04-08-2006 (Part I)
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So, I actually ended up meeting with Hiromi-chan, 稗田先生(Hieda Sensei's) lil sis, in this kinda Inaka of a beautiful little town called 観音寺(Kaonji). She had said that if I could find some way to make it to the station that she could pick me up in her car, and also that her mom wanted to come along. The train there was kinda expensive though. Just from 伊予西条(Iyosaijo), where I was at, to 観音寺 was about 1300 yen. 11 bucks or so. ha ha, I kinda had thought I figured out a way around it but it didn't work in the end. They are really serious about ticket checking iin the more rural parts of Japan. However I gotta say that in the super rural areas of Japan they don't check, often there is just no one there checking. I think due to the 不景気(Fukeiki), and the fact that many of the businesses in the rural areas are failing, a lot of people just don't have money, like I said before, you would never notice in Tokyo but the economy is really hurting. So I'm sure a lot of kids try and cheat the train system. Also, and this is the biggest factor, being the only 外人(gaijin) on the train, I'm kinda hard to lose, I mean they watch me like a hawk- when I get on, when I get off. I haven't pretended that I don't speak Japanese, which is like a last resort, like "why don't you speak English? I don't know what your saying", but when I start running low on cash, like seriously low, I may have to.
So, truthfully, I really wasn't sure what to expect from this little encounter. But, I was sure of one thing I had to be super 元気、陽気(Genki, Youki), and talk the whole time. Luckily it came pretty easily- when I finally reached Kaonji, it was a hour and a half train ride, there was this strange Gaijin standing alone in the corner of the station that looked like shit. lol. seriously, I guess what I mean is he looked like Forest Gump after he had run across America. The first time I passed by him we really didn't pay eachother much attention at all, I went outside the station to see if the Hieda's had arrived yet and then came back in. I went back and tried to start a conversation with this dude. It was really wierd at first, I mean he was kinda being a dick. Like he had JUST put his earphones on and I KNOW he haden't tured on his MP3 yet, but he was pretending like he couldn't hear me- I started in Japanese, and then in English, the guy was actually like smirking to himself, 超にやってた、気持ち悪ッ. then he took off his headphones and I started moving closer and closer, making it impossible for him to ignore me. He said, "Yes?", and I replied, "No...I just was wondering what your story is that's all, do you live here?", because seeing another Gaijin out in the middle of Shikoku calls for a bit of explaination. It's just impossible to get your head around the idea that there could be other foreigners out there doing the same exact thing you are, and then you happen to RUN into them at a station like that...
He finally speaks, "No story, just trying to listen to some music here"- lol, we've got a comedian here folks, alright I see how it is and just as I was going to let him enjoy his personal time he starts talking. I mean he hits the ground flying, he's talking a mile a minute and I'm just playing the uninformed good listener, and he drops the Japan KNOWLEDGE on me. haha, he was actually saying some interesting things but I never really had a chance to join the conversation. So, eventually, I was starting to think "how can I make my gracious escape here?", and that I would really be nice if I could before the Hieda's show up. Some interesting facts this guy had mentioned: you can take a train from Narita Airport all the way to the bridge that connects Honsyu to Shikoku for 170 yen, a dollar fifty, the base price. There are price adjustment machines at pretty much every station around Japan, so it seems plausible that if busted you could say that you were just going to cash out on the other side. Then he said that really the ride will take all day so when you finally arrive it will be late, the ride takes all day, and there is never anyone there checking your tickets at night. Maybe so, maybe so...
Just at that moment I notice this cute girl that seems to be about my age come walking through the door, she then looks at me, then Forest Gump next to me and catches fright! She obviously thinks, mistakenly, that we are together. Her eyes are bugging out and I'm thinking, "wow, she really looks like Hieda Senei", but remember quickly that I have to resolve this and get her back down to earth. I say, 稗田さんですか("Hieda-san desuka"). No reply. I think that she's still a little shocked as she keeps looking over at the guy standing next to me. Then, "Hieda-san desu ne", and then じゃ、行きますか(Jya, Ikimaska?)- she come back to life and suggests with her eyes to the guy next to me like, "Is he coming too?", I shake my head no and say let's get going one more time and just then her mom comes up. I ended up meeting them both right there in front of the station. I knew they were really nice people- sometimes you just know, you know? It could be in the eyes or smile, but I think I have a good sense for reading people- ex. like the guy next to me- he's the type of guy that you know his breath will stink even before he opens his mouth, ha ha, but no, really the mom just was soo sweet and they warmed up to me right away, reminded me of my grandmother Nana, I mean no one will ever reach that level but they were super nice people. Heading back to the car I noticed a slight, brief, shared look between the two of them, smiling, seemingly pleased. Like thank god this guy is not a wierdo and that he can speak Japanese.
They had this cool little red car- it was a little wagon, a little sport, originally I thought they might be driving Hieda Sensei's Skyline, no luck though, I'm sure she probably sold it long ago, back in her college days. So, a few years ago I guess... At first I sat in the back with the mom. We were just making some convo. chewing the fat 世間話(sekenbanashi). About how the cherry blossum trees are in full bloom and how beautiful they are, etc, etc. How, to me, the Inaka is so much better than the city...
To be continued..
Reference:
観音寺- (Kanoji) A cool little place in the center of Shikoku Island, check out this map for the position.
不景気- (Fukeiki) Recession
外人- (Gaijin) Japanese for foreigner.
元気、陽気- (Genki, Youki) Genki is like healthy, happy, etc. Youki is even more, like visually Genki- cheerful, energetic.
稗田さんですか- Are you Hieda?
じゃ、行きますか- Ok well, should we get going?
