Neighbourhood Kuzuha

This week's theme is "Neighbourhood", and the aim was to produce photos relating to the area in which we now live, here in Japan. I, myself, live in a homestay situation very near Kuzuha station, so I guess my neighbourhood is Kuzuha. However, a problem that I've found with Kuzuha is that…whenever I'm out and about, either on my way to university, or on my way out to meet friends, or whatever…nothing really seems to be happening. More often than not, the little area of Kuzuha in which I live (Nishifunabashi) is entirely deserted. Therefore, this week, despite my best efforts, I feel this is going to come off a little weakly. Nevertheless, here are my observations.

One morning I got up very early to go to university, and as I was walking to the railway station, I came across these confusing blue things at every intersection in Nishifunabashi.



Confounded by the early hour, I had to get a lot closer to ascertain that they were not egg sacs dropped by an immense blue alien during the night, but in fact blue nets full of rubbish. This was quite interesting to me. In the UK, there is no such community cooperation. The bin-men come round once a week and the most people will do (if they do anything at all) is to put their bin bags by the front door or front gate. However, here in Japan there is this common banding-together of rubbish. Additionally, although I didn't get close enough to the refuse to say for sure, I'd bet my bottom dollar that most of that rubbish in there was either plastic, or paper, or burnable rubbish – that is, separated. I was (and still am) quite surprised at how much of an effort Japan seems to be making to recycle as much rubbish as it possibly can. I found an interesting article while researching about Japan's "rubbish culture", behold: How Do Japanese Dump Trash? Let Us Count the Myriad Ways

Another thing I've observed while wandering Kuzuha – and indeed, anywhere in Japan, really:



Wires. Wires everywhere. I have to say, it took me a while to notice them. I mean, I saw them, but I didn't really appreciate their absolute ubiquity until a few days after I arrived. Once I did, I couldn't help but start to think of them as an eyesore. Everywhere I've gone, they've spoiled views of fabulous temples and marred beautiful countryside vistas. However, as I'm now noticing them all the time, I accept them as a kind of natural part of Japan, and in some ways even a part of its essential beauty. Sure, they wouldn't have been here in the time of the samurai, but now they're a part of everyday adventure in Japan, and as such they no longer present as an eyesore to me in my photography.



While researching I found here, looks like they're wanting to put high-speed internet into Japanese homes over these lines. Maybe I'll stay in Japan a little longer…