a virtue, and I think many writers would do well to say less than they do, but it also increases the chance that one will be misunderstood. This topic is one of those in which I am walking a thin tightrope between conveying something that undermines the manner in which Americans are neighborly and overestimates the way in which Japanese are. 

In both Japan and the U.S., I have lived/am living in an apartment complex. That means that people who live in the building will occasionally pass by me. In Japan, with rare exceptions, most people would give a friendly greeting when we walked by or respond in kind when we offered a greeting first. This was in no way an indication of friendship, but a perfunctory act of civility. The fact that people always responded to "ohayo gozaimasu" (good morning) with a similar reply carried a certain feeling of balance and comfort.

In the U.S., my experience has been greatly less uniform in this regard. A handful of people are friendly and reply in kind, but some seem actually irritated or taken aback when I say, "good afternoon" to them. The sense I get is that, though we occupy the same apartment complex, they feel burdened by having to interact with me in a minimal fashion. They would rather we walked past one another with downcast eyes as if we were random strangers passing on a street. The inconsistency of response makes you feel some stress when you greet people, and lowers the chance that you'll do it at all which in turn creates a colder atmosphere in general.

I don't think it's asking too much that people who see each other around the same little patch of land on a regular basis exchange a few words in greeting, and certainly it seemed in Japan for the most part that they subscribed to this belief as well. I miss the way in which social propriety carried a sense of being neighborly. 

Will Miss #413 - Akiho

The experience of living anywhere is both small and big, personal and impersonal, and subjective with objective elements. People sometimes ask me why I write this blog and there are many reasons. One is to remember this time in my life with attention to my experiences and thoughts and feelings about them. That means that there are things which are unique to where I live that no one else will likely ever experience, and one of those is a neighbor of mine named "Akiho".

Akiho is a young man who stands outside of his old apartment building lifting a large and growing collection of weights. He always smiles and speaks English to me. Sometimes while lifting his weights, he reads aloud from a book of English with advanced content. Often, it's either insanely cold or insanely hot, but he's inappropriately attired for the climate and says he's not uncomfortable. He once dyed his hair blond and dyed it back to black. The energy that surrounds him is incredibly affable, almost jolly, even though his actions might be considered odd, particularly by Japanese standards.

Akiho is a bundle of a lot of the things that Japan and the Japanese people are both realistically and stereotypically. He's a little weird, but not threatening. He's trying to be helpful (speaking English), but not intrusive. He's sunny, but not annoyingly peppy. I'll miss seeing Akiho lifting his weights outside of his building, greeting me, and smiling. 

Will Miss #301 - the old clock shop

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.

Will Miss #259 - "live theater"

A family goes about their business in full view of strangers passing by.

This may be something that only happens in my neighborhood. It may be something that happens in all big cities all over the world. I don't know. All I can tell you is that I never experienced such a thing back home in either the rural Pennsylvania town I grew up in or the suburban California town I lived in for awhile. At least three families who live along a major, well-trafficked (both by pedestrians and cars) street near my apartment in Tokyo live their daily lives out in the open. They sit in front of glass doors with the curtains open going about their daily lives. They use the computer, watch T.V., drink beer, clean, etc. People are literally streaming by their windows and they blithely go about their business as if they were enjoying total privacy. Today, I actually saw a fellow sitting in front of the glass door, shirtless, but in sweat pants, drying off his body seemingly post shower.

There's something surreal about the way these people live their lives on display, and I'll miss this type of "live theater".

Will Miss #248 - one day "event" sales

One Day Shop Fuji renting the space to a music seller who has many CDs for 10 yen (11 cents) each.

When I was a child, my grandmother used to take us to auctions where copious quantities of new and varied items were sold for cheap. There was something really cool about the unpredictable nature of the types of items that are sold. I never knew what was going to be on offer. On the main shopping street in my neighborhood, there are two or three rental spaces which come close to this same sort of sense. Various businesses rent the space and sell many different things. I've seen dental implements, snacks, kitchen wares, clothes, CDs, jewely, and computers among others. I never know what they're going to offer, but it's always an interesting surprise. Sometimes, a peddler will just offer a potpourri of items of interest.

I'll miss the surprises, and the bargains from these one day sales.

Will Miss #243 - neighborhood freebies

The sign behind the cups on the left tells people they are welcome to take these things.