世間話- chit chat, small talk
So, I actually ended up meeting with Hiromi-chan, 稗田先生(Hieda Sensei's) lil sis, in this kinda Inaka of a beautiful little town called 観音寺(Kaonji). She had said that if I could find some way to make it to the station that she could pick me up in her car, and also that her mom wanted to come along. The train there was kinda expensive though. Just from 伊予西条(Iyosaijo), where I was at, to 観音寺 was about 1300 yen. 11 bucks or so. ha ha, I kinda had thought I figured out a way around it but it didn't work in the end. They are really serious about ticket checking iin the more rural parts of Japan. However I gotta say that in the super rural areas of Japan they don't check, often there is just no one there checking. I think due to the 不景気(Fukeiki), and the fact that many of the businesses in the rural areas are failing, a lot of people just don't have money, like I said before, you would never notice in Tokyo but the economy is really hurting. So I'm sure a lot of kids try and cheat the train system. Also, and this is the biggest factor, being the only 外人(gaijin) on the train, I'm kinda hard to lose, I mean they watch me like a hawk- when I get on, when I get off. I haven't pretended that I don't speak Japanese, which is like a last resort, like "why don't you speak English? I don't know what your saying", but when I start running low on cash, like seriously low, I may have to.
So, truthfully, I really wasn't sure what to expect from this little encounter. But, I was sure of one thing I had to be super 元気、陽気(Genki, Youki), and talk the whole time. Luckily it came pretty easily- when I finally reached Kaonji, it was a hour and a half train ride, there was this strange Gaijin standing alone in the corner of the station that looked like shit. lol. seriously, I guess what I mean is he looked like Forest Gump after he had run across America. The first time I passed by him we really didn't pay eachother much attention at all, I went outside the station to see if the Hieda's had arrived yet and then came back in. I went back and tried to start a conversation with this dude. It was really wierd at first, I mean he was kinda being a dick. Like he had JUST put his earphones on and I KNOW he haden't tured on his MP3 yet, but he was pretending like he couldn't hear me- I started in Japanese, and then in English, the guy was actually like smirking to himself, 超にやってた、気持ち悪ッ. then he took off his headphones and I started moving closer and closer, making it impossible for him to ignore me. He said, "Yes?", and I replied, "No...I just was wondering what your story is that's all, do you live here?", because seeing another Gaijin out in the middle of Shikoku calls for a bit of explaination. It's just impossible to get your head around the idea that there could be other foreigners out there doing the same exact thing you are, and then you happen to RUN into them at a station like that...
He finally speaks, "No story, just trying to listen to some music here"- lol, we've got a comedian here folks, alright I see how it is and just as I was going to let him enjoy his personal time he starts talking. I mean he hits the ground flying, he's talking a mile a minute and I'm just playing the uninformed good listener, and he drops the Japan KNOWLEDGE on me. haha, he was actually saying some interesting things but I never really had a chance to join the conversation. So, eventually, I was starting to think "how can I make my gracious escape here?", and that I would really be nice if I could before the Hieda's show up. Some interesting facts this guy had mentioned: you can take a train from Narita Airport all the way to the bridge that connects Honsyu to Shikoku for 170 yen, a dollar fifty, the base price. There are price adjustment machines at pretty much every station around Japan, so it seems plausible that if busted you could say that you were just going to cash out on the other side. Then he said that really the ride will take all day so when you finally arrive it will be late, the ride takes all day, and there is never anyone there checking your tickets at night. Maybe so, maybe so...
Just at that moment I notice this cute girl that seems to be about my age come walking through the door, she then looks at me, then Forest Gump next to me and catches fright! She obviously thinks, mistakenly, that we are together. Her eyes are bugging out and I'm thinking, "wow, she really looks like Hieda Senei", but remember quickly that I have to resolve this and get her back down to earth. I say, 稗田さんですか("Hieda-san desuka"). No reply. I think that she's still a little shocked as she keeps looking over at the guy standing next to me. Then, "Hieda-san desu ne", and then じゃ、行きますか(Jya, Ikimaska?)- she come back to life and suggests with her eyes to the guy next to me like, "Is he coming too?", I shake my head no and say let's get going one more time and just then her mom comes up. I ended up meeting them both right there in front of the station. I knew they were really nice people- sometimes you just know, you know? It could be in the eyes or smile, but I think I have a good sense for reading people- ex. like the guy next to me- he's the type of guy that you know his breath will stink even before he opens his mouth, ha ha, but no, really the mom just was soo sweet and they warmed up to me right away, reminded me of my grandmother Nana, I mean no one will ever reach that level but they were super nice people. Heading back to the car I noticed a slight, brief, shared look between the two of them, smiling, seemingly pleased. Like thank god this guy is not a wierdo and that he can speak Japanese.
They had this cool little red car- it was a little wagon, a little sport, originally I thought they might be driving Hieda Sensei's Skyline, no luck though, I'm sure she probably sold it long ago, back in her college days. So, a few years ago I guess... At first I sat in the back with the mom. We were just making some convo. chewing the fat 世間話(sekenbanashi). About how the cherry blossum trees are in full bloom and how beautiful they are, etc, etc. How, to me, the Inaka is so much better than the city...
To be continued..
Reference:
観音寺- (Kanoji) A cool little place in the center of Shikoku Island, check out this map for the position.
不景気- (Fukeiki) Recession
外人- (Gaijin) Japanese for foreigner.
元気、陽気- (Genki, Youki) Genki is like healthy, happy, etc. Youki is even more, like visually Genki- cheerful, energetic.
稗田さんですか- Are you Hieda?
じゃ、行きますか- Ok well, should we get going?
世間話- chit chat, small talk