Explore everyday life in Japan
Novelty.
Novelty can lead to the enjoyment of some pretty amusing things and, in some cases, things that are not so enjoyable. Take raking leaves for example, a task that is dreaded by many people who live in houses with sizable yards that are surrounded by trees in parts of the world which experience autumn. Generally speaking, raking leaves is looked at as an annual chore, something that must be done, not something that you volunteer to do because you think it will be fun.
This past week, however , I looked out the windows of the school where I was working and saw students raking (and trying to sweep) leaves. It was the first time in over eight years that I had seen, or noticed, anyone raking leaves, and I suddenly felt overwhelmingly compelled to join them.
Since moving to Japan in 2009, I have become accustomed to seeing people bent over half-sized brooms, sweeping the sand, pebbles, and other small debris (which sometimes includes leaves) from the curbs in front of their houses and from their front steps. I have also become accustomed to seeing groups of volunteers pulling weeds from the sides of roads and the walkways that line rivers and cut through parks. In addition, I have become quite used to seeing groups of volunteers walking around with tongs and plastic bags picking up garbage. But people raking leaves, that is something that I can't recall seeing even one time.
Perhaps, this is because I live in a city and the majority of houses near where I live either don’t have a yard, or the yards that they do have are so small that, for all practical purposes, they don’t exist. Perhaps, it is because I just haven't been paying attention. Whatever the case may be, last week, when I saw students outside raking leaves, I found myself running out the door to help and absolutely loving the activity.
Maybe next summer it will be time to finally take a trip to Nagano Prefecture to try the soft-serve ice cream there that is famous for coming sprinkled with soy flavored grasshoppers. If novelty can make raking leaves a refreshing and totally fulfilling experience, just think what it could do to the taste of salty grasshoppers on rich, creamy ice cream.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.