I'm not sure if this is something which is common all over Japan (or Tokyo) or if it just happens in my neighborhood, but I often see people putting out free items with a sign encouraging anyone who wants them to take the objects on offer. More often than not, it's dishes, but sometimes it is pieces of furniture, clothing, or even novel objects like Japanese dolls. I'm particularly lucky because one of the most generous people is about a minute from my apartment. I rarely take things from them, but I think it's a nice thing to do. It's neighborly and reduces waste.

I'll miss these neighborhood freebies, which are not only useful, but have uniquely Japanese items.

Will Miss #206 - every street an adventure

I've lived in the same neighborhood for 20 years, but there are still streets that I've never gone down. While sometimes there's nothing to see when you head off in a particular direction, most of the time there is something you might never have imagined. Sometimes you find beautiful old houses. Sometimes peculiar little restaurants or shops. Sometimes you just find some odd architectural or structural situation that you marvel at or unexpected art. I can't say that every street has its own character or personality, but most of them have some sort of surprise.

I'll miss exploring my neighborhood, and the interesting little things that I find after all this time.

Will Miss #200 - Okashi no Machioka

After you've lived in Japan for awhile, all of the big things tend to fade into the background and it's the little daily things that bring you the most pleasure. Since I write a Japanese snack review blog, finding someplace like Okashi no Machioka has brought me a wealth of pleasure. It is a chain of snack shops which carries a rich variety of snack foods from sembei to cookies to hard candies to chocolate bars (and beyond). About once a week, I'll pop into one of the two branches of this store that are located in my neighborhood and peruse their current stock. Sometimes I'll find a known treat for an irresistible price and sometimes I'll find some new delight that I'll happily review.

I'll really miss Okashi no Machioka's shops.

Will Miss #183 - Koenji Look Shopping Street

From the end of the shopping street where this picture was taken, Koenji's "Look" doesn't seem like much. However, it's like a trail that gets better and better as you go. From the end that opens on Ome Kaido Avenue near Shin Koenji station on the Marunouchi line, it leads to a plethora of shops with fashionable items directed toward the type of people who dye their hair blonde and red, wear funky clothes, and go to live houses to see concerts by unknowns. As you approach Koenji station, you find loads of restaurants, novelty and sundry goods shops, and crowds of hipsters doing whatever they do to pass the time.

I'll miss the weird vibe and unique shopping options on the Koenji Look street.

Will Miss #176 - ginkgo trees

Trees are not something that are necessarily abundant in Tokyo, but I live in a ward which has a tree as its icon and that has lined the main street near my home with ginkgo trees. In the autumn, they shed uniformly golden leaves that beautifully blanket the sidewalks at night, and that vanish the next morning when shopkeepers scramble to clear them away. In summer and spring, they add much needed green to the largely gray and boxy visuals of my neighborhood.

I will always associate ginkgo trees with living in Japan and will miss them.

Will Miss #174 - local straw goods shop

On the corner leading to the street that comes to my apartment, there's a little shop that sells items made from straw. Mostly, these include brooms, but there are also woven items like baskets. This shop is run by a little old man who was ancient when I arrived 20 years ago, and seems to be little older now. Every time I approach my apartment, I see this little shop, and I wonder how the old man can possibly make a living from this, and I marvel at his dedication to maintaining this tiny little business. I also have a strong sense of how "Japanese" the presence of the shop is. That is not only in terms of the types of wares, but also in the fact that there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of these types of little shops ran by old people that see little or no business yet remain standing for years and years. These businesses are something I'll always associate with life in Tokyo.

I'll miss the little old man's straw goods shop, and what it reminds me about Japan.

Will Miss #173 - Yakult drinks and ladies

I've not been a big follower of Yakult beverages, but I've seen the ladies on their bikes since I arrived. There's something quaint about the way these women on bicycles visit offices to peddle their wares. Also, though I'm not a huge fan of the drink, I find it pleasant enough and the fact that it's almost certainly a quick, easy and convenient way to ingest probiotics when you think you might need some better digestion is rather cool.

I'll miss seeing the Yakult ladies peddling around my neighborhood on their bikes.

Will Miss #147 - Yutakaraya

There's a discount fresh food shop chain called Yutakaraya about 10 minutes from my apartment. It's often crowded with old people or housewives and a pain to navigate because people block the narrow aisles, but there's something very gratifying about going there and finding chicken on sale for 29 yen (31 cents) per 100 grams (3.5 oz.) or a bag of 6 carrots for 50 yen (85 cents). It's much, much cheaper than markets and the way in which the produce is set out in bins in the front of the shop feels like a big urban experience to this rural raised girl.

