4 September: Kanji-less in Chikushino

It is now Sunday, 4 September, and the typhoon has only just decided to ease off. I ventured out into the outside world for pretty much the first time today. We walked past rice paddies and the Nitchitetsu train line into suburban Chikushino. The houses look so beautiful here! (picture 1)

We came across a temple, or possibly a shrine, potentially a Bhuddist one (picture 2 & 3). A strange buzzing noise drew our attention to some very large and very lazy looking yellowish brown bugs sitting in the trees and the roof of the temple/shrine. None of us were entirely sure whether it was okay to enter the building with shoes, so we looked, admired, and left.

On our way back to Cambridge House we came across another very interesting looking place. A tiny space surrounded by a low wall of large stones led up to a covered Buddha statute, to which someone must have offered flowers (picture 4). Next to it was another covered area, under which stone statutes were clad in very clean, white cloth (picture 5). I don’t know what this all means just yet, but I am confident I will find out soon.

As we walked down the narrow road to find our way back, we also came across two bizarre road signs (picture 6 & 7). The first one, with the little chick, looked fairly sweet, and we figured they must be selling eggs. Some of us (not me, unfortunately) were able to recognise some kanji (letters taken from the Chinese alphabet), but no one could recognise one that read “egg”, or maybe “chick”––after all, maybe they were selling baby chicks for 110 En. The other road sign appeared just as puzzling, but also fairly creepy: who could this ghostly black figure with the lolly possibly be but a paedophile, beckoning sweet little children––who only came to this place to admire the Buddha and tickle the chicks––into his (or her, let’s not confirm gender stereotypes) car? Let me break the suspense: that’s exactly what the sign means. Granted, it doesn’t specify the dangers of paedophilia, but certainly warns the chick-tickling cherubs to beware of strangers. But the chick-sign, too, is just as serious: it says that children, who feel they might be followed by a stranger, can run into this house for safety.*

After this very puzzling trip––we only came out to stare at the fish in the supermarket fridge!––we returned to Cambridge House. The rest of the day was spent exploring You Me Town, and Aeon Mall. Complete with a Japanese bookshop, restaurants and a 100 En shop, this is probably the best place for rainy afternoons. We stuffed ourselves with sushi for the first time (picture 8)––I spent around 600 En on loads of delicious fish, the equivalent of just under a fiver––and fell into bed, with the air-con turned to “high”.

*Thank you, Iona, for your illuminating facebook comments.