November 2 – 4, 2002
After a while, the constant concrete landscape of urban Japan can get depressing – too much traffic, too much smog, too many people…
This weekend, we went to Kathleen’s teacher’s weekend house. Kaneko-san had it built about 8 years ago, and most weekends, she travels from Yokohama to Yokusuka, and catches the ferry across Tokyo Bay to Chiba. The first thing you notice is that the air feels so much cleaner! In a little valley, where the leaves of the trees are starting to change colour, is her house. Looking up, we could even see eagles gliding silently overhead!
After unpacking, we went for a small walk up the hill. The rolling hills on either side frame an amazing view, with the waters of Tokyo Bay visible, and beyond, Mt Fuji. Today, however, was a little hazy, and we couldn’t quite make out the mountain. We came across some steps leading up to a small shrine. These seem to dot the countryside
of Japan. Coming back, we met Kaneko-san’s neighbour, who offered us some soy beans, freshly ripped from the ground. We boiled them in salty water, and ate them straight.
The area has a number of small farms, and some loudspeakers over which we could occasionally hear community announcements being blared. In urban Japan, the houses are built so close to each other, you could almost touch your neighbour’s wall; here, the houses were so far apart that you almost felt agorophobic!
