Most foreign residents in Japan have probably been called upon to perform duties with a neighborhood association ¡ª known here as a ³¦³ó¨²Ô²¹¾±°ì²¹¾± or jichikai.
The nature and extent of these duties vary widely from council to council. American Matthew Apple picks up trash and pulls weeds with neighbors in the Nara countryside twice a year. Moreover, meetings lead to barbeques and other enjoyable gatherings.
Others don¡¯t feel so lucky. When assembled for neighborhood chores, John Williams, a retired kindergarten principal from England living in Gifu, recalls: ¡°Women would split into natter groups, and a few disgruntled-looking lone Japanese men looked sorry they couldn¡¯t be out playing golf. Nobody really seemed to be doing much.¡±
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