June 17th, 2004
108742834014209038
5/16/04
I was in Kansai this weekend to catch up with old acquaintances (though the secret motive behind the trip was actually a mission to retrieve as much soba boro as I could fit in my bag). It was nice, and I actually enjoyed the steady rain that lasted all Sunday. My only regret is that I didn’t have more time there. Nara always makes me want to slow down and walk with no particular destination in mind, taking pictures of rusty houses, dew-soaked mountains and verdant rice fields. Kicking around in another recently renovated games shop, I wondered what the profit margin was like for a used geek wares dealer [I later read a story that at least in the US it's incredible, hence the continuing success of GameStop and EB Games]. I warmed at the thought of locking my doors at nine and walking home to have a pint and see friends, speaking Japanese effortlessly. Being a humble shopkeeper and employer of four or five good-natured townfolk…
I played football the other day and watched the sunset behind the ruins of Heijo castle, and then later drove up to the Nara equivalent of Skyline Drive and saw not only the stars but an amazing panorama of light from Nara, Kyoto, and Osaka. I thought southeastern Kansai was really the sticks, but by just glancing at it you might think it was Pittsburgh or Richmond.
On Friday I got to Takanohara at noon and noticed a new mini-store at the station before catching the bus to ATR. It was driven by the same guy in the same suit, looking at the same digital clock, still getting underway at the exact change of digits. I smiled remembering how hard it was getting off the futon and out the door, running like mad half dressed to catch it for work.
The office was more or less the same, with a couple new employee motivation programs sprinkled around the building. The same secretaries were sitting at the same desks, with the same array of toys and mementos from the foreign staff lining the partitioning. I even saw my old boss for a moment as he was heading into a conference, with the ever present several drops of sweat running across his cheek. It was good to be back and see the plain blue and grey, open rooms; good to see the convenience stores where I formed a near lethal addiction to the sparkling treats made by Glico and Morinaga. Even my favorite bartender (with yet another radically different hairstyle) at Y&Y knew exactly which drink to make. Only this time thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about shuden (last train), or getting up for that bus in the morning.
