Pat the kids to sleep, and I took a train to Ueno to walk around / recce.
Recce what, you may ask? The previous times we did not come with kids and seniors, so I walked the intended route to make sure its within manageable distance to cover and minimal stairs, be it up or down; and accessible elevators where possible.
I actually had this weird wish - listening to chage & aska's songs from the 90s (or more importantly their super best 2 album) while walking around the streets of japan at night. Ueno (generally taito area) is an old estate which seem to still retain remnants of the economic bubble. This, coupled with those songs, seem to bring me back to the time when Japan was an economic miracle. My impression of Japan used to be very much influeneced by mangas from the 80s (doraemon, maison ikkoku, etc) so it probably set my paradigm.
As I walked around the station perimeter I see A LOT of homeless elderly. I easily counted 10 as I walked down the slope. I then saw a small group of people around my age, chatting with one of them. Being curious I hung around but could not make out what they were saying. One of the men asked if I need anything in jap and I asked if they can speak english - just a little, they said.
So I told them I always try to help the needy families back at home and they started to understand. We chatted a bit and they told me this guy they were chatting with actually has a home in another prefecture but he didnt want to go home for some reason. And he used to be a high ranking manager of a bank, until the bubble burst. His wife and children left him, and he just stayed on the streets since god-knows-when.
I offered them money to buy hot soup or some hot food for all the homeless around there but they declined, and I also needed to go back already (spent quite a while chatting with them).
On the train back to the hotel I kept thinking if we will go down the same route. Just barely 30yrs ago japan was probably the most expensive city to stay in.
Will history really repeat itself?
Sorry, long OT post. Just lamenting and wanna share this encounter with u guys.