Closing in on mid-June, a month and some change since the last communique, and pretty soon, that's half the year done. Six months until all the Christmas/Shogatsu bullshit again. Time seems to be slipping away faster and faster. I hear that this is a common symptom of aging. heh.
Olde Nagoyaland is a place where little of consequence happens, and routine is king. "What kind of life do you live over there? Do you have a lot of friends? How do you manage with the language? What's the attraction? What do you do for fun? You complain a lot - is there actually anything GOOD about being over there? Are you going to stay there for your WHOLE life?" And so on.
I'm always trying to sort out what to say if anyone ever asks any of these fairly pedestrian questions. Strangely, it almost never happens. Last year we went to Southern California to visit family for a week. No one asked us anything. A couple of people actually queried where we were visiting from, and when we responded, "Nagoya", we got blank expressions all around...the best response being a muted, "What's A NAGOYA?"...after which, the topic was quite rapidly changed to something more locally relatable. Like professional sports. My wife and I would just kind of look at each other and shrug. It became pretty apparent that our hosts were primarily interested in their own, more immediately familiar environs...and relating personal local anecdotes. Funny.
So...in lieu of anything more interesting to delve into at this point, I'm going to do a short, irregular blog serial, addressing the aforementioned questions. One per entry, in the interest of brevity (as I've become aware that a lot of my entries seem to drag on like novellas). Short and snappy.
Q) Olde Nagoyaland is a place where little of consequence happens, and routine is king. "What kind of life do you live over there?"
A) Funny you should ask. None of your fucking business.
I hate prying questions.
Just kidding. My wife and I both work. She's a nurse, working in the kidney dialysis section of a local hospital. She has fixed hours, and basically works nine to five pm. I am a custodian of the English language, (somewhat like a lexical janitor - yes) running my own English Language Service. I work out of my home office, and go out to see clients and teach classes as needed. This used to be a fairly busy and lucrative line of business...25 years ago. Alas, times (and the ELT industry) have changed. Needless to say, it's a bit more of a struggle, and definitely no way to get rich. In the over two decades that I've been running this ship over here, I've been fortunate enough to have made some good connections, and have some loyal, long-term clients, that have stuck it out. We're both up early every morning. In my more abundant 'down time', I pick up the slack and pitch in with the domestic stuff. Laundry, cooking and cleaning. I dick around online, fighting with people, and mouthing off. I took up running several years ago, because I had ballooned out, and couldn't fit into a lot of my clothes anymore - and fat shaming is definitely a thing here on Planet Japan. People will actually walk up to you and touch your stomach. I shit you not. They have no concept of boundaries. My annual health checks were looking shitty. Years and years of lifestyle, doing all the wrong shit. Now I'm a running fool. Four or five mornings week, for around an hour a go. I managed to shed a bunch of the weight, and feel a lot better - though it is a struggle to keep it up sometimes. It's great for managing stress. Now people tell me that I look like I have HIV, or cancer...they can't seem to wrap their heads around the fact that it's possible for someone to make a lifestyle adjustment and drop 40kg. Fucking assholes. Oh - cutting back on the beer was a thing, too. Then the cigarettes fell by the wayside. Can't be a runner and pack-a-day smoker. Our days wind down like almost everyone's. I do most of the cooking, with the exception of a couple of days a week, when I teach evening classes - in which case we usually pick up a bunch of 'time service' sashimi and sushi from the local supermarket. I'm usually fucking knackered by around 11 pm...so I crash. Wake up like clockwork at around five thirty...get up shortly after six, and do it all again.
So...where's the Japan point? Actually - there isn't much of one. This could pretty much be anywhere. We live in Japanese public housing. 'The Projects', as their known in inner city America...but not run down and crime infested. Affordable, clean, and close to a really nice park, and all of the
amenities - trains, subways, shopping. I see a few other foreigners around occasionally...but they seem to be mostly Brazilians, Chinese or Russians.
I basically avoid small talk, and fortunately, it seems like none of them can speak English, anyways. Everyone keeps to themselves. There are a few
arseholes that frequent the park that like to give me the fucking hairy eyeball, and I've had to exchange some minor unpleasantries (to my wife's dismay), but I try to avoid local complications as much as possible, in an effort to keep the peace. Most people around here are actually fine, and
keep to themselves. When the weekend rolls around, we do what almost everyone does - do the weekly shopping, go to the movies, or drive out
of town, if there's something up, and the weather isn't too bad. Olde Nagoyaland is actually pretty quiet, a generic middling-to-big city populated with dullards. Not a great place to make friends or find any excitement. Osaka would be the town for that. In my younger days I was involved in the local music scene to some degree, but things went seriously sideways with a few of those people several years ago, and some long-term friendships were torched...so that's all done with. Don't count on lasting friendships with the local natives. Gaijin are disposable. On the positive side, it did free up my evenings on the weekends...and I spend a lot less money drinking and carousing. heh. My wife is also wonderful, and an amazing woman...and our time together never seems to be enough. I am very fortunate.
That's what kind of life I live over here.
Three weeks until we're off to Okinawa for a few days. Ishigaki Island this time. Fingers crossed that rainy season will be finished over there. Looking forward to the change of scenery. Tune in next time for another question answered. The Ishigakijima travel chronicles. More of 'Life in Olde Nagoyaland.' Vicarious thrills. I bet you can't wait.
Until then, remember..."No matter where you go - there you are."