I'll miss shopping at Yutakaraya.

Will Miss #140 - unicycles

One thing you notice in summer in Tokyo is that there are far more kids, especially girls, riding unicycles. It's quite impressive to see their balance and speed on them. I've been told that elementary school kids, and girls in particular, join unicycle clubs or teams. I'm not sure why unicycles are relatively common in Japan, but it is always interesting to see as one tends only to see acrobats use them back home.

I'll miss seeing kids on unicycles.

Will Miss #139 - Pearl Center

In my neighborhood, there is a long and winding street full of different shops that snakes from a major street near my apartment to the local JR station. I've never counted them all, but I'm sure there are over 100. The variety of places is amazing, but more importantly, there is a good mix of low-priced food shops and interesting specialty shops. You can do all of your daily shopping and pick up the occasional novelty or special food item. You also see the same people there when you frequent the shops so you develop a certain rapport with other neighborhood people (whether you talk to them or not).

I love that shopping street, and I'm really going to miss it when I go.

Won't Miss #134 - Suginomori

It seems that nearly everything in Japan has to have a mascot. In many cases, they are crudely drawn or poorly designed. You get the feeling that some of them were just created by someone in the office who could doodle a bit rather than by a professional artist. The ward I live in has some peculiar worm-like creature called "Suginomori". It's all over the place in my neighborhood - on signs, on various bits of junk at festivals, and recently I've even seen cookies sold with its image. After all, who doesn't want to eat a cookie with a picture of a weird worm thing on it? What is more irksome is knowing my city taxes are funding the proliferation of this crude mascot.

I won't miss seeing this ugly city mascot on a nearly daily basis.

Will Miss #116 - sound of the tofu cart lady

There's something very old world about the fact that people still walk around Tokyo pulling carts and selling goods. Each of them has their own unique way of calling customers out to them and the tofu cart people carry a little horn that they play in a particular way. Hearing this has a strange way of making me feel connected to humanity and the people around me, even the strangers.

I'll miss hearing the tofu cart lady's notes as she makes her way up our little street.

Won't Miss #113 - hassling with big trash

Back when I first arrived in Japan, all trash was simply put on the street for pick-up. This had an interesting side effect where many foreign people could find furnishings for their apartment literally sitting by the side of the road. Things changed awhile back and now getting rid of big trash (sodai gomi) is a hassle. You have to call your local government office, get a quote on how much your item will cost to dispose of or if indeed they will cart it away (televisions, air conditioners, etc. won't be taken by them but have to be picked up by the manufacturers of such items) and make an appointment to have a truck come and get the item. You must buy a sticker in the amount you're told (anywhere from about $5-$30) at a convenience store and affix it to the item. Once you do this, people are not allowed to take your old furniture and use it since the sticker makes it the property of the local government.

I won't miss this hassle associated with getting rid of a large item.

Will Miss #103 - neighborhood mystery house

Within a 1 minute walk of my apartment, there is a huge house with a large accompanying garden which is surrounded by 5-foot walls topped with barbed wire and masked by trees. The entryways are boarded over or gated and you can see lots of mirrors, floodlights, and even security cameras behind the trees. I never see anyone coming or going (though I don't really keep tabs on it), but I know someone lives there because trash is put out behind one of the gates. This house is rare in Tokyo because of the size (which is big even by Western standards, let alone Japanese ones), seclusion, and seemingly high focus on security. It has fascinated me for quite some time.

I'll miss walking by and wondering who lives in this neighborhood puzzle.

Won't Miss #102 - angry and rude old people

Something is happening with old people in Japan and it's being reflected in increasing numbers of social problems related to them. They are committing more crimes and becoming more aggressive over incidental things (like improperly sorted trash or unavoidable noise). Over the 20 years I've been in the same neighborhood, I've noticed a marked increase in rude and angry old people. I was attacked (for no discernible reason) a few years back by an old man who tried to shove me off my bike, but it's more than that one disturbing incident. Old people are just plain angrier than they used to be. I suspect this is related to the loss of the extended family, early retirement age relative to longevity (and having nothing better to do than to focus on minutiae), the ballooning number of elderly people and fewer (grand)children being born.

I won't miss the increased frequency with which I encounter angry or ill-mannered old folks in my neighborhood.