Sapporo!

Hmmm...been a long time since I last wrote anything. Perhaps with the change of scenery I'll be more inspired to write a bit more. Not likely, but we can always hope, right?

So as you might have heard through the grapevine that is modern social media (OK. So I posted an update on Facebook) that I've moved. I moved from suburban Sapporo (a town called Eniwa to be exact) to urban Sapporo. I now live in the Higashi-Sapporo area, more or less next to the Sapporo Convention Center. It will be extremely convenient for me twice a year, as the convention center is where my schools hold both their entrance ceremony and graduation. Until now, those days have meant waking up a full hour and a half earlier than usual to get the bus. But now, I'll be able to sleep in.

The convention center is built on the site of the former Higashi Sapporo train station, back before JR was a reality and the rail system was still nationalized. From here, trains used to travel down to Jozankei, Sapporo's onsen resort area, and towards Chitose. The trains to Jozankei have long since disappeared, leaving behind a bus company that has a railroad company's name. The trains towards Chitose were shifted a few kilometers to the east onto the new Chitose line. The old Chitose line has, like a fair number of old rail corridors, become a bike path. Which means I can still easily get to my bike shop. Sure, there are closer ones, but the bike path terminates in Kita-Hiroshima, which is where Okamoto Cycle is. And having bought both of my bikes there, and because Okamoto-san is such a good guy, I absolutely will keep taking bikes there for repairs.

But all of that is really beside the initial point of my writing this. Well...maybe not beside the point, but rather tangentially related.

Higashi Sapporo is about 4 kilometers from downtown Sapporo. Close enough to walk on a nice day when you have time. But it's also on one of the subway lines, meaning I can get downtown in less than half an hour, easily. The new apartment is in an area that is clearly mixed zoning, with residential and light industry side by side. The new place is on a corner, and across both streets are large warehouses of some description. Walking around the neighborhood, there are all sorts of small businesses that you might expect to find in urban neighborhoods. Small eating establishments. Second hand shops selling home furnishings of both high and dubious quality, side by side. A high end audio shop. Convenience stores.

Most of the buildings are relatively new. This is Japan, after all. It's fairly rare to find buildings that are more than 30 years old. While modern Japan has access to the building materials to make longer lasting buildings, I think that culturally, buildings with shorter life spans are just the norm. This is a country that is lacking of things like stone and clay. Historically, wood was the most common building material. And so buildings were fairly short lived. No research or proof. Just my own mostly uninformed theory.

But there are a few houses around that defy the norm. There are houses that are clearly at least 50 years old around, offering a peak at what Japan looked like in the post war era. And I love it. It makes me feel more creative and artistic. I love history. I mean, I majored in history in university. So I love these little glimpses into Sapporo's past. Two doors down from my new place is an old style Japanese house. Obviously been here since the time of Higashi Sapporo Station.

And all of this makes me feel more inspired to get out my cameras. Living in Eniwa, I was rarely inspired to get out my cameras and make art. It was, for me, a nice but boring existence. I've only been in Sapporo for about a week, but I already feel more excited about life. Certainly, some of that is the excitement of the new. But it also includes a fairly healthy dose of the hustle and bustle of the big city. Once everything gets settled in the new place, hopefully I can really get out and explore the neighborhood even more. Still a lot of snow to melt off, but eventually that'll happen.

Hopefully the next time you check in here, there will be some photos.

Until then, have a happy.