[On the roadside in a foreign country] There are various things on the streets of Berlin

I moved from Japan to Berlin in the late spring of 2019.

It was also a time when I was struggling to make a living by switching from a life where I received a fixed monthly salary from my employer to a freelancer.

In a new environment, I desperately tried to cut down on my daily living expenses while cutting down my savings. Nice place (although the rent is never cheap).

At that time, I didn't want to ride the train as much as possible, so after that, until I got a bicycle, I walked around the city for hours from the flea market to the Asian supermarket, from the bookstore to the kebab shop, from the pharmacy to the hardware store. Every day I fall asleep exhausted.

Now that the corona crisis continues, I feel nostalgic.

At that point, I suddenly realized something.

The streets of Berlin are littered with things. I often see things suddenly out of place in random spaces such as apartment entrances, under the eaves, and in front of shrubbery.

It can be clothing, tableware, or furniture, but sometimes it is put in a cardboard box, a paper bag, or it is thrown directly on the cobblestone.

Occasionally, there will be a sticker, usually saying something like "Take it freely" or "You can still use it."

This seems to be a common sight in Europe, and it's a culture of reuse, where people put things they no longer use on the road and let people who want them take them.

If you go too far, the scenery will be bad, and if it rains and there is no roof, the unnecessary items on the street will become genuine garbage, so it seems that there are many people who do not like it, but they do not want to spend money. At the time, I had to stock up on daily necessities even though I didn't want to use them.

This is a really interesting city where you can see the unbridled freedom, but the unique value standard that can be said to be alternative capitalism smells like body odor.

The graffiti-covered walls, all the vending machines that aren't easy to use, the cobblestone roads that are likely to give you a concussion if you ride a bicycle, and the clothes of the people who walk them smell that smell.

I'm weak in history and geography, so I can't say anything sloppy, but the 155km wall with the Brandenburg Gate as the boundary is related to the city's past, which was divided and ruled by capitalism and socialism. It may be.

A hard-looking loaf of bread on top of a utility box, upside down to minimize ground contact. The air of this city made me imagine the kind message that this bread contained.

Picking up daily necessities on the roadside in a foreign country

Now that I'm starting to get used to the city, I get excited and search the streets for what I want.

After two weeks, I was able to figure out what kind of things were in what places, and even became able to find what I needed.

"This colander is nice in color, but it's small. If you think about using it for draining leafy vegetables, it might be easier to use that one even if it's a little older."

"This clothesline has a broken pole, but it's stronger than before and can be folded, and if repaired it should be able to dry a lot of laundry."

I was so indebted to this custom that I was worried about which one to bring back after comparing things on the street.

For some reason, I couldn't find a draining colander at the supermarket or general store. A large teapot with a cool persimmon astringent color. German necessities, a laundry drying stand where indoor drying is common. A simple and useful black polo shirt. 2 plastic stools.

I picked up these items, washed them, wiped them down, repaired them if necessary, and used them imagining their previous owners.

Are new things cool?

I certainly need a lot of things to live, so it was difficult for me to earn enough money to buy them all. I picked it up and was finally able to mend my surroundings.

I am so grateful to the people of Berlin for keeping it within my reach.

It's a fun city because you're using the public roads to get people you've never met or talked to receive things they love for free.

When picking something up, there's no need to be terrified, thinking, 'Wouldn't it be silly to squat down on the side of the road to pick up something like this?'

When you find it, rush straight ahead and hold it in your arms saying, "This is mine now!" When he is troubled, he proudly folds his arms and looks at him as much as he wants, like a connoisseur.

If you leave a bargain you find on your way home, you'll never see it again.

This is a big mattress. Strangely familiar with the scenery.

Berlin is a city where you can live like this, and depending on the situation, there are people who choose oldness over convenience, so I guess that's why the streets look so interesting.

Fight Club's Tyler Durden once said, "The things you own end up owning you." If you think about it and try to get along with things, it may change a little.

"Thank you, goodbye, see you" to the next person.

Things have a longer lifespan than humans, depending on the material they are made from, and at least I think it's better to keep your favorites old rather than new.

Sentence / Natsuko Yamane

Just a feminist who edited journalism and culture magazines. Realizing his own misogyny, he temporarily moved to Berlin. I like writing and drawing.

Editing / inox.