Firefly in Japan on the Your-Japan Blog Network

I was out having a drink with a friend on Saturday night. We were sitting down talking and having an enjoyable chat - well, I was talking, my friend couldnt take his eyes off the Coyote Ugly DVD that was playing on the TV - and I noticed the group of 3 people sitting at the next table.

There were two girls, one was fast asleep, and another was nodding politely listening to this Japanese guy talk, and talk, and talk, and talk. I began to listen to him, and I began to understand why the other girl was fast asleep.

In any case, there was a flair show at the bar, which was brilliant. Two guys juggled some bottles around and did some flair, and blew some flames and stuff, it was awesome. Actually it was a really good little bar - some very creative and tasty cocktails and friendly staff. It’s right near the MacDonalds, and we got a 20% discount with the flyer they were handing away outside.

After the show, the Japanese guy (who was still talking) noticed me. He started singing the Queen song which was playing, and his accent seemed decent, so I said "nice singing, do you speak English as well?" He pinched his fingers together, and said "little !!!". I nodded.

He asked me some questions :

Japanese Guy (English) : Do you speak Japanese?
Me : Yes.
Japanese Guy (Japanese) : REALLY? YOU JAPANESE SPEAK?
Me : Uhh, yes.
Japanese Guy (Japanese) : AMAZING ! HOW YOU LEARN JAPANESE SPEAK?
Me (Japanese) : Hey man, can you like, talk to me normally?
Japanese Guy (Japanese) : HAHA ! TALK NORMAL OK.
Me (Japanese) : No like, just talk normally.
Japanese Guy (Japanese) : HAHA ! OK.

At this point I turned to his friend(the girl who was awake), and I said :
Me (Japanese) : He seems to be struggling a bit with Japanese - does he speak well?
Girl (Japanese) : <laughing> Not too well, no.
Japanese Guy (Japanese) : HAHA ! WHAT?

It was a fascinating study - this guy could not compute the fact I was talking and understanding regular Japanese. He had an idea stuck in his head that he needed to talk to me like a child or an idiot so I could understand him. It miffed me.

By this time, my Japanese friend Sou was talking to the other guy.

Sou (Japanese) : Yeah, so I’ve lived in America for a while, where I learned a lot of my English skill.
Japanese Guy (Japanese) : Really? Wow. You were living with people who spoke English?
Sou (Japanese) : Well, I was living with Americans, so most of them spoke English !
Japanese Guy : Hahah!
Sou : Hahah!
Me : Hahah!

Then the problems began.

Japanese Guy (Japanese) : WHAT YOU LAUGHING?
Me (Japanese) : What??
Japanese Guy (Japanese) : BEFORE YOU LAUGHING. IT FUNNY - SEEM LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND OUR CONVERSATION!!!
Me (Japanese) : Of course I understand your conversation. Whats wrong with you?
Japanese Guy (Japanese) : HAHA YOU SPEAKING GOOD JAPANESE.

I gave him the flattest, most irritated look I’ve probably given anyone.

Japanese Guy (Japanese) : HAHA WHAT YOU DRINKING? I BUY YOU ONE.

I guess that he sensed on some level that he was doing something stupid, and wanted to make up for it. I graciously accepted the drink, politely thanked him, and tried to avoid his conversation afterwards. Some people can be incredibly ignorant!

I don’t like it when people smoke close to me. I’m all for freedom, and liberty, and all that shit, but when I’m in a crowded space, and someone lights up a cigarette and forces cancer down my throat, I get touchy.

If someone smokes at home, whatever. If someone smokes in a restaurant in the smoking section, ok cool. If someone smokes at a club, sure, it’s a club. However when you’re in a crowd, and as Tokyo-ites will atest to, you’re in a crowd most of the time in Tokyo, I think it’s unbeliavably rude to light up a cigarette. People who don’t like smoke, or have a medical aversion to smoke have no escape, and it causes all sorts of tension and stress for the inhalee.

To combat this social issue, the Japanese government is pushing "manner smoking". I’m sure many Japanese dont even recognise that smoking right beside other people is a problem, to the dismay and trouble of foreigners(and other Japanese) who live in close quarters with our smoker counterparts in the claustrophobic metropolis of Tokyo.

In fact, this used to be such a problem at Hachikou, Japan’s most famous meeting place, that they have installed a large "Smoke Area" to the left-hand side. This Smoke Area draws all of the smokers away from the crowded area, and gives them ash trays, and various "Manner Smoking" messages, such as : "Your cigarette burns at 400 degrees celsius, and it’s held at the height of a child’s face", and my personal favourite, "I wouldn’t suffocate a person with my natural gas on purpose, why would I do the same with cigarette smoke?".

These measures have improved the situation, but smoking culture still flourishes. Of particular interest is a shop called "Smoke Zone", where thousands of people go to smoke. It’s like a coffee bar, but instead of a nice cup of coffee, you smoke a cigarette. I’m convinced this would fail in any other country except Japan. However, it keeps the smokers off the street, and the smoke out of my lungs.

I have a mild form of Asthma, which means that the tubes in my lungs occasionally react to smells and wheeze up, making it very difficult for me to breath. It just so happens that smoke causes this condition. It’s great to see that Japan is slowly becoming more conscious of these social issues, and making positive steps to improve the situation.

Ganbare Nippon !! *cough cough*