6 - A Quick Jaunt Around Town...

It's about 6 months late, but welcome to my village! There are a few spurious reasons for the delay in actually showing you my humble corner of the globe, but it's not terribly important. Suffice it to say I had my camera stolen, then happily returned. Coupled with my squirrel-like attention span and general inability to sit down and actually get some bloody writing done, getting round to taking some photos and putting them up has taken a while. Anyhoo, enough gibbering. On with it!

















This is slap bang right next to my flat. Soon it will be a splendid verdant green, farmers dutifully toiling away to supply the neighbourhood with rice. Currently, however, it looks a little like Belgium.

















Casa Ed. Mine's the balcony third from the left on the ground floor. It's minute but I'm content. The architects named the place "Sky Heights." And to think there are those who say the Japanese don't understand sarcasm.
































And here we are inside my little pad. To give you a sense of the space, both photos are taken from the same spot with my back to the wall. What you can't see is my bed in the first photo, and the toilet and shower in the second one. That's it. Snug!



My town, Aoyama (that's "blue mountain" fact fans), is pretty quiet. It's not quite small enough for everyone to know your name, nor is it quite large enough to have anything going on. I've done a couple of small community events and have made friends with a lady who lives up the hill from me, but as yet I must seem a bit of a stranger to people. No-one's ever around, but those who occasionally pop up are very friendly. I'm working on new ways to ingratiate myself with the locals, some involving song and dance and some not.















Anyone around? I'll do a little English jig for you! Anyone?
















There's a proper supermarket up the road, but this one has comedy "local shop" value. The smell of damp is offset somewhat by the cheery staff.

















My area is the oldest part of town, hence all the wonderful ramshackle wooden buildings. Most shops seem to be the front room of someone's house and are usually closed by the time I get home from school. There's one great place that sells only paint and cigarettes. Don't know about you but that'd set me up nicely for the weekend!
































The view from the bridge can be quite stunning, especially as the sun sets over the mountains. Most rivers in Japan seem to be partially filled in and this one's shallow enough to let you see huge carp swimming below. The water in my area is famously clear, so there's a sake brewery nearby specialising in numerous products to inebriate and delight.



Giant, bicycle-enticing gutters line every street in Japan, big and small. I've had a few narrow escapes but my friends one town over have come a-cropper numerous times. The gentle, soothing sound of running water coupled with the threat of a concrete-lined peril. Ah, like so many things in life...









Thus concludes the brief tour! Next time we'll have a stroll around my schools and discover all sorts of giddy wonders together. For now I'll leave with this chap. Toodle-pip!