Kushiro

It’s not what I had imagined and continues to surprise. We arrived here on the last day of June. The town center was quiet, quieter than we had guessed. We ate out and found the restaurants all but empty. The businesses were closed and the streets were quiet. One of the first things people invariably told us was the sad story of a city quietly disappearing. They would speak of before, of when there was motion and life. There is no business left they tell me. No one comes to the center anymore; they all stay in the suburbs. Those first few days showed us how true this appeared to be and we spoke of how it was strange that so many little restaurants could withstand such a quiet economy. But it was simply that our eyes had not yet grown accustomed to the light of Kushiro and we were missing a lot of the picture.

Over the next two weeks we saw a lot more movement. A lot quieter than perhaps it had once been but still there. Perhaps it had been the hour of our arrival or maybe it was simply the fact that we went out very early for dinner. We returned one week later, to the same kind man who served us our first meal, alone, in his little restaurant to find it completely full. There were tables full of laughter and the grill was never empty. Our kind host barely found time for more than a smile between grilling the yakitori and coordinating between his cook and the waitress. So there is still much life here, it is just that it took us a few days to find it. We have eaten whole squid fried in front of us and deliciously fresh raw Tuna and Saury (I still don’t know which fish that is but it’s the local speciality). We have had the pleasure of experiencing the generosity and patience of the people here as they patiently wait for us to search for a single word and then try and work out what it is we are trying to ask. Kushiro has slowly and quietly begun to unfold itself before us and we are revelling in our little daily discoveries. It speaks volumes of the wondrous times that lay ahead of us here.

The people seem to garden a lot. In our wandering we regularly pass little rows of peas and lettuces or greenhouses with basil and tomato. It is inspiring to see the pride people take in their gardens and even in the streets in front of where they live. Our area has fallen a little since apparently no one lives here anymore but it is still spotlessly clean. I have so much more to say but I think I will wait until after the festival. This weekend we have the shrine festival, various school festivals and we are going to fit in a day trip to Akan, a famous local lake and hot spring area. We are also going to see my dentist sing a Mexican song in a local Japanese café which will be a treat and somewhere in there I think I have a full day’s work. I will pepper the next post with an array of random images to tantalize you all with the wonders of Kushiro but until then, stay well.