Stand Up

I’m a big fan of Japanese TV Dramas (soap operas). The ones I particularly like tend to take basic daily oddities and push them to extremes. The protagonists usually dig deep within themselves to ponder the rudimentary source of their ills and find some kind of acceptable solution. One of the better dramas was called Stand Up. It is about four high school friends that try to acquire something they think they need but find out in the end it’s not what the really wanted. Because I worked in the Japanese public school system I particularly indentify with this drama. The characters whether a P.E. teacher or vice principal are archetypes of their positions. It is hard to explain is so few words. I found out where it was filmed and went there by train to check it out. I met a nice elderly man who explained to me about the production of this drama. Below you will find a picture of him from a screen capture and my own photograph. He opened this shop in 1946 just after the war. He could have retired twenty-five years ago but he told me he enjoys what he is doing and would like to continue as long as his good health prevails.