Life is Old There

Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert, and John Denver wrote about West Virginia that "Life is old there, older than the trees, Younger than the mountains, growin' like a breeze." I've never been sure exactly what that means, but it just sounds so good, so right, that it must be true in some way.

Often that song has made me think of my own country home in Wyoming where life is a little more basic. It's a constant battle for survival, against the elements, for example. Gives you a different perspective.

Tokyo is a bit that way too, for different reasons:

1) We don't have a car, by choice. We can rent one when we need it, but mostly a car is an expense and a hassle. They're great when you need to move things, or buy something large, or go out in the country, but they're by no means the quickest or easiest way to move around the inner part of the city where roads are congested and parking is not only scarce but expensive.

2) Space is tight. Again, you can do something about this with money, but the typical and reasonable situation is different than the US suburbs. 

3) Disposal of garbage requires some effort.

Given all that, when you buy something in Tokyo you have to think about the logistics of getting it home, of where you plan to store it, and of how you plan to dispose of it when finished. It's like you must take more responsibility for your things than one typically worries about in the burbs. It's not at all unwelcome, just takes some getting used to.

Case in point. We're in a furnished apartment that doesn't have adequate storage. So we bought some metal storage shelves. The shelves and hardware were in a box and the rails in a separate package. It probably didn't weigh more than 20 pounds, but was bulky. And we bought some other things too. 

My plan had been to hail a taxi if needed, but we first put the other items in our backpacks, and then slung the box of shelves on the pack of rails which we then put on our shoulders. She walked in front, I behind and made it the mile back to our apartment without issue.

But all the while, of course, thinking about needing to move this shelf somewhere else, since our situation is temporary. I think I'll just rent a pickup when that day comes. I can get one for a few hours for $40 bucks or so. I'll let you know how that goes a few months from now.