TNT!: The Kindness of Strangers

Went to the greatest city in Japan (reputedly) in the weekend J it was awesome. Not so much the city, but the company – didn't actually get to see much of the city! That'll be the next trip…

But, at the beginning, it was a little stressful. Public Transport in Japan is meant to be one of the best in the world I think, and it seems to be. There are trains and buses and planes all over the place easily - accessible and running most if not all days of the year. Only thing is that I am still grasping this language and tackling a little bit of shyness to speak it even when I can. There are three options to get to Tokyo – by train the whole way; by train and then switching to a cheaper bus, or bus by the whole way. The cheaper way is by far the bus and if I take the train a little further down, I could get the bus later on in the day… So that's what I choose! Getting onto the train was no problem – but the getting off bit freaked me out a tad. I couldn't figure out when I was meant to get off; whether the stop had past or whether it was still coming – talk about on the edge of my seat! I was almost jumping off the train at every stop! I didn't though, and when we pulled into the last stop; every single soul got off the train, so I guessed I would get off and thankfully I was in Iwaki (first note to self: check out the train timetables for names of stops and learn them in Kanji).

Sweet! In Iwaki – not exactly Tokyo, but I kinda felt that I had gotten SOMEWHERE! Hehe. Next, I had to find the bus that was going to Tokyo… I pulled out my trusty Japanese Phrase Book and found a phrase that would help:

"Which Bus/Boat/Plane/Train goes to _ _ _ _ (add City)?"

Perfect! Ahh, I'm invincible, this is gonna be a synch! I got rushed out of Iwaki train station with everyone else – quite a whirlwind that – and spotted a bus depot and a crap load of different bus stops. So I walked in, waited in line and said my awesome little phrase books phrase:

"Konnichi wa… oh (realized I didn't have to say that..) ah… Sumimasen (trying to get attention when the lady at the counter is already sitting in front of me and looking directly at me)… um… Tokyo yuki no bas wa dore desu ka?"

~~ This is when the lady at the counter breaks into full blown Japanese accompanied by hand directions out to the bus stops, pointing at me and her computer (second note to self: never think things will be easy and plan a few steps after the first one)~~

Having no idea what she was on about and realizing that I hadn't even THOUGHT about how I was going to translate anything anyone answered me with; I tried to just say "Arigato Gozaimasu" and sneak away. But low and behold, there was no way she was going to let me do that and continued to talk faster and louder in Japanese – so I just smiled at her and try not to laugh! The poor lady was getting more and more agitated so I decided to show her my ticket in my wallet and she calmed right down; she put me in a seat at the depot and told me a whole lot more Japanese – which seemed to have worked before on me, so, you know, justifiable, and gestured what I was imagining as "Stay, stay, staaaaay…." Haha.

10 minutes before the bus was due to depart, I was kinda getting a bit concerned – I had to figure out what to do to find my bus stop and my Bus! Just then, another person came out and said to me "Tokyo!?", which I completely understood and replied with a "Hai!" and a leap up out of my seat (glancing back at the other lady to see if she was going to start her little "staaaay" dance again). I was taken to a bus and put on it – the driver was spoken to quietly (because, better not let me overhear some more Japanese) and with a 'aahh, so desu neee" from the driver, some nods and bows, I was off onto Tokyo!

Needless to say that when I arrived in Ayase where my cousin lives, we went off to dinner followed by bars and karaoke with a good amount of alcohol to ease me right (third note to self: Beer and Gin don't mix, but Brad and Karaoke do!!). I had a ball the whole weekend and really relaxed, was so awesome to catch up with my cousin and escape from my small town for a bit. The trip back was a lot less action packed, but still had some help from strangers that saw a lost foreigner at the train tracks and directed her to the right train and which station to get off at.

Gotta love the kindness of strangers.