One life only, and the world is so big, that's what Vere, a kiwi I met in a Lashio Restaurant in Mandalay, used to say to me. One life only and so much to see, so much going on.
Sara wrote to me from Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, where she´s been living for a couple of months already. She lives in a hut between the beach and the desert with the most astonishing sunsets, according to her, she´s ever seen. She feels home already, well cared, looked after, although she´s alone in the office she works for. She can be in the middle of the desert in less than an hour and she says the desert is like admiring the ocean, you feel tranced by it. Average temperature 28 degrees Celsius. In the winter, below zero. I think I might like it.
From the other side of the world an e-mail reaches my inbox, its subject reads Japanese Tales, and I do not need to read the sender´s name. One life only and so much to learn. Chris recounts:
Chris also claims sunsets are awesome where he lives. One life only, so much to know.
Sara wrote to me from Puerto Peñasco, Mexico, where she´s been living for a couple of months already. She lives in a hut between the beach and the desert with the most astonishing sunsets, according to her, she´s ever seen. She feels home already, well cared, looked after, although she´s alone in the office she works for. She can be in the middle of the desert in less than an hour and she says the desert is like admiring the ocean, you feel tranced by it. Average temperature 28 degrees Celsius. In the winter, below zero. I think I might like it.
From the other side of the world an e-mail reaches my inbox, its subject reads Japanese Tales, and I do not need to read the sender´s name. One life only and so much to learn. Chris recounts:
At the same time as being a beautiful, polite and pleasant culture, it is one of stagnation, social engineering and a large, obedient, punctual, deeply unhappy consumer society, who have ravaged their natural landscape with concrete and pylons as far as the eye can see.
The penalties for possession of drugs here are severe, and yet alcohol is positively encouraged and trumpeted throughout the media, and worked into the social engine with 'Enkaies' - drinking parties where people can get wasted (and they do) with their corporate co-workers, and entirely fail to notice that anything is wrong with working 50-60 hours week.
It's interesting to note that, contrary to many impressions, Japan is an inherently ugly country. There is no planning procedure, for example, to control aesthetics on urban construction. Functionality is the only consideration, and the cities are a hodgepodge patchwork nightmare of concrete reminiscent of the tower blocks of 60's Britain. There isn't much space here (almost 80% of the landmass is mountainous) so it is almost impossible to remove one's self from the concrete dream. The coastlines are mile after mile of gigantic sticklebricks of concrete that interlock to prevent erosion, but also capture discarded polystyrene and empty bottles.
Chris also claims sunsets are awesome where he lives. One life only, so much to know.
2 comments:
Further to that Email, it has been pointed out that Japan is actually inherently beautiful, people have just made it ugly.
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Definitely, that's what I have been told.....
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