Story from Japan

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:22 pm

This story was originally posted on my livejournal account, http://kevinrich.livejournal.com, but I wanted to share it with you guys as well as I just found it unbelievable that something like this could happen:

'd like to tell you a story about what happened to me while I was Christmas shopping today. I had Japanese class this evening, but my afternoon was free. I decided to finish up my Christmas shopping (almost done!). I took my brand new bike, the one with all those nifty features, and rode to the Nishijin Elemall (that's a mall, if you couldn't figure it out). Before I went in, I locked the built-in clamp on my back tire and went inside.

Now, before I continue, I'd like to talk about some of the news reports I've been reading from the United States. I promised myself that, while I was gone, I would not concern myself with the various goings-on of my home country. Guess what? I lied through my teeth. I read the news more NOW than I did when I was THERE. There are little stories that take up the "odd news" sections of the various news outlets such as people throwing pigs at desk clerks in hotels. They bring a pig into a hotel then they throw it at the desk clerk. Then they laugh and run away. A somebody stole a Baby Jesus figure from a neighborhood nativity scene and replaced it with a beer can. A life-sized Santa Claus decoration had its head run over by vandals. The mother of all of these stories involves several teenagers who beat a homeless man to death because, and I'm quoting here, "they were bored." These are the news-making stories. It's not even news when college kids drive past a couple on foot and chuck a beer can at them, when some idiot puts a flaming bag of dog doo on a person's doorstep, or when people go around smashing mailboxes from their cars. This stuff just happens. And, with the exception of the brutal murder of the homeless man, we just accept it as the norm. It doesn't surprise us, because we expect it.

Now back to the story at hand. I was used to people screaming "Get a car" at me when I rode my bike in the US. I saw someone urinate on the wall across from my dorm room back at NIU. One time, a group of friends I was with dodged a beer thrown at us from a moving car. While living in my apartment in DeKalb, someone actually dumped coffee on the cars in the parking lot (thankfully, before I started driving the Lincoln). But none of that could prepare me for what had been done to my bike while I was out shopping for Christmas cards and presents for all of you. While I was inside, it had started to rain. The rain had since slowed to a drizzle, but it was obvious that it had really been coming down. At first, I couldn't even FIND my bike. This is nothing unusual, most bikes look very similar here. Then I found it. Exactly where I'd parked it. For a moment, I thought that I had to be mistaken. Nobody would do this to another person's bike. I looked more carefully. All of the identifying marks were there. Most tellingly, the seat was still adjusted to my height. I tried the key to the lock. It fit and the bike unlocked. It was my bike alright. But someone, as it was starting to rain, took a bag from another store, and tied it over my seat so that it would not get wet.

Most Japanese bikers purchase special covers for their bike seats as they're often parked outside in the rain. I had not bought one, as I had never had to lock a bike up outside for long periods of time. But someone saw a bike that didn't have one of these covers and tied (it wasn't just blown on to the seat by the wind, somebody had actually tied the plastic bag over the seat) a shopping bag to keep the seat dry. I thought that perhaps that the mall had somebody who just did that, but the bag was from a department store across the street.

If you needed any more evidence of why I love this country, I don't know how much more I can provide. It's the little things. Instead of letting the air out of your tires (as happened to me when I worked at a mall), they tie grocery bags over your bike seat to keep your butt from getting soaked.

Legion · Post by **Legion** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:39 pm

wow!

that's pretty cool.

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 5:19 pm

Can't say I'm surprised that the culture that lets everyone park their bikes everywhere without having to lock them would also spontaneously perform good deeds like that.

So what are you saying, you don't like a bit a the ol' ULTRAviolence, mate? And you call yourself an American. :P

Seriously though, what about this thought I just had: America has a violence fetish, Japan has a sex fetish. We're just obsessed with different things.

Of course, that would only work if Japan also had a multibillion dollar industry selling copies of Ultimate Fighting Championship and Faces of Death out of a dingy old shop. lol

So what are these nifty features on your bike? The server seems to be down when I try to access your blog.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Wed Dec 13, 2006 8:16 pm

Yes, that's the good will that this country, the US, is loosing by the day.

It used to have it. Ask our parents.

It's not just your new home country, Professor.

In many countries around the world, you see this kind of good will. When I was in Kyoto, the practicality of it all is what struck me most. No senseless acts, even on the smallest scales.

Because most of the world doesn't have the time to pull **** over on people. They just want to survive.

We could learn a lesson from other peoples around the world. But we won't.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:10 am

Yaya wrote:Yes, that's the good will that this country, the US, is loosing by the day.

It used to have it. Ask our parents.

It's not just your new home country, Professor.

In many countries around the world, you see this kind of good will. When I was in Kyoto, the practicality of it all is what struck me most. No senseless acts, even on the smallest scales.

Because most of the world doesn't have the time to pull **** over on people. They just want to survive.

We could learn a lesson from other peoples around the world. But we won't.

Well put. People here seem genuinely content to wake up in the morning, go to work, then enjoy themselves until the cycle begins again the next day. I would love to know the the secret.

...in the past, I would have typed "I would kill to know the secret." How very strange.

