Shifting Sands
It was off to Dr. Kosugi, my dentist today- for the first time in over a year.
I have always been a poor dental hygienist, and have a mouth full of metal to prove it. Almost all of what I have now has been put there by Dr. Kosugi. After a disasterous interlude with another dentist in our early days in Ajigasawa,, I went down our street to Kosugi Clinic. It was only a hundred yards away, but local gossip threw a wet blanket of doubt over old (medical) Dr. Kosugi and his son, the newly minted (dental)Dr. Kosugi. Reasoning that he may have improved from the spoiled brat he was reputed to have been in grade school, I took the plunge- and have never looked back. In the intervening 20 years, as my teeth deteriorated, he has replaced all the previous work with sturdy, well-fitted stuff. So- why the one-year hiatus? Unfortunately, he is no longer just down the street. First, we moved. Well, it was only a mile or so- no big deal. The problem is that HE moved- to Hirosaki, an hour away. Still, when I got finally got worried enough, I chose to go the distance to his new place. After all, no one knows my fillings like he does.
So- why did he move? He was chatting while we waited for the freezing to settle in (oh, yeah- he also knows how much freezing I need). He informed me that, while there are over 40,000 convenience stores in Japan, there are over 60,000 dentists! That's one for every 2000 people. And, while the 40,000 convenience stores do their best to sell enough candy and junk food to keep the dentists going, it just isn't getting the job done. Dr. Kosugi moved out of Ajigasawa after some new guys started up here. He took a course to learn how to care for diabetic patients, so he could get referals from medical doctors. He went to Tokyo to purchase, and train to use, a fancy ceramic tooth-cap maker. For dentists these days, it's keep on top, or get buried .
It's too bad there wasn't such a rush to be medical doctors. Or nurses. We're short on both of those. Our local hospital was quite impressive 20 years ago, then we lost pediatrics, then gyno, and now they plan to give up and turn it into a home for the elderly. Mom and Pop stores have given way to big box chains. The school that had 380 students when our children entered in 1985 may not break 100 this year. The population of the town has shrunk from 18,000 then to just over 12,000 now.
So- is it the end of the world?
Nope.
Just life.
The most built-up part of town now was swamp a century ago. There were villages in the mountains years ago which have disappeared without a trace. Every wooded ridge overlooking the sea once held pre-historic Jomon villages.
And, they didn't even have a dentist. So, I guess we'll survive.
I have always been a poor dental hygienist, and have a mouth full of metal to prove it. Almost all of what I have now has been put there by Dr. Kosugi. After a disasterous interlude with another dentist in our early days in Ajigasawa,, I went down our street to Kosugi Clinic. It was only a hundred yards away, but local gossip threw a wet blanket of doubt over old (medical) Dr. Kosugi and his son, the newly minted (dental)Dr. Kosugi. Reasoning that he may have improved from the spoiled brat he was reputed to have been in grade school, I took the plunge- and have never looked back. In the intervening 20 years, as my teeth deteriorated, he has replaced all the previous work with sturdy, well-fitted stuff. So- why the one-year hiatus? Unfortunately, he is no longer just down the street. First, we moved. Well, it was only a mile or so- no big deal. The problem is that HE moved- to Hirosaki, an hour away. Still, when I got finally got worried enough, I chose to go the distance to his new place. After all, no one knows my fillings like he does.
So- why did he move? He was chatting while we waited for the freezing to settle in (oh, yeah- he also knows how much freezing I need). He informed me that, while there are over 40,000 convenience stores in Japan, there are over 60,000 dentists! That's one for every 2000 people. And, while the 40,000 convenience stores do their best to sell enough candy and junk food to keep the dentists going, it just isn't getting the job done. Dr. Kosugi moved out of Ajigasawa after some new guys started up here. He took a course to learn how to care for diabetic patients, so he could get referals from medical doctors. He went to Tokyo to purchase, and train to use, a fancy ceramic tooth-cap maker. For dentists these days, it's keep on top, or get buried .
It's too bad there wasn't such a rush to be medical doctors. Or nurses. We're short on both of those. Our local hospital was quite impressive 20 years ago, then we lost pediatrics, then gyno, and now they plan to give up and turn it into a home for the elderly. Mom and Pop stores have given way to big box chains. The school that had 380 students when our children entered in 1985 may not break 100 this year. The population of the town has shrunk from 18,000 then to just over 12,000 now.
So- is it the end of the world?
Nope.
Just life.
The most built-up part of town now was swamp a century ago. There were villages in the mountains years ago which have disappeared without a trace. Every wooded ridge overlooking the sea once held pre-historic Jomon villages.
And, they didn't even have a dentist. So, I guess we'll survive.
posted by John Elliot | 6:28 PM
3 Comments:
So Mai-sho finally dipped below the 100 student mark?
Aji's population is down to 12,000 now? It was listed at 15,000 when I got my job info-package in 2002.
I guess the decreasing numbers are inevitable in towns like Aji, but it doesn't make it any less sad.
-David
P.S. Have any schools closed in the last 4 years? The Aji Board of Ed never updates its website.
Hi, David!
しばらくでした。
I`m afraid, I must inform you that Sarah is the only one of us unfortunate enough to have ended up in Mai-shyo. My father is speaking of Saikai. (You see I am very bias;p)
Mary
Hi Mary,
久しぶりです（＾＿＾）
Thanks for the clarification.
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