A very quiet day today. I have a test in each of my classes. The picture shows my Science Dept. students working on the text.
I am amazed at how the picture makes the classroom look new and bright. Actually it is old and dirty. The university is Tohoku U. and it was a national university until it was semi-privatized. However, the change did not locate any additional funding for upkeep and maintenance. The paint is peeling, the floor tiles are broken (many from earthquakes), and the toilets stink.
For some reason that I do not understand, the Japanese do not seem to have any appreciation at all for the value of maintenance. Things just go along by themselves until they fall apart and they something new is bought. Nothing is cleaned. Even lawns are not mowed. The parks are essentially unusable because the policy seems to be to mow them two or three times a year - whether they need it or not.
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