A self-described care worker made a fight with me in a train

I'm wheelchaired, and sometimes (almost everyday) meet with unpleasant thing.

In this Feb., I was abused in a train runnning in Tokyo by a woman, a self-described care worker.



When I was on the train in that movie, I was going to Narita airport to flight for the U.S.
And in the U.S, I felt that if I will never go back to Japan, I will happy on one of aspects. In Japan, we disabled must fight with all around us, and that makes we too tired to do something make sense in real world.

Of course, I love Japan, Tokyo and Nishi-Ogikubo, but sometimes hope if I will live and work in countries and hope to be treated the same way as "well" people.

A farm in Tokyo 23 wards

I'm living at the west edge of Suginami ward, Tokyo.
Suginami is one of Tokyo 23 wards, and they are recognized as city center of Tokyo.

Every day, I buy vegetables at a unattended service stand of a farm near from my home.

This is very little farm around 0.5 acres, and an old farmer (90 years old ) and his son are culturing it.

It was late afternoon, so most of vegetables were sold, but there were some fresh ones.



This farm's vegetables are fresh, cheap and very delicious.
The only problem is they are odd-shaped from standard of Japanese vegetables, but to eat, we cut or slice them to very far from their original shape.
So I don't mind the odd shape of the vegetables, but in Japan, ordinary people like "beautiful" vegetables ordered like industrial products.
So people go to supermarkets 5 minutes walk from this farm and buy "beautiful" but not delicious and expensive vegetables at there,

There are many farms like this in Tokyo. And in Nerima ward (one of Tokyo 23 ward, next to Suginami ), there is a pasture. Cows are farmed there and fresh milk is sold in Tokyo 23 wards!

Scars of 3.11 quake in Tokyo

On 3.11 quake in Japan, Tokyo was not so severely damaged, but there still remains some scars of the quake.

This is a reconstructing shrine gate(torii), Kamiogi, Suginami, Tokyo. There was big shrine gate here, but it was collapsed by the quake.



Around here, All seems as usual as before the quake. Some houses were damaged ( And my house's gate also was collupsed ), and most of them were repaired.



But poor people can't repair their house's damage yet, but June is rainy season. In August and Septenber, some typhoon will hit Tokyo. They can't live in damaged house, so now, they are repairing their home.







If their houses were more damaged enough to be registered as collupsed or half collupsed by Suginami city office, they can repair their home with public support. But unfortunately, their houses were not damaged enough to public support but enough to them can't live in there.
Some old people sold their house and land, then moved to apartment in another area, because they have not enough monay to repair their house, so they had to throw away their familiar house and area.

Sweets to prevent heat stroke

In these days, Tokyo is extremely hot.
Everyday, the temperature is going up to 37 or 38 centigrade degree.
We, people in Tokyo, must prevent heat stroke.
In June, about 400 people were taken to hospital because of heat stroke.

Today, I found a new display stand with strange sweets in a supermarket near from my home.



All of them are sweets with salt or sour and suger, and on the tags, I can read "To prevent heat stroke".

Japanese plum glaces


Japanese plum jellies


Sweet pickles of Japanese plums


Japanese plums are very acetic and contains plenty citric asid.

Azuki bean glaces with salt


Salty "konpeito" candies


I bought the last one and ate them.
I felt slightly salty taste from the face of each candy, and felt graceful sweetly taste.
A little salty taste made me to feel sweetly taste so deliciously.
It was a strange taste, but delicious for me, although I can't believe thats are effective to prevent heat stroke.

Motoko-san's little resistance

I'm living in Nishi-Ogikubo area, Tokyo, for 21 years.
I live in and love Nishi-Ogikubo for many reasons, and one of the reason is there are many delicious eateries in this area.

Near from JR Nishi-Ogikubo Station, there is a sake bar "Shubou Takai(酒房高井）". One of best sake bars in Japan, I think.



In a bay window besides the entrance, there are many beckoning cats(招き猫）。Beconing cats are symbols of prosperous business in Japan.



"Shubou Takai" have been carried by Mr. and Mrs. Fukushima for 21 years. Motoko-san, Mrs. Fukushima, is one of my oldest friends. I started to live in Nishi-Ogikubo area about 21 years ago, and met Motoko-san and Mr.Fukushima when they just established their sake bar there.

24 June 2011, 4 days before shareholder meeting of Tokyo Electric Power, there is a poster written by Motoko-san in front of "Shubou Takai",



"This coming 28 June, the shareholder meeting of Tokyo Electric Power will be held.
Tokyo Metropolitan Government is one of big shareholder of Tokyo Electric Power.
So, we Tokyo residents have right to say opinion for Tokyo Electric Power.
Tomorrow, I will telephone Tokyo Metropolitan Government and will say that
'I wish breaking with nuclear power generation to Tokyo Electric Power through Tokyo governor.
Please report my opinion for the governer.'
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office:　03-5321-1111
Let's raise our voice !!
Or you can tell your opinion to to the governor with e-mail.

Motoko of 'Shubou Takai' "

Now, Tokyo Metropolitan governor is Shintaro Ishihara, who is hard right and supporter of nuclear power. Motoko-san knows well about that, of course.
And 28 June 2011, shareholders of Tokyo Electric Power decided that they will not stop nuclear plants.
But I believe Motoko-san will not give up, because I know she have been continuing no-nuke actions for 25 years after the accident at Chernobyl.
In Nishi-Ogikubo area, there have been many no-nuke citizen activist like Motoko-san.

The Bread for Radiation Protection

I'm living in Nishi-Ogikubo area of Tokyo, known as "The battle field for eatery（食の激戦地）" in Japan.
There are many delicious restaurants, cafes, bars and bakeries.
This is a famous bakery, and they are selling many kinds of breads fresh from oven.



But last day, I found strange posters around this bakery telling about their new product.



"Fresh Bakery of Domestic Flours"
"Iodine-enriched Bread"

Iodine-enriched Bread ? What's that?



"How about a Bread with dried kelp powders for radiation protection?"

It was hard to hold back my laughter.
This area is about 200km from the Fukushima No.1 nuclear power plant, but after the 3.11 quake and nuclear plant accidents very tiny quantity of radioactive substances were found, and people have been getting panics although radiocesium levels are beyond 150Bq and radioactive iodine had not detected after this June.
So, from now, it is not effective to eat Iodine-enriched Bread or dried kelp for protecting themselves from radiation, but the staffs of this bakery are not joking. They are believing this bread are effective to radiation protection.

And this bakery and this Iodine-enriched bread are loved by people of this area.