An experience that made me laugh while living in Japan
Is humor universal?
This is a true story of an experience that made me laugh while living in Japan. It is seen through the lens of a foreigner (Canadian).
Dear Diary: New Year's Shopping 20-years ago
It was a cold winter day in Japan when my girlfriend (now wife) took me to my first year-end sales event called “Fukubukuro.” This sale is similar to Boxing Day, but instead of deals being scattered throughout the stores, they are mainly found in “Lucky/Happy” bags. This event lasts much longer than Boxing Day sales.
Generally, Fukubukuro draws large crowds. It’s an extremely noisy and crowded affair, with old tape recordings playing on loudspeakers, and door greeters shouting “welcome” at the top of their lungs in their helium-inflated voices, deafening the ears of unfortunate customers.
For a person like me, this is a kind of hell.
After I understood what this event was all about, I had to escape. I politely excused myself from my girlfriend, who was still intent on shopping, to flee the pandemonium.
A Sea of Bicycles
Outside of the department store, it was just as crowded as inside. However, instead of a large crowd of people, the outdoor courtyard was filled with bicycles, creating a mechanical sea. Hundreds of free-standing bicycles crowded close together, as if they too were trying to keep warm from the cold. I was amazed to see so many of them.
The people of Soka truly love their bikes!
As I stood there people-watching, I lit up a cigarette. More and more people arrived, leaving their bikes at the edges of the mass, venturing forth in search of their lucky treasures.
Inevitably, there was bound to be some unlucky shopper who needed to leave.
I watched as a middle-aged woman, laden with her many Happy bags, emerge from the department store to carefully navigate her way through the mass of bicycles to find her own.
As fate would have it, this lady must have been one of the first fortunate shoppers, because her bicycle happened to be in the center of it all. I remember severely doubting that she would be able to get to her bicycle, never mind taking it out. I could also see that same doubt reflected on her face, even from the large distance that separated us.
I remember thinking, don’t do it! Don’t go in.
Did I say these bicycles were free-standing?
Despite my silent pleas of warning, she decided to push on. She was determined.
Luckily, she was able to find her bicycle and unlock it successfully, even while precariously juggling her bags and purse. The next part involved trying to extricate her bicycle.
She was being extremely cautious.
Oh, how I wanted to go and help her get out of that mess. Generally, I am the first to assist wherever I can, but there were three reasons why I didn’t dive in to help.
1) I saw the futility of this whole endeavor. It was an impossible situation.
2) I didn’t know any Japanese; I couldn’t even say stop.
3) I still had a lit cigarette, and that would have been rude. Wouldn’t it?
At this point in time, there were some onlookers. People stopped what they were doing, and like myself, couldn’t believe that she would be persisting.
And then it happened
Her Happy Bags were shouldered, but her purse, her biggest bag by far, knocked over the nearest bicycle. This led to a domino effect with every bicycle in the courtyard!
The noise was loud and sharp on that wintry day, echoing off the large walls with a metallic clangor.
Once the tidal wave of falling bicycles and it subsequent echoing had subsided, a pitiful whimper escaped from the shocked lady, who was at the center of the chaos. Her bike was the only one standing.
At this point, I laughed.
Don’t get me wrong! I didn’t laugh out loud. I immediately bit down on my inner cheeks to stifle the laughter that bubbled up within, but I couldn’t help myself. I just found the extreme, ludicrous event that unfolded before me too amusing.
In the End
I left the shocked lady and metal wreckage behind as I re-entered the department store in search of my girlfriend. I wouldn’t know where to begin to help that unfortunate lady.
If you, the reader, were the victim of this incident, I apologize for finding amusement in your misfortune. I also feel guilty for not offering aid when it was needed, both before and after. Nonetheless, please know that you have provided me a happy memory that I will never forget.
The End
For more articles like this, you can find it on the blog site Note.com which are written in Japanese. https://note.com/austin_sensei
If you are interested in my YouTube content, you can find it on this link here. https://austinworx.com/brett-austin-youtube-austin-worx/
Discover more from Austin Worx
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.