The train was packed butts to balls with Japanese "salarymen" (suit types), fresh from their after work binge drinking sessions.
*Japanese salarymen/women work from wicked early until fuckin' late, and usually once a week they go out for dinner/drinks with their co-workers, and get super trashed.
Usually the last train is packed, and on the trains Japanese people (usually polite and demure) turn from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde. This goes doubly for the denizens of Osaka, who are busy "salt of the earth" types. I've been cut you off plenty of times by obaa-chan (grandma) with a well placed elbow to the midsection. The image of Japanese sardines should be conjured up here (see previous post - how to Tempura Fry Sardines).
So there I was, swaying to and fro in a sea of stanky cigarette and booze breath. The place reeked. Just as I was trying to tune out, there was a gurgling sound behind me, glug glug glug. I turned around just in time to see this salarywoman burp up a little bit of purple puke and catch it in her hand. Whew, close one lady! Too much red wine at the enkai, methinks. Then, to my astonishment (picture this happening in slow motion), she covers her mouth to stifle the mass exodus of purple used-to-be-sushi-rice-seaweed-godknowswhat-mixture. Have you ever put your thumb over the end of a garden hose? You know how when you do that, it increases the pressure of the water and the distance of the stream?
This is what happened to the lady.
Luckily, I was to her left, and avoided most of the carnage... and unluckily for the people standing in front of her. This was like watching the Japanese Train version of The Exorcist! Hoooooaaaaaaahh! This one poor guy, his entire suit changed color from grey to purple-chunk in an instant. About three people were completely doused before the shower ran dry. Gross!
Then funniest thing happened - nobody did a thing! Nobody starting screaming, "Ew gross" and the people who got doused didn't say a word. AND, nobody helped out the woman at all (I gave her tissues, and a plastic bag). It was so strange, everybody acted as if nothing happened. This other guy, who had it all down his back and backpack rode the train for another 40 minutes, just standing there as is. I know that in the US, if this had happened you would have a whole train car screaming bloody murder. Weird huh?
So since then, I've been wracking my brain on why nobody did a thing. Here's a few of my thoughts:
- Maybe some Japanese people are super polite and don't want to make the woman feel like even more of a dipshit by making a big deal of it.
- Maybe some Japanese people get too embarassed (shared embarassment?) and it's stops them from helping somebody in distress.
- Or maybe some Japanese people don't want to stand out by making a stink of it, or help somebody if nobody else is doing it.
Anyway, I'm still thinking things over, but it was an interesting experience.
Funny thing is, this Japanese guy Masa, who has an awesome website (http://masamania.com/) took photographs of the very same thing happening. I highly encourage you to check out his site, it's got some very interesting (and funny) ruminations about Japanese life.
credit to: http://masamania.com/Well, I certainly learned my lesson on that one - whatever you do, don't ride the last train home!
2 comments:
And yet another possible explaination: Everyone on that train thought,"Oh hellll nnaawww." But did not vocalize. Ne?
Oh god that is disgusting. And very Japanese for noone to say anything. Purple you say? Weird..
Post a Comment