Monday, September 5, 2016

Japan day 5, Sep 5 - Rude awakening

I have come to the conclusion that you haven't lived until you've been the source of a Japanese man's anger. Let me clarify a couple things first:
1) I say man because that's the experience I had... I can only assume that if you make a Japanese woman angry, her ghost will kill you and mercilessly spread said killing curse for all eternity (à la The Ring, The Grudge, etc etc).
2) He has to be angry, but not ready to burst an artery. I'm thinking more in the realm of social faux pas (or vagrancy in my case)... Like if someone just continuously forgets using a coaster on your grandmother's special coffee table.

I woke up blinded by a flashlight in my face with my head dangling a little backwards. I was suspended in the air, allowing for my head to tilt slightly towards the floor (the uncomfortable way since I was on my back). I saw black shoes and black slacks, and I heard a man angrily grumbling in Japanese... Really it was as if he wanted to yell, but he was not comfortable yelling.

Setting the scene, I was really just sleeping on four cheap plastic chairs lined up in a row. I was on my back with my head hanging a bit over the edge and wrapped up in a mummy bag. Sounds more exciting the other way, right?

The only thing I remember hearing and understanding was "English??!" And "why here??" Then he quietly stormed off and left me exhausted and sleepily wondering if I could just go back to sleep. He came back and seemed to be seething... I could sense that. However, his actions just didn't seem to have the vocabulary of someone capable of tossing someone off the premises (granted it was pouring rain and the patio premises were under the building in a town with maybe 10 people in it).

After a solid two minutes of me just sitting there utterly confused and him either staring at me, pacing, or looking in closets... Doing anything and nothing to stave off his seeming discomfort, he turned to leave again and curtly said "no stay" and wandered away.

Still sitting there in the same dumbfounded position, I got up, inspected the rain, and when he returned, began slowly packing my things. He stood there flashlight on me... Just staring. Then he began to babble in completely broken English and began walking away and out of sight. He did this THREE times before I cautiously followed him, ready to be walked to the nearest police office like the dirty mongrel I am. Striding like an Olympic speedwalker, he arrived at the tiny one room bus stop, opened the door, and frustratingly said, "please, sleep," clearly completely overwhelmed and agitated by my presence.

I thanked him and went back and slowly packed up my things. I ended up wandering for a solid hour just to make sure he had gone (it was only 10pm) before deciding that it really was the best place for me to sleep given the weather.

And that's I ended up sleeping indoors! And learned that even when angry, the Japanese have sure got some manners.

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