'Untitled', by late Vancouver pop artist Derrick 'Boy' Humphries, September 2022
Wednesday, January 3rd
This Saturday is February 4th - Risshun - the 72 season lunar calendar's first day of spring. From Saturday to Wednesday (Harukaze kōri o toku), tradition says that we can look forward to an 'east wind' rising up to 'melt the ice'.
Out in the park trying to get the post-COVID kinks out just before noon, it was partly cloudy, and a balmy 5C. The duck pond looked pretty much ice free this afternoon. Last week it was glassy and frozen, a sight I've seen only a couple of times over the course of my eighteen years in this neighbourhood.
It would be pretty fair to say that Daikan's promised 'greater cold' (Jan. 20th to Feb. 3rd) absolutely came through in spades. It's been nothing short of frigid.
Maybe I'm getting old and thin skinned, but this winter has been among the very coldest I've experienced in close to three decades over here. Don't get me wrong - Japanese winters in these precincts can get chilly - but this year we're being treated to some next level, bone penetrating cold.
To make matters worse, we've been hit with the same drastic increases in gas and electricity prices as virtually everyone else on the planet. In an attempt to cope, we've been trying to curtail our consumption, and only run the gas heater a few hours in the morning and evening. We don't have central heating here; with relatively short cold seasons - three and a half to four months in most of Japan - people traditionally rely on portable kerosene stoves to heat their houses and apartments. I used to have a couple in my last place. They're a pain in the ass to refill, they stink and can be a fire hazard.
If you're not careful to ventilate the room every few hours, they can also give you carbon monoxide poisoning and kill you fucking dead.
When I moved in here eighteen years ago, I started using an electric gas heater. It has a short hose that plugs into a natural gas receptacle in the living room wall. Gas heaters are small, clean and efficient. One unit can heat up a large room in fairly short order. I used to run the thing almost constantly from December until the end of March. While it wasn't super cheap, the bills were manageable.
Those days are gone.
Instead of automatically clicking the heater on, we've started wearing extra layers of clothing around the house. We picked up a couple of discounted ultra-light down vests from Uniqlo a bit before Christmas - just for around the apartment. I wear mine over an elaborate Under Armour fleece with a knit cap, and still feel cold.
I have a small electric fan heater for the classroom. I thought it worked pretty good until this winter. Aside from a couple of hours in the mornings and evenings, I only fire up the gas when it gets unbearable - and then only for 10 minutes at a time. We're trying to become accustomed to room temperatures hovering between 13 and 15C. My fingers and toes are constantly cold.
It's all very Dickensian.
Despite drastically cutting back, our gas and electricity bills are still coming in about 30% higher than last winter - before Putin decided to upset the global applecart. Word is that we can look forward to another raft of substantial price increases from April. All of this will spell trouble come summertime...when air conditioning is pretty much ubiquitous. The money that we used to spend flitting off to Okinawa every July (before COVID) will now be going toward keeping our AC, fridge and lights on.
Owing to Putin's douchebaggery, I expect that we'll be paying in the area of 50 - 75% more for basic utilities than we were at around the same time last year.
Then there are the never-ending price increases at the supermarket. I guess that will teach the world at large the error of relying so heavily on 'cheap and abundant' Russian energy exports. There are ways around this - if you know how to shop, where to go, and when. We make the rounds at three different supermarkets, and shop the specials. If you know when prices are being reduced and get in on loss leaders and 'time service' specials, you can usually make out alright. Of course, this requires the investment of some time and effort...and a bit of dumb luck. Being in the right place at the right time, and that sort of thing. A lot of people have serious time constraints, and are forced to shop at mainstream supermarkets or convenience stores. They tend to take it up the arse harder than anyone else.
Over the course of the last year, life has become a bit more of a struggle for almost everyone.
Japan's current PM, greasy ex-banker-turned-politician, Fumio Kishida has also decided that now would be a good time to further violate article 9 of the country's pacifist post-war constitution by insisting that the time has come for Japan to basically double its 'defense spending'. At the top of his wish list is an expensive array of weapons with offensive and long range first-strike capabilities. It's as if the country's pacifist constitution no longer exists. There have been no cabinet debates on the issue, nor any consultation. With Kishida, it's just edicts and proclamations.
