Home Ownership

　　I wrote about a Hungarian couple in the last entry. On the next morning when they lodged at my house, I had to go out for work and my wife took them to a highway interchange so that they could easily catch another car for hitchhiking. The woman of the couple was a very good Japanese speaker and my wife was very talkative. My wife told me what they chatted about on the way that night. According to my wife, they did away with their possessions which were large and they couldn't carry, like furniture, some thrown away, others were sold. As a result, their fortunes were packed in their only two backpacks! They hadn't even decided yet where they'd go and live.
　　It was simply astonishing for me. Working hard at a certain place and getting home ownership is a basic bargain of Japan, which if you work hard, you can get ahead - you can build a secure life for your family, and your kids will do even better someday. Ordinary people in Japan always think how they can build on the cornerstones of what it means to be middle class in Japan. It leads to a secure retirement even for those who aren't rich. How did they see my house, which is a little larger than average. I wonder if it might be a burden of life for them.