Strike a pose - theres nothing to it - vogue

It’s the little things that I find weird. The way time is organised. Vending machines, symbols of modern Japan; those dispensing cash (ATMS) close at 5pm, as do those dispensing cigarettes. But you can buy beer (or soft drinks) 24-7. There’s one a couple minutes from my house. It’s great on stupidly hot nights. Unfortunately, they tend to foam a lot if you open them immediately preceding drop. But who wants to wait when it’s this hot!

Supermarkets don’t open until 10am. That one really spooked me the other day in need of breakfast before school. Neither does the gym. It doesn’t close until midnight though. People go to classes on Friday, Saturday night. Late. That’s their night out.

I’ve been swimming most days. I think I’m the youngest person that swims regularly. All the twenty – thirty somethings seem more into the aerobic and weight machines. Lots of my students tell me that their favourite sport is swimming but I think they have pools at their schools.

The Japanese that do swim are really good at it. I wonder what they must think of my persistant sploshing up and down the pool. The preoccupation here appears to be with style, not speed or stamina, as it is back home. Women glide up and down the pool, hands meeting at the end of perfectly straight arms in front of them. They pay acute attention to the precise curvature of an arm, the tilt of a head - but all so slowly. It’s a wonder they don’t sink.
Most people go to the pool to walk though. It’s bizarre. It’s like John Cleese has John Malkoviched himself into the bodies of little old ladies, and some not so old or so little. Great long strides with arms at the side doing impressions of demented power walkers. I saw this women the other day, she had forgotten to take off her makeup, hat and sunglasses (we’re talking indoor pool here) and was recreating a 60s fashion show as she transformed the pool into her own personal catwalk ::: I’m too sexy for my swimsuit. Post swimming chilling out I was gob smacked. Then I had to hide underwater trying to contain the eruption of laughter that was smoking in my brain. Lips pursed, posture perfect, sense of humour choked to death, she didn’t look like she would have appreciated my not so kind-hearted observation!