The next day, January 6.
In the early morning, fine snow like willow catkins fluttered down, melting into water the moment it touched the ground, bringing only bone-chilling cold but no captivating snowscape.
Those clad in cotton-padded jackets and down coats hurried through the snow. The road, slippery from melted snow, caused many to fall, but passersby indifferently sidestepped and continued on their way.
Very Japanese.
These office workers might seem pitiful, but they were several times luckier than those unemployed at home.
Yet, there were even luckier people.
Those were the high-class workers residing in high-end places like Fujiu Apartment; they either drove their own cars or took taxis, with no need to walk or squeeze onto trains.
A silver-gray van stopped in front of Fujiu Apartment in Shinjuku Sixth District, and three people dressed as gas company workers, wearing hats and masks and carrying toolboxes, headed towards the apartment's main entrance.
