Beware of fire

Recently we have been hearing a strange sound outside our home. At first we thought it was someone just kicking something along the street - we have lots of high school kids passing by. Then we kept hearing the sound at exactly the same time every evening - 8.10 to be precise. One night David popped his head out to see a man walking along banging two wooden sticks together. Every evening, same time, same sound. Curiosity got the better of us so the other night we opened the window and asked him what he was doing. And he explained that men in the area take it in turns to go round the streets each evening from the beginning of December to alert people to the danger of fire and to warn them to be careful to turn off their heating (usually kerosene-powered stoves) or at least ensure it is safe before bed time. House fires are not a rare occurrence in Japan; some houses are old and made in such a way that they can catch fire easily. With modern houses and safer heating, the risk is not nearly so great as it once was but the community service continues in our area. This is the first time we have ever come across it. We enjoyed our chat with the 'fire prevention' man. Maybe we will have a chat again some evening.