"This is what we are doing. It is our duty".
That's it.
Of course, the Americans are over-joyed. They've wanted the Japanese S.D.F. (Self Defense Forces) to act as a proxy for the U.S. military in the North Pacific for three generations. The constitution has always preventing this from happening...until now.
Who does Fumio Kishida think he is?
Never mind the fact that we're still struggling with COVID...and are in the midst of the worst inflationary crisis in 40 years.
No. None of that matters.
Where will the money come from for all these new weapons?
The reconstruction fund for the earthquake and tsunami ravaged Fukushima area will be sacked and diverted to cover part of it...corporate Japan will have to pay a fair chunk, and we taxpayers will have to kick in to make up the rest.
Apparently this is now "OUR DUTY TO FUTURE GENERATIONS". Jesus. That there would be a Japanese leader with his tongue even more firmly lodged up the U.S. State Department's arse than Shinzo Abe's was for over a decade was unthinkable a couple of years ago.
Needless to say, Kishida's current numbers are nothing to shout about.
As of January 19th, his cabinet's approval ratings stood at a record low of just 26.5%. He's so hated, people are actually pining for the return of former PM and loyal Abe wingman Yoshihide 'the walking corpse' Suga.
As long as the Liberal Democratic Party (Jiminto) remains the 'only game in town', it doesn't really make any difference who captains the ship, policy decisions will essentially remain the same. They have always acted to guarantee Japan's co-operation in ensuring the U.S. State Department's regional strategic policy objectives are met. Jiminto and it's Sokka Gakkai coalition partners, Komeito are nothing but shills for the U.S. government.
The LDP is a U.S. puppet regime.
It has been ever since Shinzo Abe's suspected Class 'A' war criminal grandpappy (and personal idol) Nobusuke Kishida was sprung from Sugamo Prison and 'installed' as Prime Minister for a three year term in 1957. In return for this act of mercy and deference from his former enemies, Kishi agreed to toe the line, act as a bulwark against the growing political influence of the Japan Socialist Party, and guarantee that the U.S. and it's military would continue to enjoy free access to and de facto control over the Japanese archipelago.
With the exception of a brief period in the mid-90's, which saw a coalition of Jiminto's rivals take control (with disappointing and chaotic results), they have maintained a firm grip on power and the country's decidedly conservative and right wing leaning policy initiatives.
A one party system. Like China, Vietnam, North Korea and Russia.
Japan is more similar to its corrupt totalitarian neighbours than it would care to admit. As there isn't even a halfway convincing illusion of democracy (see: the biennial vaudevillian dog and pony trot through that masquerades as 'freedom of choice and self determination' in the United States), the majority of J-natives have simply given up on the political process.
For three generations, they've essentially been conditioned to believe that the only party fit to govern is Jiminto, who are are routinely and half-heartedly elected by around two thirds of the 30 - 35% of eligible voters that choose to go out and cast ballots.
The LDP's core supporters (the majority of whom are rural seniors) seems less concerned with the endless corruption, incompetence and outright criminality that cabinet members are routinely found guilty of, and more invested in ensuring that the status quo is maintained. Pork barrel politics. That 'the cement continues to be mixed and poured'... in reference to the party's long standing commitment to funding meaningless public works projects in rapidly depopulating rural areas, to keep their local economic wheels turning - at least in the short term - and guarantee continued support at the polls. It's little wonder that country is beyond bankrupt.
It can safely be said that the Japanese fear change more than chronic failure.
Friday, February 3rd - Setsubun (節分 - seasonal division). The last day of winter.
Lots of stuff going on for the natives today.
In rural areas, local guys dressed as 'oni' (ogres) go door to door seemingly for the specific purpose of scaring the living shit out of resident toddlers. I've never really seen anything positive in traumatizing little kids, but the locals seem to think it's good for them. Maybe it builds character or 'makes them tough'? This is what I've heard from the natives over the course of my time here.
