Chiisana Sekai

世界中　だれだって
ほほえめば　仲良しさ
みんな輪になり　手をつなごう
小さな世界

限りない空と海
星影のうつくしさ
それは一人語りかける
小さな世界

隔たりを取り除き
友情の橋をかけ
手と手をつなぎつくろう
小さな世界

世界中　どこだって
笑いあり　涙あり
みんなそれぞれ助け合う
小さな世界

世界はせまい
世界はおなじ
世界はまるい
ただひとつ

-- Chiisana Sekai (It's a Small World After All)

There is something mesmerizing about this simple song that I just can't seem to put my hand on it. Maybe it's just a catchy song. Yet, somehow, it has a strangely poignant but calming tone to it, lyrics that are serene and cheerful at the same time, and most importantly, it really is a song that can be sang around the world. A small world.

Hamamatsu's weather is pretty awesome, but that's the kind of weather you expect of temperate countries anyway, so I guess not much can be said in regards to that aspect.

What is more interesting to note is that for a country that doesn't seem to particularly live on the internet as (probably) a large amount of people reading this will, they still seem to have the important stuff settled out. For a country whose aged population ratio is reaching Japan's, Singapore almost doesn't seem to be putting in effort to look at the welfare of the old and handicapped, focusing rather on the more economic aspect of such an issue and placing more emphasis on concepts like the silver workforce, an effect seen at quite a number of Macdonald's out there (All this ignores stuff comprising Medishield and the like and the -presumably- extensive effort the government puts into making sure it caters as much to the old as much as it tries to encourage people to give birth. After all, 'see' implies a rather surface-level of viewing things.) Two identical streets developed by a Singaporean and a Japanese might very well only have a few minute differences. You wouldn't see that many yellow tiles on the floor to guide the blind. You wouldn't see a second button on the pedestrian crossing catered to old people. And though this isn't really the street anymore, you sure as hell won't find anyone in a car stopping to let people cross in Singapore.

A more interesting subject to explore would certainly be the school and education. While I can't really say much since the school I went to was a public school, the Japanese syllabus does seem somewhat simpler than the Singaporean syllabus. And they seriously get very little homework, it's almost sickening when you look at the homework you have from Sec 1 and up. But all that lack of focus on academic life is compensated with great focus on non-academic life. The people taking part in club activities pretty much take it from Mon-Fri, occasionally on weekends as well. You get a sense of admiration for the kind of dedication that everyone puts into their clubs; something I can't picture many people in school bearing (Except maybe a particular group who loves BB so much, but that's one single case in comparison to the norm in Japan).

Another interesting thing to note is in regards to the sphere of influence in regards to schools. Rather unlike Singapore's trend in this regard, the sphere of influence for schools in Japan seems very much based on proximity rather than quality of school. Of the 300 students that attend the secondary school, 260 of them use the back gate, IOW at least 260 walk or take bicycles to school. Probably more. While I can't say much about this being the same as high school, you do get to walk to school with your classmates, and there's a good chance everyone will be in certain walking distance of each other (or at least a fair cycling distance). In sharp contrast everyone here takes car or public transport, a vastly differing point. I personally feel having your classmates in close proximity to you (irregardless of the quality of school) is far superior to having them far away yet with easy access via car. I guess it's the thought that your friends are always nearby in person that counts, something you can't do with MSN.

There is of course all the happy memories that I could talk about, but such things can be left to the other transfer students writing about their life in Hamamatsu. I'm a lazy bugger. >_>