I have been living in Gumyoji for nearly nine years now, which I chose for its location. Gumyoji provides access to two train stations both within five minutes walk, it is only nine minutes from Yokohama by train, my three workplaces are all within 45 minutes, and the Ooka River which is only a stone’s throw away, provides a nice walk on the rare day off and hosts a beautiful thoroughfare of cherry blossoms early in spring. There is a covered shopping arcade allowing for shopping without an umbrella and the best dentist is located here, though this final thought could embrace some of the writer’s sentiment.
While a rather nice place to live, when walking the streets of Gumyoji, there are some somewhat quaint, a little bit bizarre, and slightly outlandish sites to see.
Some interesting town planning
Many of the streets in Gumyoji are narrow, as is the case in many places around Japan. To widen roads, governments are embarking on a buy-back scheme where, upon sale of the land, the government buys a portion of the land facing the road to make the road wider. It seems a shame though, that the department responsible for power poles and lines cannot coordinate well with roadworks.
Plumb bob on strike?
Looking up is not often a pleasurable experience due to the plethora of power lines overhead. However, rather than looking up I think we should look out.
The old and the new
As with most communities, the older places are coming down and new houses are going up in their place. In Gumyoji though, one house is torn down to be replaced by two or three.
If you’re in the market for a new house, the new one above is for sale. Located on the Ooka River, it is one room wide, two rooms deep, three floors, and you have almost 50cm between the house an property boundary on all sides – enough to walk around, put an air-conditioning unit, or park a bicycle. This little beauty gets the morning sun for about two hours after the sun climbs above the seven storey apartment building opposite it on the other side of the river. All this can be yours for only ¥48,000,000, or $550,000 AUD.
The neighbours are close
Literally
Ramblings and Ruminations 