Commuting to Work....

Twice a week I commute to work out of town.  The destination being the town of Takahata.  Initially my commute there involved walking or driving to Yonezawa station, riding the train to Takahata, and taking a taxi to my final destination.  That changed earlier this year when our school came into possession of a former teacher's car.  That teacher had driven used the vehicle up in northern Yamagata.  Once she returned to her home country the vehicle was freed up for use by another school.

My commute consists of a drive up Route 13.  This road runs up the centre of Yamagata prefecture along its north-south axis.  At the southern end it's a two lane road which goes through what more or less a series of car dealerships, convenience stores, small eateries, warehouses, and small industrial sites.  I would hazard to say that its closest relative in Vancouver would be Kingsway...which is another road I drove upon frequently (coincidence perhaps?).

Anyways, I spotted a car dealership sign a few months ago which had me scratching my head a bit.  The name sported on its signage is "Metis".  Yes, that's exactly what's spelled out on the sign in the English alphabet.  About a month later I conjectured that the name was an incorrect reading of an English word which had been imported into Japanese.  Two weeks ago I spotted the Japanese katakana rendering of the company's name.  It read "Medeisu".  Okay, there went my theory that it was supposed to be "meteisu" or "maties".

Another feature on Route 13 which caught my eye is an abandoned two story building at the south end of a bridge not far from the southern border of Takahata town.  It's been stripped of fixtures such as doors and windows but hasn't been completely covered in scaffolding and tarps...a sign in Japan that a building is being demolished.  I had no idea what it used to be and I often thought it may be a building which is awaiting renovation.

A few weeks ago I drove up to Tendo to catch a Montedio Yamagata match with a friend.  He used to live in Yonezawa but presently works in Niigata.  When we passed the above mentioned building he quipped that it had once been a love hotel, a hotel catering to couples who needed a private room to engage in amorous activities, which had a brightly coloured sign on top that featured an image of a pink Godzilla.  I've seen plenty of uses of Godzilla in advertising products and services in Japan but I must say that was the first time I've heard of Godzilla, furthermore a pink version, being employed to advertise a love hotel.  Certainly must of have stood out a lot in comparison to the demure sign for the Faeries Hotel down the road.