4 - Abundance of Light

(Sumoto, Thursday 29th March)

Slowly getting used to the time difference now but woke up this morning feeling slightly groggy. I now have a hot can coffee addiction to keep an eye on. 

Morning walks are really refreshing. The intensity and quality of the light seems to be a few lumieres more than Scotland, entering my brain directly through the top of my skull triggering my pineal gland to dump a thousandfold its usually required amount of 'wakey wakey' into my system, which then combats with the Scottish part of my brain telling me "What, it's 3am!"

Living in Japan from September 2000 until April 2003, and from April 2004 to March 2012, I totalled 10.5 years, which at the time was about a third of my life. So seeing simple things like familiar architecture really brings back all the good times. I don't even know what this building is - probably some kind of municipal office - but the curved roof, the white paint, the typically Japanese trees, the surrounding wall, with the telephone wires against the blue sky - all seem to say : Japan. Not the stereotypical Japan, the electronic or, the cosplay, but the calm, reflective, medititave and traditionally aesthetic and efficient Japan.

The cherry blossom is just starting to come out

I sat down to get some work done this morning while the family went out to explore and managed to get quite a lot done. Is it a good idea to work on your holiday? Probably not, but in this day and age, what are you gonna do?

Today was spent catching up with friends, one of whom told me I'm now an old man, which I took as a compliment (I had no choice really). I was more chilled out they said, more mellowed with age. It could have been that this time I wasn't fleeing the effects of a radioactive meltdown with a two year old.

We passed several of these solar farms

I heard on Awajishima they harvest so much solar energy that it's difficult to sell off any excess to electricity companies. That's a good thing, right? Surely they can then export the excess, with the wind powered electricity, to the mainland to reduce the need for nuclear power?

Saw a fantastic new house here that had been put up recently, which was all-electric, air vents built into the floor to provide heating and clean the air, and was solar powered up the wazoo. It looks like people are getting it. Hybrids and electric vehicles everywhere, too, which has to help.

In Japan, apparently, solar panels pay for themselves in 10 years, as opposed to our ones in Scotland which should cover themselves in 7 years, due to selling off 50% to Scottish Power. Seems strange, but okay. Surely more sun = better returns. Perhaps it's the sinister hand of Tepco casting long shadows ...

Read Day 5.