Kochi​ ​Japan​ ​-​ ​A​ ​city​ ​between​ ​the​ ​lines

Construction​ ​on​ ​each​ ​corner​ ​of​ ​Box​ ​Hill’s​ ​main​ ​streets.​ ​The​ ​suburb​ ​had​ ​come​ ​a​ ​long​ ​way since​ ​cultivating​ ​a​ ​reputation​ ​as​ ​a​ ​most​ ​comfortable​ ​home​ ​away​ ​from​ ​home​ ​for​ ​many​ ​whom had​ ​left​ ​their​ ​lives​ ​on​ ​other​ ​continents​. ​For​ ​a​ ​new​ ​life​ ​in​ ​Melbourne.

The acclaim is persistent, “Melbourne’s second CBD”, they say. This once suburban town will be a major hub for jobs, commercial shops and high rise apartments. As the construction workers and automotive wheels on the road increased however I found myself asking the question​ ​“what​ ​is​ ​progress”.

Whilst​ ​I​ ​take​ ​in​ ​fresh​ ​oxygen​ ​an​ ​old​ ​fashioned​ ​tram​ ​passes​ ​me.​ ​CCCRRUNK!​ ​I​ ​love​ ​the sound​ ​it’s​ ​crunching​ ​mechanics​ ​emit.​ ​I​ ​grew​ ​up​ ​on​ ​that​ ​in​ ​Melbourne. Though​ ​I​ ​have​ ​to quickly​ ​remind​ ​myself​ ​I​ ​am​ ​in​ ​Japan​ ​and​ ​not​ ​Australia.​ ​I’m​ ​not​ ​sure​ ​how​ ​the​ ​last​ ​eighteen months​ ​went by​ ​so​ ​fast​ ​but​ ​they​ ​did.

“Poverty”​ ​was​ ​the​ ​word​ ​one​ ​student​ ​used​ ​to​ ​describe​ ​this​ ​place.​ ​She​ ​can​ ​be​ ​afforded​ ​significant leeway​ ​though​ ​as​ ​she​ ​pulled​ ​the​ ​term​ ​from​ ​her​ ​portable English​ ​dictionary​ ​without completely​ ​understanding​ ​the​ ​power​ ​of​ ​it.​ ​We​ ​both​ ​laughed​ ​at​ ​that​ ​assessment​ ​in​ ​an​ ​instant. Kochi​ ​Prefecture​ ​and​ ​Kochi​ ​City​ ​are extremely​ ​far​ ​from​ ​poverty​ ​as​ ​a​ ​matter​ ​of​ ​fact.​ ​Yet​ ​I​ ​did
understand​ ​the​ ​origin​ ​of​ ​her​ ​reasoning.​ ​Kochi​ ​is​ ​the least​ ​visited​ ​area​ ​of​ ​Japan​ ​because​ ​it’s very​ ​difficult​ ​to​ ​travel​ ​to​ ​this​ ​region.​ ​It’s​ ​located​ ​on​ ​the​ ​southern​ ​point​ ​of​ ​Shikoku​ ​island​ ​but the​ ​majority​ ​of​ ​corporate​ ​money​ ​goes​ ​to​ ​other​ ​areas​ ​of​ ​Shikoku​ ​island(Ehime,​ ​Kagawa, Tokushima)​ ​which​ ​are​ ​closer​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Honshu​ ​mainland.

The Japanese economy was booming in the 80s and 90s. Old foreigners I’ve spoken to coin it “The Golden Years”. I try to imagine what Kochi was like during that time. But I’m not much fussed. Life is really good here. The rivers are clear and the fish is the freshest I’ve ever
tasted. The countryside is twenty minutes away when I need to refresh from the urban. It’s beautiful.​ ​I​ ​still wonder​ ​“what​ ​is​ ​progress”​ ​but​ ​I’m​ ​not​ ​in​ ​any​ ​hurry​ ​to​ ​answer​ ​it.