DAYTIME

• 1. 9.30 a.m. Jingle-music for the rubbish collection. Gomi (rubbish). Gomi-collection. Blue and white truck.

SCHEDULE IN JAPANESE AND ENGLISH

Ordinary Waste – Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday

Empty Cans, Pet Bottles, Empty Bottles, Used Batteries – Monday

Small Metal Articles – First and Third Tuesday Oversized Waste – Please aplly (sic) with Oversized Waste Center (sic) Kawasaki City TAMA Waste Collection Office

• 2. Blaring loud-speaker perched atop a white truck. Said truck moves with agonizing slowness so the ‘broadcast’ hovers in the ear. Morning and afternoon. Scrap metal collection.

• Sodaigomi kaishū sha desu (‘Any scrap? Lots of scrap?’) Te˘purekōdaā (tape-recorder). Terebi (TV). Pasokon (personal computer). Rajikase (radio cassette).

• 3. Afternoon. Gyōza! Small van with endless looped recordings. Dumplings Galore. Finger-sized. Scalloped edges. Flour base. Ground pork and cabbage filling. Nira (vegetable) or leek or onion. Garlic. Ginger. Sake. Soy sauce. Sesame Oil. Dipping soy sauce. Echo of ancient street-vendor.

• 4. Evening. Tofu. No voice. Simply a cornet or horn. Traditional. Infinitely recognizable chords. Seller on motorcycle with wooden box of tofu on back.

• 5. As in every Japanese city, town and village, and almost as though an anthem, there is to be heard the paddle-beating of futons. The futons are hung over the balcony, or over one of the laundry poles fixed to the balcony bracket, or simply over a clothesline. Whichever the case you hear the rhythmic slap, the one after another expulsion of dust or tics as the paddle goes about business. From the street it often sounds like you are being followed. Footsteps.

NIGHT-TIME

• 1. Semi-surreal encounter. Walking home in seriously dark nighttime when, suddenly, out of nowhere pops up this metallic voice. Droid intonation. Straight out of Star Wars – C-3PO. I had not fully realized that I was walking past a TALKING DRINKS VENDING MACHINE. Extra small lights flash, then Irasshaimase (‘Welcome’), and a menu follows:

• O-nomimono (drinks), jyusu (juice)

• mineraru wō-tā (mineral water), kohī (coffee)

• aisu kō hī (iced coffee), o-cha (tea)

The whole is rounded out with a domo-arigatō zaimasu and a small anime-like manikin-girl bowing. Pure electronic other-world.