04-09-2006 (cont.)
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The ferry over to Shodoshima was really nice, it even had 2 sit down arcade machines on board! A Metal Slug 2 machine and some other old games in a Neo-geo 4 slot cabinet-- さすがだね！Sasuga da ne! So, the ride is a little over an hour and as enter I am immediately scanning for who I will sit next to for the duration of the trip. I catch a glimpse of a girl that appears to be about the same age as me, passing by she sits in a row a few feet ahead of me. Perfect, I go up to her and say, 隣、いいですか？“tonari, ii desuka?” (Mind if I join you?) She says help yourself and I do- we start talking. First we are talking in Japanese and I find out that she actually lives on Shodoshima (people actually live there!?) and she has been studying English (ok), but the funny thing is: she could fend for herself rather well in English, a lot better than many people I have met in Tokyo, I later find out that she is a student of the notorious NOVA 駅前学校 ekimae-gakkou, (More than 6 yrs to be exact) but recently had to give it up when she started the current job she holds down on the island.
She teaches 7 and 8 yr old kids. The conversation was going smoothly- I could tell that something might happen- you know, when you get that feeling and you feel that the other person feels it too. Sometimes you’re just completely off and it’s embarrassing, and then sometimes it may just turn into a day you’ll never forget for the rest of your life- well, sitting there talking to her I felt more like it was the second type. She was being nice and very helpful, telling me about all the tourist attractions and where the few “must see” places of Shodoshima were, and then all the sudden she says, “Well, I have my car near the port. I can drive you to see the beach if you want.” (Oh, mikey want) I say, “No, are you sure it’s ok? I don’t want to put you out or anything” she says again that it’s no problem and that was that- suddenly we were off for a little romantic walk on the beach date out-of-nowhere.
The remainder of the trip I ended up showing her the pictures I carry around with me (to let the Japanese people I meet know that I have family and I am not crazy), and we chatted all the way to Shodoshima. She seemed like a loner, I could tell, she mentions that often she’ll go alone to a certain beach for a 気分転換 Kibun tenkan (To get away, clear her head)- she also had to be willing to move all the way out to a remote island like this, having her own apartment and holding down a decent job at 23. Pretty damn good for a Japanese girl, and attractive.自立した女の子 (Jiritsu shita onna no ko).
So, we get into her car, which is this cute little vanilla mini-sport van and we are headed for Angel’s Road! Playing in the car was this CD I had heard before and liked at the time, I can never remember the artist’s name, and it’s a damn shame too. We get off at the beach and it is beautiful, I can’t help but wonder silently to myself where this all may be going, she had mentioned on the ferry that she thought I looked handsome in the pictures I showed her- and I said she was attractive as well. I mean this has to be more than driving me to the beach because she feels bad for me right? Still wasn’t sure…
The beach was so, so nice. It was kind a big elongated island with little mountainous regions scattered all over it, and the shoreline was rocky and full of pebbles as you walked down to where the water splashes up on your feet. Bigger rocks sticking out of the water just enough to let you hop from rock to rock and get far enough out to feel like you’ve accomplished something nice. The sun came out from behind the clouds and started to shine down on the beach. We continued walking down the beach together; all we talked about was how nice it was. (Meaning, together, with each other here on the beach, to be exact- that feeling)
Reference:
さすがだね- (Sasuga dane) could translate to "just what you'd expect", or just in this case something like, "that's Japan for ya"
隣、いいですか？- (Tonari, ii desuka?) is a question that literally means, "Is the seat next to you OK?", but of course implies "Is it OK if I join you?" Nice little phrase, mikey likey.
NOVA駅前学校- (NOVA ekimae gakkou) literally means Nova station-front schools, the "station-front " part is added my its adoring public as NOVA is rarely seen in other other place than near your local train station. It get annoying seeing one at EVERY station you get off at. They hire anyone anywhere to teach English and have a notorious reputation for shoddy business and accounting. A way to get to Japan, but not something I would ever recommend to a friend.
気分転換- (kibun tenkan) is another great phrase that can mean anything from a nice day at the hot springs to a night out with a hooker. Depends on YOUR definition of a kibun tenkan! But, in all seriousness, it means to be refreshed, get away for a moment, clear you head type retreat.
自立した女の子- (jiritsu shita onna no ko) The last "onna no ko" part of course means woman, and the first, "jiritsu shita" refers to one that is independent and self-reliant. Trust me, kinda hard to find.. even though that is the trend now.
More to come…