(Tokyo, July 2010)



In the Middle of Rained-On Campaign


Two high-school girls were sitting on the floor at a corner of a train vehicle.

They put on high-school uniform, manipulating a cellular phone each, in a Sunday evening's train running on a Tokyo commuter line.

Then at a certain station a seat for two passengers was emptied while I was standing at a door space near it. Then, the two high-school girls stood up, walked several steps, and occupied the seat. One of them had an ear ornament looking like a small silver cross with some addition. Subsequently, before I stepped out of the vehicle, I heard two young witches laughing toward the corner where they had sat down.

One thing good the regime change in Japan last year has realized is free school. The ruling DPJ has allowed public high-school students in Japan to learn in school without paying tuition fees.

Only for this reason, it must have been appropriate that I supported the regime change.

Now, the biggest issue in Japan is whether or not politics can prevent suicide, since 30,000 and more Japanese committed suicide last year, like in preceding years, despite the regime change.

Parties and candidates for the 7/11 Upper House election must promise that the number of Japanese who tragically kill themselves in a country with $5.5 trillion GDP will become less than 30,000 this year owing to their efforts.

Anyway the great Tokyo metropolitan area has population of almost 30 million. There are millions of helplessly unhappy people even in a Sunday train running around Tokyo. But, one seat could relieve them if they thought they were lucky to get it without racing for it.

And, in the Monday morning, everybody will forget what has happened in a Sunday evening's train, since a change of a spirit changes the whole world.

After exiting a station, I of course walked back home without calling a taxi, since it cost several dollars.

A-men, Ahhhh-Men, Ahe-Men! Amen!!