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:59 am

Off the top of my head, I would say the cultural tradition of working together and teamwork in Japan vs. the cultural tradition of competition in everything, but in particular money and material wealth. I think the pressure and the need for more is what makes people not live for today.

So does this mean you're not going to tell me what kind of cool features your bike has?

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:19 am

Shanti418 wrote: So does this mean you're not going to tell me what kind of cool features your bike has?

In the US, one of my favorite activites was biking. I would bike anywhere and everywhere for hours. Rain, shine, show, heat, etc. It was my prefered method of transportation, my hobby, and my excercise all rolled in to one. Despite overwhelming reasons not to be, I found myself getting homesick after my first month here in Fukuoka. I don't miss the country, but it was more difficult to leave everyone I've ever known than I had expected. So my awesome girlfriend bought me a bike. Bikes are not the same in Japan. MANY people use them as their methods of transportation (as driving is a royal pain) and the market allows for this. My bike has a large basket (which I have to call a trunk for psychological reasons

), a headlight, and a lock built right into the rear wheel. It has helped greatly. Last week, I biked until I came upon a mountain. Then I biked up the mountain path. When the path ended, I hiked the rest of the way up and came upon a shrine. Beyond the shrine was a view of the Pacific Ocean and the other islands of Japan.

Have I mentioned how great this country is?

Eline · Post by **Eline** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:42 am

Great story!

I too live in a country where everyone rides a bike. I go to work, grocery shopping, visiting friends etc, all on my trusty bike. Love it! And everyone does it, so no yelling at you (as long as you obey the traffic rules).

But there is quite a lot of random violence and bike-theft here, unlike Japan. My trick is to have a rattling old bike badly spray-painted in an ugly lime-green. Not very attractive to steal.

It must be great to live there.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 1:40 pm

Good plan! I'm hoping to get some more biking in tomorrow. There are still mountains left unclimbed here in Fukuoka!

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 3:24 pm

If you want a model of a near perfect society, visit Singapore.

You just don't pull **** in Singapore.

However, a corollary, and an important one Professor to all this discussion, is you can't let your guard down either. Anywhere, anyplace. Evil is everywhere all the time, maybe just in lesser quantities.

I've been burned a couple times in my travels abroad, getting inadvertently lulled into a false sense of security by the overall friendliness of a people, only to find that there are always bad apples in the bunch. Harsh reminders.

Always look for the good in people, yes, but do so with caution.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 4:14 pm

You make a good point. Though it's nice to not have to worry about being suspicious of everyone all the time.

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 7:12 pm

I think I must not have it as bad as you guys down here in Texas. I mean, sure, we have our share of violence and moral depravity, but generally strangers are quite nice to each other. We say hello and make eye contact to most anyone we pass up.

But that's neither here nor there:

How does that bike lock built into the wheel work? I'd love to have one of those.

I love biking too, although I've just got into it this year. I've got a cool little Gary Fisher mountain bike.

So I take it by your story that it's relatively easy to find some non-urban biking? My massive media induced generalized version of Japan only has room for large, overcrowded cities and the occasional pagoda. lol

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:44 pm

Shanti418 wrote:I think I must not have it as bad as you guys down here in Texas. I mean, sure, we have our share of violence and moral depravity, but generally strangers are quite nice to each other. We say hello and make eye contact to most anyone we pass up.

I lived in Texas for three years, in Dallas. Nice people unless you're not Texan.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that yes, the people of the U.S. are nice good people overall, but the level of general trust amongst the nation is in a downward spiral. As a community, there is a lack of solidarity because it's everyone for themselves. In my short life even, I have noted a change in people. This competitive drive to outdo, to out-accomplish those around us, and to take advantage of the weaknesses and misfortune of others has become too commonplace.

We got [composite word including 'f*ck'] suing people left and right for the stupidest things. A car accident happens, and suddenly a mild neck strain becomes paralyzing and retribution is unjustly demanded. We got insurance companies and big businesses taking advantage of the common man's helplessness. Not to say this isn't happening in Japan, but the U.S. is supposed to be an example for the world, is it not?

Yes, now and then, I see hope. Someone putting themselves in harms way even, to help another human being. But how few and far between those experiences have become.

In places like Japan and Singapore, there is less of the above. Being honorable is something strived for. If someone is a scoundrel, they are secretly a scoundrel, not openly so. Because being honorable is tatamount.

Visit a third world nation, and you come to find something hard to find here in the U.S. No, not a lack of a sewer system. You find simplicity. Yes, you find hardship, but also a refreshing simplicity to life. And you find community, because that's the only way countries so depraved can survive.

At least these are things I have garnered, traveling abroad.

I always felt that, if someone had money, they should forgo the big house or big car and see the world, see other people, other nations. Because it's just so eye-opening, so inspirational.

And in many ways, liberating.

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Thu Dec 14, 2006 9:25 pm

I agree completly, except to say that I'm in Austin (from San Antonio originally), and I think North Texas should be its own state. Those guys are lame. :P

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:12 am

More nice people!

