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Earlier this evening I was heading east along the Shakujii gawa towards a little girl riding in the basket on the front of her mother’s bike. Both of her hands were tightly pressed covering here eyes. Her mom was laughing as we passed. Again, I experience the Doppler effect.

78

For five years I have wanted to purchase the 3,000 Yen melon ($33.73 USD), but have not. On the way to Ōji Station across from Asakuyama Park an old man on a bike with white hair, a pink shirt, and a green sweater rode towards me. Signs are increasing in frequency. If he dyes his hair from white to black I will go to the market immediately. But there is a slight complication in that I have found a store in Shinjuku that sells 25,000 Yen melons ($281.07 USD), the new gold standard regardless of the bike rider's hair color. What signal will notify me when it is time to go shopping for expensive fruit in Shinjuku?

75

A young man on a bike heads east along the Shakujii gawa past the post office with wheels the size of mikan oranges. It seems to take ten rotations of his pedals to move just one foot. It is comforting to know that there is unrestrained pedaling along the once roaring and turbulent "waterfall river." I yell "がんばってください!" (ganbatte kudasai – do your best) to encourage him. Tucked discreetly within his furious motions I glimpse the slightest nod of acknowledgement.

70

From this spot facing west in the parking lot near the giant bowling pin in front of Ōji Station I can see the Toden Arakawa trolley, the Keihin-Tōhoku commuter train, the Shinkansen bullet train, a freight railway, city buses, cars, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, and people walking. I can’t see the Namboku subway line, but I sense its vibrations under my feet. Also, the two skateboarders are to my left creating an intermittent racket. Ōji is Richard Scarry's Busy, Busy Town, but without a personable worm as of yet. Soon a charming guide will materialize.

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There is a man with a chainsaw strapped to the back of his bike heading east.

39

Man gesturing to a cat, a woman leaning over talking to a cat, a bushel of leeks heaped on the back of a bike – zap-zap goes the purple bug lamp.

11

Sitting on the balcony at night listening to a field recording I made earlier in the day from the very same balcony I experience the superimposition of daytime sounds on top of evening sounds forming the following unintentional composition comprised of: a Japanese heavy metal band in Asakuyama park, clicking of a bicycle wheel sprocket, small shrill birds, female voice from a loudspeaker atop a moving truck selling dumplings, scooter engine sharply clacking, guitar solo echo, muffled screams and cheers from the park, scooter pulling up, kickstand going down, screams, cheers, airplane overhead, car brake whine, bird commotion, bicycle bell ring, child in distance chatting, crow, horn, child closer talking to their mother, someone is whistling, scooter, rustling grocery bags, footsteps, bird tweets, bicycle brake screech, one bird squeak, scooter, kickstand difficulties, muted rumble of a truck, distant express train, clacking sound of wheels on rails, clacking sound of high heels, bike, birds, scooter, and walking sounds getting closer to the microphone.

6

Ōji Station east to west underpass: the Doppler effect of a hiccup from a woman passing on a bike – if such a thing is even possible.