Always the same faces?

Merry X-mas everyone!

Last weeks blog entry was about the stinking scooters on my way to and from the station, this time it will be about the strange creatures I encounter more or less every morning on that way.

There's:

1) the shirt lifter

2) the hot girl

3) the two moms

4) the suit guy

5) the elegant lady

6) the Rock'n Roll grandpa

Sounds interesting?

Creatures 1-4 I encounter more or less every morning on my bicycle way to the station, creatures 5 and 6 during the walk to the office after emerging from the squeezing in the train.

Number 1, the shirt lifter, is the weirdest of them all and he is the first "regular" I encounter on my route between 8:15 and 8:30 in the morning. The shirt lifter always has a little trolly with him and he seems to be allergic against sweat, since he is constantly fanning himself with his shirt, which he always wears open, not tugged into his pants. The guy is about 50 years old I guess and he fans himself with his shirt while he walks as well as explicitly stops and flaps his shirt about like crazy. He even has a favorite place for extensive shirt flapping. Every other morning, I see him stopping in front of a certain garage, where he parks his trolly and flaps so hard he's almost tearing his shirt off. Amazing guy.

Number 2, the hot girl. Not what you think… she ain't that hot. I am calling her the hot girl because even in deepest winter, she is wearing nothing but a flimsy jacket and a t-shirt, no scarf, no gloves, no down jacket, while I am riding past her packed in at least 5 layers of clothing. She is also always late. She is more running than walking and looks as if a pack of wolves was at her heels. I estimate her age at around 40.

Number 3, the two moms. One of the moms is waiting with her two little kids in front of her apartment house for the bus that will relieve her of them and bring them to the kindergarten. The other mom is even busier, she is on her bicycle as well and her kid sits in a bike child-seat behind her and she struggles up the hill that I am swooshing down. I suppose she heads for a kindergarten as well. Both of them look rather stressed out and as if they were looking forward to be able to park their kids with the kindergarten for a while.

Number 4, the suit guy. Close to the station, the suit guy crosses my way. He looks like he were 70 and I always feel kinda sorry for him that he still has to work. He invariably wears a classic dark blue business suit in hottest summer as well as coldest winter, though in winter he at least has a coat thrown over his suit. Maybe he is only 60 or so, but he looks ancient and I am waiting for the day when he won't be there anymore – meaning he could finally retire?

Number 5, the elegant lady. Once arrived in Shibuya and walking up the hill to the office, there are another two candidates that religiously cross my way. The first of them is the elegant lady. She's around 35 and every morning impeccably dressed and styled and made up. Probably her entire tiny Japanese apartment consists of clothes and shoe racks and I am not talking about Uniqlo here, but high quality, ridiculously expensive brand clothes, bags and shoes. I wonder how long it takes her to style her hair, do her face and get dressed every morning. Impressive.

Number 6, the Rock'n Roll grandpa, – last but not least: my favorite regular, a very cool dude approaching 60, with gray hair and glasses who is always dressed in cool rocker's clothes: leather jackets, fancy t-shirts and sweaters, boots with rivets on them and he looks so relaxed and at ease with himself and the world. Rock'n Roll and heavy metal is good for you! This guy is the proof I'd like to stop him one day and ask him what his favorite bands are.

So, a few weeks ago I wrote about uniformity in Japan, this time it was about individuality. Those six regulars that cross my path every morning are truly creatures of their own.