Village Dues

It must be that time of year again....everyone is collecting money for something. I just stand at the door and hand out money -that's what it feels like. The other day, it was $20 for the shrine. Today, the leader of our han came by to collect the annual $50 to maintain the village community center, the kominkan. (We still have a temple fee (required by all residents, whether you are Buddhist or not!) and activity fee to pay.)

The little building no longer can accommodate the village, since we have 100 households now. It is not much bigger than a double car garage. It is also quite old and in need of many structural repairs; it's not much use as a refuge during storms (our evacuation center is in the town) so many folks question the purpose of maintaining the property. For now, we pay the mandatory fee.