From the Judges:
“It is often said that class differences are largely kept invisible in Japan, and negative feelings suppressed, for the sake of overall harmony. Dave Tampus Pregoner’s musings about a homeless Kyotoite who happens to help a wayward tourist are effective in lifting the curtain on this social phenomenon. His winning submission underscores the humanity of Kyoto’s homeless residents, reminding us that no one can escape the whims of fate which determine those who progress in life, and those who do not.”

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What Remains to be Seen

You didn’t want to be called a tour guide. You were a local ― a native of this thousand-year capital who pulled the attention of tourists like me until you could draw to yourself our liking. 

You spoke with ease and grace―your words were history and pride and honour, because what else could you say but the things we wanted to hear? So, when someone looked disinterested in those temples and shrines, you couldn’t afford to show a revolting presence because you were simply a nice person.

You limned your city’s image to be as inviting, even if it meant you had to witness how we looked with pleasure at the very things that made up the banality and boredom of your day-to-day life. 

As you pointed to the rays of sunlight passing through the towering bamboo trees in Arashiyama, I couldn’t imagine the days when you walked down the busy streets of your flourishing city, but no one ever saw you in light.

You said thousands of tourists made offerings and prayers to pay respect to the gods at a shrine situated beyond the wooded forest of Fushimi. But how awful it should be for natives like you to go unnoticed by the same crowd of people who make you feel alone each day. 

 Why are you homeless? I asked. 

You lifted your glass of beer―an attempt to bottle up your thoughts on a rare night off between a visitor and a native―and yelled kampai!

After the spree, I got lost in the middle of Kyoto Station. I called you and asked how to find my way back home.

We’re all homeless in ways we didn’t know, after all! You laughed. 

I wondered if that drunken joy was your only way to rise from your everyday ruins.

Images provided by Dave Tampus Pregoner

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Dave Tampus Pregoner is a Filipino Assistant Language Teacher based in Akita City, Japan. He writes poetry, children’s stories, and some random thoughts about food and travel. When bored, he practices speaking in Japanese around his lovely plants.

For the full list of this year’s competition winners, click here. For this year’s original competition notice (with prize details), click here.