In any case, the residents of the house (and terrified children) are supposed to chuck handfuls of roasted soybeans at the intruding 'devils', and shout, "Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!" ("Ogres out! Fortune in!"), before slamming the front door in the monster's faces. The roasted soybeans are thought to symbolically purify the home by driving away the misfortune and disease packing 'oni'. To bring on the 'luck', it's customary to then eat a bean for every year that you've lived, plus one for good luck in the current year. This whole thing is called 'Mamemaki'...and is the main ritual associated with Setsubun.
In the supermarket you'll find displays set up with cartoonish 'oni' characters, and colourful, novelty-style packaged configurations of beans, some complete with little ogre masks or figurines.
The main event at the local 'su-pa' is the ehomaki ('eho' means 'lucky', and 'maki' means 'roll') sale. The fish and seafood section is usually over-run with piles of long maki rolls of every variety. While the really fancy ones can get pretty expensive, an average roll might run you ¥800 - ¥1500. Even the so-called 'average' ones can be pretty elaborate affairs.
To the uninitiated, these things can look like big mixed sushi burritos - with everything rolled up in nori (seaweed) instead of a tortilla.
In any case, once you've got your hands one, you have to make sure to face a specific direction while eating it in total silence, and making a wish. I guess the idea is that doing this will encourage good fortune in the coming year.
Mina did a quick check this morning, and apparently this year's lucky direction is south-southeast...but it doesn't look like we'll be partaking in the ehomaki ritual this evening. Mina's section over at the hospital is particularly busy today...meaning there's a good chance she'll be finished up a bit later than usual.
In other words, no time to fight the ehomaki queue over at the local 'supa'. As far as Ogres at the door, a newbie local cop showed up at the door this afternoon. He had a notepad with our names and phone number scratched in. Every once in awhile the cops will show up just to check on who's living where. He was polite enough. Wasted around five minutes of my time confirming the information he had been passed down from his predecessor, then buggered off across the landing to harass the weird ammonia smelling old woman in the next apartment.
I didn't have any beans on hand to chuck at him. Opportunity missed, I guess.
Maybe we'll get the ehomaki thing sorted tomorrow. It'll be Setsubun on the North American calendar, and in light of recent events, I feel like like we could use a bit of good fortune.
Late last Friday afternoon, Mina got off work early, and suggested that we jump the gun and drive out to see my dermatologist, Dr. Inasaka. I'd been wanting to have him look at a small, kind of dry skin blemish on my right cheek that just wasn't healing up.
Usually steroid cream solves these kinds of things, but this one has been stubbornly hanging on for almost 3 years. It'd get a little better and almost go away...then flare up - usually as a result of shaving, or trying to squeeze it. For the longest time I thought it was an ingrown hair, or obstinate zit.
I'd meant to mention it when I was in for elective surgery last year, but didn't bother...hoping it would just go away...which, to my annoyance, it didn't. Toward the end of last year, I told Mina that my first order of business for this January, post-COVID, would be to go and get some cream from Inasaka, and get rid of it once and for all.
Depending on traffic, it's a roughly 25 minute drive south of here, out in the direction of the 'new' airport on the Chita peninsula. We usually take the toll highway to save time.
Mina booked me in on her break, and I got number 'lucky 13' on his late afternoon session waiting list.
Dr. Inasaka's clinic is notoriously busy, so we beat it out of here as soon as she got back from the hospital at around 4pm, and managed to grab the last parking space in front of the building. Of course, it was wall-to-wall patients...but we only had to wait for twenty minutes.
Pleasantries and New Year's greetings sorted, he had a look my cheek with his little light and magnifying glass thing, and said the one word absolutely that no one in a doctor's office getting a 'minor blip' checked out wants to hear.
'...blah, blah, blah...CANCER....blah, blah, blah'
I almost fell off the fucking chair. My head started swimming. This was one of those surreal, slow motion moments - like when you test positive for COVID, or the police bust into your house and arrest you at 4:30 am on a national holiday.
These types of things are supposed to happen to 'other people'. Not me.
Never ME.
"CANCER".
Of course, there were other words, but this one stood right out. The Japanese will liberally pepper English loan words (gairaigo) into their daily conversation. Even though there's a perfectly serviceable Japanese word for 'cancer', it seems that 'cancer' in English just hits the right note.
