Today I go to Kawasaki. This is the city between Tokyo and Yokohama. Though if you were travelling by road, you probably wouldn't have any perception of one city 'ending' and the next 'beginning'.
I start on Nishi-guchi-dori, and to a Peruvian restaurant for lunch. The staff are Peruvian. I always think it's kind of cool when I can communicate with Peruvian, or Chinese, or Korean people, in a shared second language.
I get a lunch set - meat dish, soup, and iced coffee - for a cool 700 yen. I'm beginning to really like Japanese iced coffee.
(See, in Japan, the 'standard' drinks are iced coffee, hot coffee, iced tea and hot tea. If you get a set meal anywhere, these are your most common, basic choices. All four are served black. So for example, in Australia, 'iced coffee' is a rather sickly sweet, very milky drink. 'Iced tea' is usually a flavoured, slightly fruity drink. But in Japan it's as though you simply took regular black coffee or black tea and served it cold, with ice.
To your iced tea or coffee you can then add milk and sugar. These are also different to Australian milk and sugar; the milk comes in tiny, super-concentrated little cups, and the sugar comes as 'gum syrup', which is liquid sugar. This is better for dissolving into a cold drink.)
The restaurant is almost empty when I enter, but soon starts to fill up. Groups of businessmen come in, and soon there is a mass of white shirts. I am the only woman in the shop.
After lunch, I walk behind LaZona. I'm going to try to walk towards Kamata, and the Tama River. The sun is bright and hot overhead. I'm a little hot in my t-shirt and 3/4 pants. All the other women I see are wearing long pants, and mostly, long shirts. The lady in front of me is carrying an umbrella. I wish I'd had the foresight to put on sunscreen.
I come upon a recycled goods shop - not a common occurrence, in my experience. I go in and think 'eh, the 100 yen store is better'. There is an electric ear cleaner which looks like a hair dryer. I remember a recent conversation I had with three Japanese friends.
'I clean my ears once a week,' said the first.
'Ehhhh,' said the second, shocked. 'I'm three days in a week. How about you?'
The third said, 'I clean mine every day'.
They were very surprised to learn that I don't even own a mimikaki (ear-cleaning brush).
I finally circumnavigate LaZona. It comprises a big area. Around the building is grass. It's not every day I see grass, so I feel happy. Unfortunately, all the grass has been fenced off with ugly green traffic cones and tape. Keep off the grass.
I start to pass buildings I have never seen before. One building has a large flower display inside, with a water feature. At first I think I am seeing the reflection of the park outside, but no, it's inside. It seems a very elegant building. There is a McDonald's in it. It seems out of place.
I think it will be straightforward walking to the Tama, but I have a sad reputation for getting lost. When I see the Keihin-Tohoku line flying past, it reassures me that I'm going the right way.
I reach the Tama River. This is the river that is the border of two cities. On my side is Kawasaki; on the opposite banks it is Tokyo. There is a kind of homeless people's shanty town set up along the banks.
The Tama River is not a beautiful river. But it's such a perfect, sunny day today that it can't help but look nice. I sit for a while and study some Japanese. People are fishing in the river. A bunch of very noisy children play in an apartment block behind me.
Eventually I get up. I'd like to find a bathroom. There's nothing. I decide to just keep walking, and I walk and walk, and find myself on Daishi dori, so I decide to walk to Kawasaki Daishi park. It's a bit of a trek. I pass two shrines, two train stations, and Kawasaki Keiba racing track.
I would be enjoying the walk more, but it is rather warm, and my route is unrelieved by a single modicum of shade. I am going to be burnt. I am going to be very burnt.
When I finally get to Daishi park, 45 minutes later, I am relieved to get to a bathroom. I am less relieved to see it's in the middle of being cleaned. This seems to happen a lot. I am too hot and lazy to walk to the next one, so I sit down and wait. It's being cleaned with more zeal than finesse - the elderly cleaner is literally hosing the stalls down and blasting water all over the ground.
25 minutes later, and he still, unbelievably, hasn't finished. He goes to his bicycle and takes a roll of toilet paper. I lose patience and go to Daishi shrine instead.
I sit by Turtle Pond. I don't know its real name. But there are willows, and lilies, and gentle fountains. It is a very serene place. I try to count the turtles. I try twice, and each time, I get confused around the 80 mark. I listen to Porno Graffitti's 'Heart' and feel very relaxed.
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