Why Kashiwa is home to me

You'll see there is now a link to the Kashiwa Newsletter in the Links heading. Go see! My town rocks, and has nice people in it.

You know, I hear foreigners slagging the Japanese for not being humane or even downright rude, but I've been pleasantly surprised by random kindness so many times. The other night, coming home from the station, it was raining heavily and I'd left under clear skies in Shibuya only 45 minutes before. As I pulled my coat around me a little tighter and walked briskly up Howdy Mall street (that's what it's called)a young man handed me his umbrella and told me I needed it more than he.

I'm new to the neighbourhood, but I'm not treated as a stranger. My neighbours all say hello and I sometimes stop to chat at the laundromat or in the front street. My building is inhabited with mostly young working people who party too hard. But everybody's civil and keeps the noise to a minimum.