I went to the post office to mail out some Christmas presents to some people and the belt of my overcoat came loose and was just hanging off the side of my coat. No big deal; it happens all the time. A nice old lady came over and said, "samimosen, betru?" "Excuse me, your belt." Satisfied that, yes, people here are as great as I think they are, I fixed my belt, thanked her profusely, "arigato, gozaimas!" and went about my day.

It really does seem like people aren't out for themselves here. Sure, there's the thought that self-preservation is important, but the good of the community seems to come first. The "Screw everyone who isn't me or someone I care about" does not exist here.

Car accidents are another thing that just boggles my mind. In the US, car accidents happen all the time. Big, little, doesn't matter. While biking, I would get hit by people (usually in SUVs) on a fairly regular basis. Every few weeks, I'd have one of my friends tell me about a car accident they'd had. Looking around at traffic, I'd see the marks on other people's cars; scratches, dings, and other assorted damage. Not here. Car accidents in Fukuoka are incredibly rare. And this has me crazy trying to understand it because the way people drive looks terrifying. You've all heard the stereotype about Asian drivers? Well just about everyone drives like that stereotype here...but it WORKS.

Overload.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 4:53 pm

Professor Smooth wrote: Car accidents are another thing that just boggles my mind. In the US, car accidents happen all the time. Big, little, doesn't matter. While biking, I would get hit by people (usually in SUVs) on a fairly regular basis. Every few weeks, I'd have one of my friends tell me about a car accident they'd had. Looking around at traffic, I'd see the marks on other people's cars; scratches, dings, and other assorted damage. Not here. Car accidents in Fukuoka are incredibly rare. And this has me crazy trying to understand it because the way people drive looks terrifying. You've all heard the stereotype about Asian drivers? Well just about everyone drives like that stereotype here...but it WORKS.

I know! When I was in Kyoto, I was freakin amazed at the skill of those drivers. I mean, it's a thing of horror and a thing of beauty at the same time. But most amazing of all is that accidents were so rare! I remember one accident, and I remember the taxi driver getting all excited and pointing like it was Godzilla or something.

Only in Pakistan have I seen drivers rival the Japanese.

And do the doors still open by themselves on the taxis over there?

Impactor returns 2.0 · Post by **Impactor returns 2.0** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 5:03 pm

come to the UK, we can drive, we are the home of motor sport. - so can the Japs tho, and fair play, they actually understand cars, unlike yanks,

When I read your statement about the US Yaya I wanted to know if you felt the more cosmo cities like New-York were the same, or do u think this is more of a middle america kinda thing?

We dont seem to suffer the same values here in the UK, take sport for example.

In america its the 'winning that counts' but in the UK its the 'taking part' - I think that mind set has alot to say about how americans behave.

Yaya · Post by **Yaya** » Fri Dec 15, 2006 9:09 pm

Impactor returns 2.0 wrote: When I read your statement about the US Yaya I wanted to know if you felt the more cosmo cities like New-York were the same, or do u think this is more of a middle america kinda thing?

I think its something brewing throughout all of America, to be honest, with smaller towns a little better off.

In cosmopolitan areas, where in general people tend to be more educated, its more of a dog eat dog atmosphere. There is a preponderance of intellectuals in areas like New York and Philadelphia, and unfortunately, back stabbing and underhanded methods are quite common. There is emphasis on material gain. It's hard to be just to people when they are unjust to you and it's everyone for themselves.

Middle America and the South suffer something different. There is more community, but with it, bigotry and ethnocentricity. This idea that because we are American, we are better than anyone else. Alas, most of America population-wise live in these areas. Explaining why someone like Bush can win a second term.

Obviously, these are generalizations. But one can easily spot the trends.

In america its the 'winning that counts' but in the UK its the 'taking part' - I think that mind set has alot to say about how americans behave.

That's true. The UK is quite different in that regard, and better off for it, I might add.

angloconvoy · Post by **angloconvoy** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 1:28 am

Sometimes Japan is really good like that, but on days where you just want to be left alone it can be a little tiresome. That said, I was in the gym the other day, and one of the japanese guys wasn`t happy with my form on one of the weights (the one which I`d always had a problem with), so he came over and adjusted everything for me (without even saying a word) and corrected my form. Just a regular guy. Times like that I love it here. Although, in Tokyo the bike thing would never happen, but from what I hear Fukuoka is a fair bit nicer. Also, the ladies from Fukuoka are very pretty (and I`m not just saying that because that`s where my current girlfriend`s from). Gotta love them Kyushu girls.

Incidentally Smooth, if you`re ever in the Tokyo/Chiba area feel free to give me a shout.

Professor Smooth · Post by **Professor Smooth** » Mon Dec 18, 2006 5:52 am

angloconvoy wrote:
Incidentally Smooth, if you`re ever in the Tokyo/Chiba area feel free to give me a shout.

If you're ever in Fukuoka, or even just the island of Kyushu, feel free to do the same.

In one of the weirder odd-jobs I've taken on since being here, I played Santa Claus for a group of children today. Apparently, even though Santa Claus is both black and white in the US, he's a 6 foot 4 inch skinny white guy in Japan.

Who knew?