Vincentt

Well as part of the Japanese government’s new comer hazing, all foreigners are required to register with the local civic center. You have to do this within 90days of entering Japan. You also need this paper work if you wish to receive a cell phone, something that is required in Japan. The college I’m going to doesn’t offer to help with this kind of thing, so it was up to me to find this place on my own.

The first time I tried to go I thought “it doesn’t look that far, why not walk.”
This resulted in a 3 or 4 hour adventure in which I was lost in Tokyo. The roads in Japan have no real organizational system, and they don’t bother to name streets. Nothing like asking “what way is Mejiro?” only to be given a strange look then someone pointing way off in the distance “that way… far.”

After a few days I was ready to go again, I had since purchased a bike and was ready to ride to the office. This time it was already a cloudy day, and about the time I was an inconvenient distance the rain started to fall. It was a real nasty rain too. So I turned back. I was soaked but riding anymore in that rain couldn’t have been good for me.

Third time is the charm right? Well this time I was going to take the bus, it goes directly to the civic center (I didn’t know this before) and is really easy to find. So I find the bus stop, and board with no problems. I walk to take my seat. The person sitting across from me is an old Japanese man. He is staring at me, so I look out the window etc. After a few minutes I look back and he is still staring at me I decide I’ll try to help the situation. “Nice weather today isn’t it?”
His response was “Yeah.”
“Where From” he asked me in English.
“America”
“Japan” he said with a big smile.

I smile and look out the window; I’m worried about getting lost etc so trying to look at landmarks.

I turn back and he is staring at me again
“Where From” he asks
I pause, and then said
“America”
“Japan” he said with a big smile

I was not sure what to say, the man was staring me down, and I don’t know what kind of conversation to start.

“Here” he said
“Pen”
At this time he handed me a pen. I refused but he insisted, so I took the pen.

“Where from?”
“America”
“Japan” with the same big smile

At this time other people in the bus have noticed what is going on, I saw some small smiles of people pretending not to notice.

By now the bus has filled more and more, while most of the seats have room for two, no one wants to sit beside someone else. I move to sit next to the old man, so that another seat would be free.

When I sit down next to him I take my map (poorly drawn on a napkin) to re-read the place I need to get off. The old man looks, so I show him too. He looks at it for a while then makes me worried by not being sure of where this place is. I ask someone else on the bus if this was the right stop; she said it was 3 stops away.

Now, several school girls have since boarded this bus, elementary school kids. They are standing, and the old man notices and begins to call out.
“Hey, there is an empty seat right here” in Japanese of course
The girls were a little scared (of the old man, or maybe even me, or maybe they just wanted to stand), and they said
“No that’s alright.”

Again
“Where from”
“America”
“Japan”

Now he called out again to the girls
“Hey there is an empty seat here, come on and sit down.”
“No that’s alright” they say
“Don’t worry he is a good gaijin (foreigner), don’t be scared of him.”
When he said this several people on the bus were smiling despite trying their best not too.
I saw an older woman really enjoying it.

After a bit more coaxing, the old man has called the girls over. I didn’t understand some of the things he said I was still kind of shocked about the overall situation.

“He is from America” He remembered!
“He is a good gaijin” ugh
“What do you think?”
The girls didn’t respond.

There was a conversation about how hot it was, and the old man tried to give one of the girls a pack of tissues… twice. But she said he was fine, she had a handkerchief.

I didn’t speak much to the girls, I figured creepy old man was enough for them they didn’t need a creepy gaijin bothering them too. He went on about a few things, said I was a good gaijin again. This time he said something about white skin and maybe blond hair.

It came to my stop, I bolted, and that is where the interesting part of the story ends.

Now this isn’t the most interesting story ever, but it happened to me.
It is really long now that I read over it.

But I believe this portrays just how long it felt to be there.

-Vince in Tokyo

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