365 Days of Japan, Day 1

By Rita H. Chen

 

She squirmed in the plush blue seat of the airport express train, torn between wanting to press her face up against the window and reclining back in her seat.  Another wiggle and she decided to go with the second option.  After all, this was her first “real” job out of university and she wanted to make the best impression she could with her new colleague.

Her colleague, another Canadian teacher by the name of Greg, had picked her up from the airport when she first arrived in Japan, and was now making mundane conversation about her decision to teach English in the country. Her attention mostly captured by the moving scenery of her new home, she answered his questions half-heartedly until he said something that made her head snap to his face in surprise.

“I’m sorry.  Could you repeat that?”

“I said you never forget your first day in Japan.”

“Right. But after that?  I mean, I’m not sure I heard what you said correctly.  Um.  You said you went to the convenience store and, uh…”

Greg’s grin was innocent, but his eyes were amused.  “Bought a can of beer and picked up a porno magazine?”

“Yes.  That?”

“What about it?”

“Oh.”  She hesitated.  “Nothing, I guess.  I mean, never mind.  Just forget it.”

“Okay.  Hey, did you know that porn here isn’t as good as the porn back in Canada?

Rachel blinked, again unsure of whether or not she had heard him correctly. Then she blinked one more time when she realized that once again, she had.  “Um.  No, I didn’t?”

“Well, it’s not.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.” As Rachel wondered why Greg didn’t see anything wrong with sharing his apparent love for pornography with a woman he had met less than an hour ago, the man continued, “And you know it’s legal to drink on the streets here, right?”

Finally, something that didn’t shock her.  “That I did know, yes.”

“Good. Because it’s the best fucking thing ever. One of the greatest things about this country.”

“I don’t really drink though…”

Greg laughed. “Well, you’re going to here. Trust me, you’re going to love it.”

***

Ninety minutes into the trip and she found herself discreetly checking the leather watch on her wrist every few minutes. After the express train dropped them off at Ueno station, Greg led her to another platform and then ushered her onto the Yamanote train line. After a brief ride, he led her off the Yamanote train and onto another train line that, while not as packed as the Yamanote line, still contained enough people to make her feel claustrophobic.

She wanted to ask Greg how much longer the trip was going to take but fearing that it would sound like she was sick of his company, she kept quiet and willed herself to stay awake just a little longer.

Luckily, Greg was too engrossed with his cell phone to notice her waning conversation skills. As he punched away at the keypad, he grew increasingly agitated. Finally, he said, “Am I crazy? Do you think I’m being crazy?”

“Uh…what?”

One thing that Rachel had figured out about Greg in their brief time together was that he seemed to suffer from severe ADD. He would jump from topic to topic without much rhyme or reason. It also didn’t help that she had a hard time relating to any of the topics he spoke about, having grown up in the church as she had.

“My girlfriend wants to go clubbing with some friends in Roppongi. Roppongi!” He gazed at her intently, as if willing her to feel the same outrage he did.  When she stared back at him blankly, he asked, “You do know about Roppongi, right?”

Rachel felt a little offended at the question. Didn’t people think she would research the country she was going to live in? “Yes, of course. It’s the place where all the foreigners go. But I don’t see what the big deal is?”

“Well, I don’t want her to go there. I mean, she obviously likes foreign guys,” Greg said with an emphatic point to his chest.

“Right…”

“So I told her that I don’t want her to go. And she told me I need to trust her.”

“Ah.”

“I’m being reasonable, right?  Right?  What do you think?”

Rachel flinched. Ignoring the inappropriateness of her dishing out relationship advice, she said carefully, “I think it’s okay to express your opinions.”

“But do you think I’m going overboard?”

“Um.  No, I think you should be fine. I mean…even if your girlfriend doesn’t agree with you, I’m sure she’s secretly happy. Girls love it when their boyfriends are possessive.  It shows that they’re, uh, wanted.”

Greg finally turned away, satisfied by the words that sounded ridiculous even to her.

She muttered a quick apology in her head to the unknown girlfriend.

 ***

Seven minutes into their walk from the train station, and Rachel was already beginning to rethink her decision to come to Japan.

I know that sexual perversion is fairly well-accepted in Japan, but this is ridiculous, Rachel thought as she tried her very hardest not to look at the erotic movie theatre across the street from where she was standing.  Greg was inside a convenience store (just what was it with him and convenience stores?) and had told her to wait for him outside.  The erotic movie theatre, complete with a poster of a naked woman who had her lips parted in a moan and her hand strategically placed over her crotch, made her instinctively hug herself as if she was the one exposed for the world to see.

She really didn’t want to think that Japanese people were as perverse as the rumours said, but this movie theatre, and the three hostess clubs she had already passed, seemed to suggest that every single word of the slanderous gossip was true.

It also didn’t help that she had yet to see a supermarket but had already walked by two pachinko gambling parlors since leaving the train station.

She frowned and peered inside the lit premises of the convenience store, silently willing Greg to hurry up.  She wanted to just get to her apartment so she could finally get some rest.  And maybe take a shower to wash the dirty off of her.

As if hearing her thoughts, Greg strolled triumphantly out of the convenience store with two cans of beer in his hands.  “Drink up!”  He shoved one of the cans at her. “It’s your first night here and we gotta celebrate!”

Greg then popped the tab of his own can open and took a big swig, obviously having no qualms whatsoever about drinking when he was technically on the job.

Rachel hesitated and then shrugged. What the hell. So what if she didn’t like alcohol and this was inappropriate as hell? The whole evening had already been a lesson in inappropriateness anyway. Might as well embrace the whole crazy experience. Popping open the tab of her own beer, she tilted the can against her mouth and took a small, tentative sip. Her eyes closed unconsciously as the cold liquid hit her tongue in a flavour that was bitter but not overpowering. Surprisingly good.

When she opened her eyes again, Greg was smiling at her, a hint of deviousness in his handsome face. “Can’t do that in Canada, eh? Welcome to Japan!”

To be continued.

Rita’s Musings: Believe it or not, what happened above is all true.  More to come.