3 in 30 - 2000.10.01
Good community-minded
people aren't always sitting in a office.
Sunday mid-afternoon and it is relatively quiet in the neighborhood. The sky is mostly overcast and gray and there are no planes in the process of practicing landings. Very quiet.
It is quiet toward the train station too. About half of the shops are closed on Sunday. This is the location of the offices of the Haijima Eki Mae Chi Shi Kai (the In Front of Haijima Station Civic Group). This is where they meet to discuss civic events. You may recall that this is the group that sponsored the festival in August.
I don't see this door open for meetings too often. I suppose they are out doing civic events instead of spending time in meetings.
Lots of cool bicycles though.
This is a shop which has changed its face and contents several times in the ten years we have been here. More recently, it was the "100 Yen Store". We have read that the concept of the 100 Yen Store has been quite successful in other areas, but I guess it wasn't profitable enough in this area.
Only a couple of months ago, they turned it into this bicycle shop. They certainly have a lot of bicycles in this little shop, but when I went there to try and find a replacement brake cable, they didn't have one long enough. Of course I hadn't bought the bicycle there, so I wasn't too surprised that they didn't stock what I needed.
Stay tuned. Something new is coming.
When we first moved here, this used to be a small family-owned liquor store. I don't recall what it has been in the intervening time, possibly a "cram school". Juuku (cram schools) are evening tutoring classes that junior and senior high school students attend so that they can get good grades and to pass university entrance examinations. If students can pass this hurdle, we are told that university classes are relatively easy.
The storefront seems to be in the process of becoming another shop. From the tie-dye in the window, it looks like it will handle trendy personal accouterments.