Homeless people and surprises

A long week, as per usual, burn out starting to rear it's ugly head with some impact. A few pints of guinness on Friday night (and they were GOOD, even at 6yoyos a pint) was a well deserved break from the tedium of the week. A somewhat enjoyable guinness hangover on Saturday morning saw my sorry ass falling out of bed at 9am as the sun was just too strong creeping between the curtains. I was not a happy camper to say the least.

Off for a stroll in Osaka-jo and the sound of excited kids rehearsing for what appeared to be a brass band exhibition. You can imagine what my brain was thinking when this registered...indeed, walk rather carefully in the opposite direction, my headache could not handle this. While sitting in that fine establishment Starbucks in Umeda, getting my caffeine fix and reading a book (From Oslo to Iraq and the Road Map by Edward W. Said), I got a call from AK. I met up with him and then a few others, had a bite to eat and went to Shinsaibashi to play pool. Fun was had by all. I then hooked up with DS and a few of his Japanese friends for a pint. It was good fun and his friends were really nice. I would have liked to have had more time with them, get to know some more Japanese people. I feel that I am lacking in contact with Japanese people as I really don't have any contact outside work. It's during social interaction where one learns most about a country. A remedy for this is needed...



This morning required an early start again as I was meeting ND for a spot of birding. We just walked a loop of about 10-12 miles in the environs of Osaka city itself...a very strange experience. On our travels, we were approached by a homeless man on the river bank. What one is not told about Japan is that the homeless situation is quite a big issue. There are homeless people everywhere, with their temporary dwellings dotting the landscape with regularity. This very friendly man had the best English I have heard from anybody I've spoken to in Japan since I've been here. There was a strong American influence in the accent so he may have spent some time there. He told us he was 78 but he didn't look a day over 65. He has never been in hospital, doesn't drink, eats healthily and smokes 40-a-day!! He's afraid of dying though which struck me as being very sad. I think I will go back to him again and sit down and talk to him some more. He showed me his bank book (I don't know why) and each month he gets about 1800yoyos as his pension. Now what struck me about this is that a) it was tax free, b) why so much and c) how does he get one if he has no address?? His dwelling was acutally probably one of the best I've seen. It was made of wood and it was well put together. Painted and a nice garden. He has been living on the river bank, under a railway bridge for the last 5 years. Every year the local government men come and ask him to leave. He says he will only move if the government buys him a house. So they turn around and leave him be. He gets power for cooking, light etc from car-type batteries. They all use these as they are very cheap, about 10yoyos. A very interesting man, with a very interesting past. He must be very well educated as his English was superb. I think I will go back that away and see if he's still there....



Now, the evenings are drawing in tighter, the wind is getting colder and they have started playing Christmas songs in the shops. The Christmas decor is up, trees adorned by lights, Christmas trees set up around the place, it's mad...I mean, it's too early for that stuff, no? It's not a bah, humbug mood at all, I just think we, in we, I mean society, put too much mass into this kind of blatant commercialism of this time of year. Personally, I don't buy it. But that's just me.



The long day has taken it's toll on my brain, so I will sign off. I'm presently listening to the Ireland/All Blacks match on radio 1 for some masichistic reasons I am not aware of. I am disgusted we lost to Australia yesterday...it does not bode well for the World Cup. Speaking of which, Roy the Boy quitting/leaving/kicked out of United is for another day...

Carmo's Diet: this week I've mostly been eating miso soup

Carmo's birds: Osprey, Black Kite, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Lesser Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Kestral, EASTERN MARSH HARRIER, PURPLE HERON (mega rarity in japan), Vega Gull, Pochard (1000), Great Crested Grebe