電車アホ子

Today I write from Himeji, quite far away from where I awoke this morning. I was able to finally visit Ganryujima and complete the last of my pre-planned sightseeing. The serenity the island deserves was unsurprisingly compromised by the modern Japan surroundings - many tall cranes and warehouses lined the cement coasts of Kyushu and Honshu. There was enough greenery on the island itself, and I found it good to take pictures from low angles to capture the life-size statues of Musashi and Kojiro with only the blue sky as their backdrop. There was a wooden boat left on the rocky shore with a length of timber like the one that Musashi fashioned into a weapon prior to the duel.

The remainder of the day was spent traveling via local train along the southern coast and reading. The normal fare would have been at least 7,000 yen but using my "Youthful 18" ticket, it comes to about 2,000 per day. Of course, it takes much longer to get around, but you can do fun things like stop at Himeji and visit the castle in the morning before continuing onward. The other thing I enjoy more and more is people-watching on the train. You never really talk to them due to social convention, but it makes the environment all the safer for my hobby.

Speaking of safe, today was the first time I saw anything dramatic occur on a train. I have on occasion witnessed some "non-Japanese" (being violent, loud, cying, etc. in public) but of course completely human behavior - which can usually be attributed to Japan's relationship with alcohol. The first time I was surprised by an outburst was walking in front of the station late one weekend, when a guy who was drunk and upset about something kicked a plastic safety blockade and it shattered, loudly scattering pieces into the street. If he'd kicked anything else, I doubt it would have drawn the attention it did from everyone nearby.

Today's event was something much more frightening. On the train headed from Hiroshima, there were two young guys sitting together across the aisle from me. Another guy was squatting over the floor in front of the door to my left (in spite of available seating) and quiet for most of the trip. They all looked around 20 years old, but if you aren't covered in wrinkles, everyone in Japan does too. I was reading a book (about body language, funny enough) when the squatter gets up and walks straight over to the nearest of the two seated guys in front of me. He's leaning way into the other's personal space, looking down at him and starts speaking. You don't have to know a language intimately to tell that someone's pissed off, I only wish I could have understood it well enough to say what was on his nerve.

Suddenly, the standing guy reaches his arm back and punches hard into the wall just above the guy's head. To give him credit, the seated guy didn't flinch too much, nor did he strike back in response. The rest of the train car drops to dead silence, and a surge of adrenaline makes me lower the book from my eyes. A few very long seconds pass. The guy yells again, pulls his foot back and kicks into the bottom of the seat just between the guy's legs, making another horrible crashing sound. After receiving no response, he turns and goes back to the squat, mumbling on about them. The pair got off at the next station and the agressor at the next.

The various passengers were still in a state of shock even after everyone involved had stepped off. Nobody addressed the incident while it was happening, but I was surprised that it was so hushed afterward. It makes me wonder had a fight broken out, if they would have done anything beyond staring like deer in headlights. Most Japanese come equipped with cell-phones right out of the womb, but could they really call for the police? Maybe getting a hold of the sole conductor would have been a better bet, but he was at the other end of the train (and busy operating it)! Due to this, my guess is things could have turned ugly - especially since the victim's friend was there and he probably would have jumped in. After thinking over the various ways it could have played out, I'm thankful the guy kept his cool and was humble enough not to escalate anything. I might have tried to break them up if they began to fight, but of course I didn't want to receive a blow like that wall did; I'm also sure the cops wouldn't be too keen on seeing a foreigner involved in any kind of violence with natives...

Most interestingly, nobody seemed under the influence of alcohol. (I wonder where that guy will be in a few years?) The whole event left me unable to return to my reading, so I instead tried to think of how I could have helped to defuse the situation peacefully. Reminds me of Densha Otoko - you should read a bit about if you've never heard of it before. Perhaps anyone who knows the story will be more willing to intervene should such a situation arise before them.