Gotsu is one of those places that some might say has one of
everything. Only it isn’t, because it doesn’t have a movie theatre.
I haven’t lived in a city this small since before I was
aware of my own consciousness, and then, even if I had been aware, would’ve
had too small a frame of reference as regards town sizes to comment.
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| I took this from the carpark at one of my schools sometime last Fall. The things that look like gravestones are gravestones; you'll often find small graveyards like this adjacent to schools. |
I live in an apartment that’s nestled between other
apartments. Adjacent are a hotel/restaurant, a boxing gym, Route 9 (which
connects Gotsu with everything else), a 7/11, and a house with a dog. I wouldn’t
ordinarily consider a dog as relevant to describing one’s location, but this
dog’s bark is so frightening (and so sudden, like right as I’m stepping out of
the shower at 7:15am sudden) it takes a good deal of imagination to think of it
as just an ordinary dog. Considering that I only hear it but never see it, and
considering it’s more active at night, it could be a restless ghost.
There’s a giant community centre next to Gotsu Station,
which looks to be as new to this town as me. It’s probably too large, and too
expensive, as I hear the locals have complained about too many of their tax
dollars having gone into its construction. Considering it’s a community centre
and not a money-printing press, I can understand why one might harbour
reservations.
It's also where many a student goes to study when they aren't at school, and thus where, if I don't want to be recognised, I should take care to avoid. So I have reservations of my own.
It's also where many a student goes to study when they aren't at school, and thus where, if I don't want to be recognised, I should take care to avoid. So I have reservations of my own.
More striking than its controversial presence, however, is how vastly
different it appears against every building around it. The rows of microscopic
restaurants that make up the brunt of Gotsu’s ‘city centre’ have more rust on
the metal than metal, and more peeling on the wood than wood. Mangled clumps of
powerline look as if they’ve been grabbed and pulled from giant machinery.
Cracked footpaths and uneven pavement have seen one too many earthquakes. Rust
festering on pipes and stairs make you ask where the owners have gone to.
Well, as to that last point, the answer is known. The owners
are inside, cooking tonkatsu.
Indeed, the interiors of these same places are healthy and
thriving, and new independent businesses are sprouting up in more than a few
places. But the buildings themselves – that is, their exteriors – are all in
want of repair or demolition.
This includes Gotsu Station itself, which you might use if
you ever choose to visit this quaint town. It looks prehistoric, both compared
to other stations in Japan as well as other buildings (such as, opposite, the
aforementioned community centre).
That said, there’s an ongoing effort to replenish parts of
the town centre; and a new western-style-ish café, opened a couple of weeks ago
and which serves great espresso coffee, is already doing its job to replenish
me.
Speaking of replenishments, a little farther up the road is
Youme Town, a mall which opened on Tuesday. It used to be ‘Green Mall’, but I
presume Youme bought it out. It’s a good thing, because Green Mall was so old
its name was beginning to take on literal elements. The revamped version isn’t
all new, more like an HD remake with all the DLC included. It has new paint, a
supermarket with consistency to its departments, an Indian restaurant, a
good-looking bakery, and every store that had been at Green Mall, but with
better textures.
Its temporary closure had left many a local stomach
yearning, as it meant the simultaneous closure of Mos Burger, Japan’s primary
source of sandwiched beef, and Gotsu’s only burger joint. For the last 5 or so
months, whenever my appetite found itself burger-shaped, I had to drive at
least half an hour to the nearest McDonald’s, or put up with 7/11’s shelved
varieties (which, to be honest, aren’t terrible). Anyway, Mos Burger is back. Good.
Less crucial than burgers is the aquarium, which is decently big (likely bigger than New Zealand’s largest aquarium, anyway). Here you can watch beluga
whales spin rings from their blowholes and then swim through them. You can also
get really great ice cream.
There are also beaches, wind turbines, wind (often
annoying), and several networks of suffocatingly narrow roads. These roads are
supposedly two-way, but 8 months later I’m still having trouble believing it.
You’d need a good 14 points to a turn to successfully get your car facing the
other way. You’re better off finding the nearest driveway and cutting those 14
points down to a handsome six.
There are also pancakes in Gotsu, which can’t be said for
most towns this size. Moreover, the road that takes you to the building in
which pancakes can be had (you can’t miss it - it’s situated on a hill and
taunts you with flags bearing the pancakes/icecream insignia) is very wide
indeed. This town knows its priorities.
With six kinds of pancakes, it's difficult for this
place to get old; and one of the varieties changes for a new one every season.
A friend and I proposed bacon and banana (they have bacon and egg, and
chocolate and banana, but no bacon and banana); but alas, next season’s flavour
has already been decided. At the time of writing, it’s still a secret. (While the owner's kids go to one of my elementary schools, not even this is enough for him to divulge trade secrets.)
But I shall have to forego pancakes for a couple of weeks,
as I’m currently on a Shinkansen bound for Tokyo, and from there a plane to New
Zealand. It’s the middle of Golden Week, and half my mind is busy devising ways
to ensure a seat on the next train. So, bye!
