I remember my first years in Japan rummaging through the garbage on "sodai homi no hi" (big garbage day) I couldn't believe the things people threw out: perfectly good furniture, practically unused stereos etc.

It is well known that some gaijin outfit their entire apartments with sodai gomi. After all, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

But I no longer rummage through the garbage. No, not me. I'm above that now. Now, the garbage comes to me. I even wonder sometimes if garbage, I mean treasures, aren't taking over my life.