I looked across the water and saw mountain, trees, stillness, and then that corporate logo blaring through the serenity.
It’s grotesque, a little tragic, but somehow, hopeful.

I’m tired of the ‘dying town’ narrative we see in rural Japan.
Hey buy a house for 5000 dollars, they say. Life is easier, they say.

As if a dying town is a good thing for us.

No, they need business, and stimulation.

A big company opening in a small town is usually a gamble, an investment.

Which is why I say it’s hopeful.

And honest, too.

Japan’s beauty is rarely untouched; it’s constantly negotiating with convenience stores, power lines, pachinko signs.

We are all trying to share a bench.