I am a fireman
May 21, 2006
I am a fireman. For the past two years I have been putting out fires big and small, quickly and efficiently, using minimal resources. I’ve taught other people to become firemen and damn good ones too. I’ve written manuals on being a fireman, given presentations on firefighting, and if I were to toot my own horn further, I would say I drive the damn firetruck pretty well too.
As a good fireman, as long as the supply of water kept coming, I had no fear of ever being a less effective fireman. Sometimes I had surplus water that I could give to less fortunate firemen. Sometimes I would use surplus water to prevent future fires. It was a damn fine time for fire prevention.
Sometime last year the taps were sucked dry. I didn’t have enough amounts of water to fight all the fires I usually do. I had to ask for water supplies and ration everything. Here and there we were able to take small amounts of water too. As such, I spent more of the water on putting out deadly fires, emergency fires, and very little on preventing fires. Times were tough for all of the city’s bravest. Most, including myself, thought it was just a drought; a seasonal dip in water supplies, but after such a long drought I think even the most naive are beginning to doubt the water level and our ability to fight fires.
Well as if things weren’t bad enough, soon, water rations will be even more scarce than before. There will be no point in looking for water because even the ponds and puddles are drying up. Forget about official water rations because they’re giving out those tetra pack juices to fight fires. Now, we have to hold buckets outside and hope and pray for rain which certainly does not come everyday.
Obviously our fire fighting ability will be severely hindered. I’m hoping the fire chief is not expecting the same amount of fire prevention. No one, not even a firefighter as good as me, is able to exponentially increase efficiency with such a reduction in resources. The good old days of fighting blazes is over. At best we can put out birthday candles and sparklers.
If the city bitches that there are too many fires then I think my days of being a firefighter will be over.
Put that book away
May 17, 2006
Over at one of the better blogs on Japan, PureLandMountain, Robert writes about being a foreigner taking trains in Japan. In a nutshell, many Japanese people avoid sitting next to the foreigner unless it’s the last possible seat.
For me I have a completely different experience. Provided that I keep my mouth shut I blend right in with the crowd. No one avoids sitting next to me on trains. It’s not until I start speaking in either English or broken Japanese will people start looking at me funny and wonder why one of their own (visually anyway) is speaking funny.
On my commute to and from work I like sneaking in a bit of reading. I rarely ever read fiction so often my books are not paperback-sized. One note about reading in public: most people have their books wrapped in paper. I’m not really sure if it’s to protect the cover or perhaps to hide any shame of your reading choices. I always rip this paper cover off.
Thus, my reading choice is visible to those sitting next to me. Maybe it’s because I’m perceived to be Japanese and most Japanese people don’t persue literary adventures in English, but I’ve heard some snickering by people about my books. It’s usually from the older folks but things like, “You’re Japanese, you should read Japanese books.” or “You think you’re smart” etc. I don’t really care but I find it odd and disappointing.
The other facet of this is when I’m sitting next to a student, college or highschool, who is reading grammar books or busy finishing their English assignments. When I take out my English book and start reading, I sometimes see them peering at my book. The more timid of them sometimes then put their assignments away and sit quietly. I’ve always thought they did this because they feel embarassed to show that they’re just learning something. Who knows.
This is a toilet
May 09, 2006
Have I ever shown you a Japanese toilet? It’s a hole in the ground!
Yup, it’s a squatting toilet. Sometime during your development as a foreign national surviving in Japan, you’ll need to work on your skills of the balanced crouch push. Some people refuse to use the squatting toilets and hold it until they find a seated one. Sometimes, you don’t have the luxury of holding it in…
So I just want to say that it’s early May and it’s already becoming hot. Yesterday was a barely bearable 28 degrees with a hint of humidity. A sign of things to come I’m afraid.
We’ve been in our new place for about two weeks now, after a heavy weekend of shuttling furniture back and forth from my old place. Luckily it’s only a five minute walk (we really love the neighborhood). Now armed with cable and internet, a much bigger place, and a TV in the bath, I’m ready to take on the married life with a grin on my face and a bead of sweat running down the side of my head.
Oh yes, we have now been legally married for three days. Before that we were only married under the eyes of God. So, congratulations to us again!
Nothing subtle
May 05, 2006
Remember that sign with the little cute guy that told you to “Stay out of here”? I found a new one today at JR Osaka station.
Nothing subtle about this picture.
There was a friendly caution as well.
By the way I wrote a longer update about my new apartment but decided it was too meaningless to post. I’m in my newer, bigger, smarter, faster apartment. It’s delicious and great.
Open-air Museum of Old Japanese Houses
May 01, 2006
In keeping with my wish of trying to go somewhere new at least once every two weekends, the lady and I went to the Open-air Museum of Old Japanese Houses. As boring as that sounds it was something to do. When you spend three years in Osaka, every little thing that even remotely sounds interesting becomes interesting.
Fortunately, it turned out to be quite interesting and it offered a stroll through Ryukuchi-koen, a gem of a park in the middle of Osaka. The park was big enough to hold a lot of people enjoying 花見 parties. The museum is really a park in itself with old farm houses brought over from all over the country. These houses were often over a hundred years old. A lot of the houses were built to house a big family - up to and over 20 people living in the same complex.
Most of the bigger structures had huge thatched roofs. Sometimes the thatching was quite thick and waterproof. It didn’t stop a lot of wasps from making homes inside though.
Details
The museum was a nice quiet get-away from the bustle of downtown Osaka and at 500 yen admission, it beats a McDonalds lunch. Ryokuchi-koen Station on the Midosuji Line - follow the signs inside the park.
