You can live for years in a major city without knowing such a thing exists, but in more tranquil, less distracted settings, an unexpected ring of the doorbell as likely as not signals a neighbor bringing the kairanban (回覧板), an irregularly circulated newsletter put out by the local neighborhood association. It reminds us — whether we like to be reminded or not — that we are not merely individuals but part of a community.
The bell rings, my neighbor and I exchange bows, and there I stand in possession of the kairanban. It consists of several B4-size sheets fixed to a clipboard. Now, to be honest, I am in my community but not of it — a typically modern, if deplorable, attitude. The kairanban comes and goes with little more than a glance from me.
But owing to a certain circumstance, I've acquired a sudden interest in kairanban. Of the circumstance, more in a moment. Meanwhile, I scan this one with unaccustomed eagerness.