Aoyama Sen-i KakohNice to meet you. I am Tommy.
I`ve moved to Ichinomiya city which is the biggest production area for yarns and fabrics in Japan. It’s a complicated story but somehow I have ended up working for Aoyama Sen-i Kakoh. I have been working in yarn industry for the past 10 years including my previous job and I always wanted to sell Japanese yarns worldwide. So I decided to set up a preparation time in Ichinomiya where full of ideas and techniques to produce fancy yarns.
I`ve had opportunities to go to various places for work, and actually lived in Osaka, London, and Kyoto. I usually don’t mind where the people come from but having lived here for the last 2 months. I have found that Kyoto and Ichinomiya are quite different. Each city has different character and the mind of the people are also a little bit different.
My impression of the people here is that they are very open minded and tend to show off, attractive, sometimes dry, but very warm hearted.
Its only 2 months but I have already met a lot of lovely (strange) people. A one talks to God every morning, a one who incredibly takes care of everything necessary for a new life for me, and a one with a lion face who keeps talking to me in strong dialect and leave me behind being confused because I didn’t understand the word of Ketta which referred to as a bicycle here. Above all, the people at Aoyama Sen-I Kakoh who seem to be herbivores but are actually full of spirit. Every day is a wonderland. I really enjoy my life here being surrounded unique people.
I live in this city and feel “this is possible” every day.
Today, the world is covered by turbulence triggered by COVID 19. But I believe this city has the guts to push forward as if there was nothing like COVID 19. I wish I could be a help for them.By the way, I live near the Kiso River, which is a little outside of the city, so I feel a little inconvenience. There are 2 big super markets and I think it would be quite difficult living here if there weren’t them.
Also, I love saunas. When I was in Kansai, I used to go to the public baths in my neighborhood, but if I go to the public baths here, I have to blow the Ketta Machine to the public bath which is 5 kilometers away.
This sauna with TV installed is quite large and can accommodate about 15 people. And here again, full of strange people.
Lots of them are talking to themselves even when they are on their own.When a symbolical signboard of Osaka appeared on the screen, you heard the soliloquy “that is Osaka” or “I knew it” when the criminal was revealed in a soap opera. It`s like saying I know what you don’t know.
One day, when a security camera image of a car vandalism appeared on the screen, I heard an old guy saying “Oh,Lexus” and I replied `that’s not a point` in my mind.After taking a sauna, you can buy vegetables at a farmer who sells on the street at the parking lot of a public bath. It’s cheap, fresh, with scars and I always buy them because vegetables with scars look real to me.
I am happy living my new life here.I still have a lot of things I want to write, but I will carry them over to the next time.
See you
Tommy
