docomo

Day 6 - Noborito and Kawasaki

I leave Ollies at around 12. Ollie is not really a morning person so after a few grunts and sleepy exchanges I leave. I feel particularly crusty as this is my second day without a shower. What I expect for free? At least I brushed my teeth. I walk past the family mart near the train station and grab a bite to eat. I resist the temptation of the random choice and ask, in bad Japanese about what the person behind the counter recommends. I end up with something that cost about $2 and was like a steamed bun filled with beef. Oichi. I get to the station and decide rather than going back to Shinjuku or Shibuya or some other place I'€™ve already seen, I hop on a train to Kawasaki. I put my headphones on and Tool it down to where those fast bikes are made. Wow. What a beautiful train journey. Cherry blossoms everywhere, with plenty of temples and squished in buildings thrown in for good measure. Real post card material in some parts. Especially about 5-10 minutes out of Noborito, with the train running parallel with a stream for abut 30 second. Gorgeous stuff that makes me realise I can never truly "€œsee the world"€, as little things like this are hidden away, and if I had been facing the other way on the train, I would have missed it. But I guess there'€™s plenty of Japanese who can experience it for me. Next time I'€™m here though, it'€™ll be on a bike. Any want to join me?

Kawasaki was interesting.

Piss farted around Harajuku markets for a while. Managed to sell some badges to a shop there. I sold about 20 and got about $1.20 each for them, with the guy interested in buying some more. Please don'€™t tell the Japanese government as they can deport my arse back to Australia for such business dealings.

The way the Japanese deal with crime is interesting. Illegal things are not done in Japan for the same reasons they€'re done back home. Over here people don'€™t do illegal things because they might get caught, they don'€™t do it because it's wrong. This is a strange concept for us dishonourable westerners to comprehend, as our system depends on the fear of punishment rather than shame. I find this to be a very beautiful concept, but it leaves them open for Gaijin fuckers to take advantage of them in ways they'€™re just not equipped to handle. As Mr Oliver pointed out yesterday, when shit goes down here in Japan (say the school shooting about a month ago), the police turned up too late and people got killed. There was a family murder suicide a little while ago, with some male teenager shooting his folks, his sister and then himself (I think). The cops turned up too late and everyone was dead. The attitude towards it though was quite weird. Not shock and horror, but shame and disapproval. What troubles happen in the family should be sorted out in the family and not by the police.