The Woody Arts
...written on 06.21.02, @ 1:47 a.m.
Thu June 21, 2002
It was raining this afternoon and I was expecting to take a train home from the branch I was going to, so I walked to work today. I was curious to see how long it would take me. At a pretty good clip, I got there in 15 minutes.
The day was gray and cool and I enjoyed feeling the water spray against my skin as the breeze whipped by me. I got a closer look at all of the shops on the way as well.
There is this one shop that just opened recently. It is called "Woody Art". True to its name, inside are a lot of things made out of wood, but there are other items on display that seem incongruent with the theme, like plastic "Hello Kitty" keychains and tiny metal replicas of Volkswagen Beetles and cheap bead jewelry. This is pretty typical in the stores here in my city.
Next to "Woody Art" is a toilet store. Ok, it has other bathroom fixtures in it, but the main features are toilets. You know, the ones with heated toilet seats and nozzles that spray your undersides clean and will dry them for you as well. These stores are connected as a matter of fact. You can walk from one, inside to the other one. Sorry I can't think of anything witty to say about this, butt what cracks me up (tee hee), is that the display window for the toilet store is all set up to look like a Polynesian paradise with no toilet or any other recognizable bathroom appliance in sight. What is the connection, pray tell?
Anyway, continuing on my way to work, I passed several Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. As I was coming up on the last one, I noticed two elementary school girls chatting underneath their umbrellas as they came up the street towards me. I was really curious to see if they would stop to pray at the temple.
I guess I was remembering my own little side excursion in the first grade with my friend Dana. After school one day, she took me inside a Catholic church and showed me how to light the candles and pray. I remember being fascinated by it. I wasn't raised with any particular religion, so I experimented as I grew up with such religions as Baptist, Southern Baptist, Wicca, and Taoism.
I watched the girls walk by and wished that I could be privvy to their conversation. I smiled as I had earlier at the other elementary school students I had seen playing in the rain. One boy had put his open umbrella, stick up, on the sidewalk and while waving his arms over his head, chanted what sounded like a festival mantra as he bowed to the yellow umbrella god.
Kids are amazing! I enjoy watching them so much. I am even finally learning how to enjoy teaching the younger ones. I realize I haven't written a lot about my teaching lately and I think it's because I have been overwhelmed with it all. We started a new course in April and I've been trying to educate myself on how to teach English to 3 year olds.
I have been in a deep blue funk about some stuff lately and it has been the smiling, curious, trusting faces of my smallest students that have really kept me going. I look at them and wonder how anyone could ever think of doing a child harm. I recoil at the thought that the life of a child anywhere should be anything but happy and plentiful. Unfortunately for many, the reality is otherwise and it pains me deeply.
After work, I walked home. Again, I had a cool rain-spitting breeze on me. I walked through the red light district at 10:30. Usually I am whisking through there on my bike and I wondered if the flesh barkers recognized me without my helmet on. I mean, I didn't hear anyone say, "Hey, doesn't she usually pedal by at 2 or 3 in the morning?"
I am somewhat curious about a couple of these establishments. There is a smallish shed/garage type structure that sits to the side of a hotel. Inside on the left, is a white wall lined with photos of women that are lit from behind. It looks like a pizza menu. "Yes, I'll take Mikiko with extra cheese, please." I often see men inside looking at the pictures or talking with the attendant at the small table in back. I guess after they decide who they want to be with, they go upstairs to the hotel to find Mikiko. I don't really know. I just know that outside the hotel is a guy in a black suit who is wired for sound. Looks like he's Secret Service or something, with that wire coming out of his ear and all. I basically keep my head down and pedal like the devil if I see the light ahead is green.
Taxis abound here too. Have I mentioned this before? The drink and drive law just changed in Japan. If you get caught driving after imbibing even one bottle of beer, you can get a year in prison or a $3000 fine and have your license revoked. Someone I know is now riding their bicycle to work because of this new law.
Hmm, this entry was all over the place. What do you think about it?