Randomality of Delight 1983 Christmas Eve in Tokyo 1983 Written in early 1984 Dissonance
Life is predictable one moment at a time,
chaos is revealed when moments combine I promised an answer to your question...
On Christmas Eve the Tokyo train station was nearly empty while we waited for a ride to Yokohama. The weather outside wasn't quite frightful, but biting cold and far too windy to stand for long. We hid from the wind as much as possible and still froze, standing close with arms wrapped around in a three-way hug. The big sign shielding from the wind didn't run all the way to the ground. Critical parts below the waist were numb. Fingers and toes soon lost feeling. No misery now can spoil the once in a lifetime adventure earlier this day.
Our train pulled into the station to completely block the wind. It was a welcome relief. Hit by a blast of heat as the automatic doors slid open, we smiled and rushed inside. A safe city yet a car to ourselves was unwelcome. Crowds are safer. The door at the forward end of our car slid open as the train accelerated away from the platform.
Three young men entered and stared for a moment before approaching our seat. They must have seen us waiting on the platform and came to... what's their intent? It was a tense moment which quickly ended when they spoke. All we could do was apologize for not understanding Japanese. They were laughing and examining us. Laughter is difficult to interpret. Was it light-hearted or sinister? We couldn't tell. Their culture and language were too foreign to discern intent.
There was a great deal of tension on our end. With one mind we stood to either greet or defend. The young men's demeanor altered, still without revealing intent. Their discussion changed tone. Laughter ended. They bowed casually and left the car through the rear door. Were we fortunate to avoid conflict or did we miss an opportunity? Will they return? The seat was abandoned in fear of their return. We rushed forward through the doors into the car ahead where the company of other passengers provided a sense of safety.
There was curiosity among the passengers in this car. Several spoke English and translated for the rest. Many questions were answered. They all wanted to know what three Americans were doing on a local transit system.
When our ship pulled into port there was a large civilian protest against nuclear weapons. It was on TV news and front pages of newspapers for the last few days. Images of our rusty old non-combatant ship entering port had become the rally point of a political movement. We'd been briefed. Don't even admit that you're in the US Navy. We've never heard of that ship... we're here for a frozen vacation. Three men yes, but a man and two women were not suspected of being US military.
A woman pulled items from her grocery bag. Japanese culture is an endless series of social mandates. It's often difficult for outsiders to interpret, based on our very different cultural background. Offering fruit, crackers and cookies to strangers on a train was likely a social requirement, but were we correct to decline the offers? Encounters with everyone in the car were all smiles and very happy... and filled with concern over our lack of experience with their society. Are we good representatives of our culture?
The rear door of the train car opened and everyone stopped speaking, staring at the three young men returning. We have our answer. Trust your first impression. Their intent was not friendly. It makes sense now, why all of the small number of passengers were together in one car.
Standing nearby they stared and spoke between them as they'd done before, then sat on the seat in front of ours, still staring at us. As a subtle confrontation we three stood as one without even a look between us. Our intent was clear. The three bullies left the car. Conversation resumed.
Several stops nearly filled the train. Focused observation breaks through cultural barriers. It became easy to recognize the antisocial groups of passengers. Just watch the reactions of the people who live here. It was a parade of punks passing through the cars, looking for victims, the weak or unusual, like foreigners.
The rear door opened. This time was... unusual. Loud and clear with holiday cheer, two female voices were heard singing a Beach Boys song in perfect English.
Well, I saved my pennies and I saved my dimes
Giddy up, giddy up 409
For I knew there would be a time
Giddy up, giddy up 409
When I would buy a brand new 409
The door closed. The duet was silenced in the air, but not in the minds. Smiles reigned supreme and all eyes fixed on the rear door of this car.
The rear door opened again...
When I take her to the track, she really shines
Giddy up, giddy up 409
She always turns in the fastest times
Giddy up, giddy up 409
My four speed, dual quad, posi-traction 409
The rear door closed...
Moments passed...
The rear door opened...
Went to a dance, lookin' for romance
Saw Barbara Ann, so I thought I'd take a chance
With Barbara Ann
The rear door closed...
The rear door opened yet again and two young American girls danced into the car. Much louder than before:
She's got a competition clutch with the four on the floor
And she purrs like a kitten 'til the lake pipes roar
And if that ain't enough to make you flip your lid
There's one more thing, I got the pink slip, daddy
Some of the passengers in the car knew the songs well enough to sing along, even though they didn't speak English. The 12 year old girls were ridding the train on Christmas Eve for one reason, to create a memory with each other which would last long after their friendship was gone.
The train slowed for a station stop. The conversation with these sweet girls was over. They weren't traveling far from home, just between two stations, miles apart. Time to catch the next train in the other direction to find a new audience.
We had concerns... bullies were watching the girls. Yokohama can wait. We three stood and followed the girls onto the platform, but we didn't clear the door. Three bullies were pushed back into the car as the doors closed. We stopped them from following the girls.
By night's end it was too late to get back to Yokohama. Our second adventure of the day was playing guardian to the girls, so they could create their own happy memory. We walked them home down cold dark streets and then found a cheap hotel room. The original plan was breakfast in a posh restaurant in a Yokohama hotel, after a long luxurious night together.
This is my answer to your question: "How did we end up eating Christmas breakfast at a Tokyo McDonalds?" It's also our excuse for not meeting you all at the hotel in Yokohama.
Randomality of Delight, indeed!