I've never heard Inasaka speak English - though apparently he can. He says that he prefers to use Japanese, as Mina is always there with me to act as a translator...and he doesn't want there to be any misunderstandings. I sort of blanked out, fixating on that one word, while he went on to explain what he thought it looked like to Mina, in their native tongue.
Via Mina's 'on-the-fly' translation, I was able to ascertain that he thought that it looked like a 'pre-cancerous growth', and that he wanted to do a punch biopsy and send it to the lab so further tests could be conducted, and a clear diagnosis made. From there, I would have a range of treatment options, depending on the results...which could take two weeks to come in.
I received a local anesthetic in my right cheek, and the biopsy was done in a couple of minutes. From there, we'd just have to wait...but he said he call Mina's mobile if the test results indicated that there was anything to worry about.
Waiting sucks.
When we got home, Mina went online and sent me some links to information on what he thought I might have.
'Actinic keratosis'.
A condition caused by legacy over-exposure to the sun, that usually shows up in people over 60. It's considered a 'pre-cancerous' condition. From 10 - 30% of untreated cases haver the potential to progress to something called 'squamous carcinoma'. This is full on skin cancer. What distinguishes it from basal cell carcinoma or melanoma is that it has the propensity to metastasize to the lymph nodes, or other more distant organs. This makes it dangerous, and hard to treat if it isn't dealt with in a timely manner. Left untreated or unchecked, it can be fatal.
So...now I have skin cancer. On my fucking FACE.
Lovely.
A week passed, and nothing. I crossed my fingers that we wouldn't hear anything from him, and just go in on February 6th and be told that there was, 'nothing to worry about'...then get some kind of cream, have a few follow ups, and be done with it.
Saturday, just past noon we were in the supermarket after I finished teaching Ashtrayface Lady's kids, and Mina's phone started ringing. I could tell by her change in demeanour and tone of voice that it was something serious. My head started to swim, hands went cold and clammy...the whole nine yards. After about five minutes, she got off the phone, and turned to me.
"It was Inasaka. He got the results of your biopsy."
"And...what did he say?!?"
"It's almost as he thought. The lab report says 'actinic keratosis'. But there's some worry point. Like a 'grey area'. He wants to go in to the lab on Thursday and check the sample for himself before he can decide what to do. He said not to make you worry...and just tell you that it's 'actinic keratosis'..."
"Actinic Keratosis". It seemed simple enough. From what I read, the treatment options were fairly straight forward...and it wasn't full-blown cancer. We got on with our shopping, and though Mina was trying to be cool, something felt a bit 'off'.
He said he'd call if there was something amiss. Something of concern.
He called.
On Sunday morning, I confronted her and she admitted that perhaps there was more to be concerned about than she'd initially let on. Inasaka had told her to downplay it, and not make me worry. The reality was, we were both worried.
She decided that the best way to resolve this 'worry', was to go in and meet with him late Monday afternoon.
We met with him shortly after 5:30 pm. Affable as always, he seemed surprised to see us back so quickly. We weren't supposed to go in until the following Monday. He produced a copy of the lab report and went over it with us. Indeed, the report stated 'actinic keratosis' in English across the top. There was a *NOTE tagged on to the end of the paragraph-long report, noting some 'cellular abnormalities' that struck the examiner as having something in common with the more dangerous 'squamous cell carcinoma'. This is what had piqued Inasaka's attention. The report's final recommendation was for a follow-up resection (surgical intervention).
Inasaka said that while there was likely no reason to get into an undue panic, he found the report unsettling enough that he wanted to have a look for himself before deciding on a treatment strategy. In closing he said that it was lucky that we had come in and had it looked at now, before it progressed any further.
"Undue panic"? Mmmm-kay.
So...the waiting game continues. Late Monday afternoon we'll be back to hear what he has to say.
Funny. We just got over a month of COVID...then all the nastiness and drama with Mayumi and Surly Sumo Son (Debuhiro) over the Old Lady. We'd just started to enjoy a lull in the action.
Now, about that good luck....
(to be continued after a brief seasonal intermission...)
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