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Geelorius day
A new day so why not a new font?
So, yesterday, I did the complete Pachinko ride from Nishi Nippori to Shinagawa. It was ace. Very very tiring indeed. On the way, it was scorchingly hot and stiflingly humid. It took about 30 mins to Hibiya park where I stopped off at a little stall selling drinks and snacks. I asked the lady for a "Ramone", which is Japanese English for Lemonade, and she replied rather rudely, "Eh??!!". Then she understood what I had said and gave it to me. I said, "It's very hot isn't it?" to which she replied, "Yes, well it's summer, isn't it?". I countered her remark with, "Yes, but it's too hot!". She laughed and told me to put my empty bottle in the bin. Hmm. "She's a bit rude", I thought to myself and the trees. I sat and pondered whilst I drank my ramone. After a while I became hungry and thought this was a good way to break the ice between the stall lady and me. I bought a strawberry thing, then said, "I've just ridden from Nishi Nippori!". To which she replied, "Ahh, you've come from there, have you? How long did that take you? About 40 minutes?". "Yes, about 40 minutes. Now I'm off to Shinagawa". "Ah, you have friends there?" she asked. "No, no, going to play Pachinko", I replied. Then she laughed and told me she never plays because if she spends 10,000 Yen and loses she feels bad - she could buy some clothes with that money! Some other customers came at this point and on my way off, she said, "arigato ne, ki wo tsukete. moukaruyouni" ( goodbye and take care and I hope you win ). This is becoming my current obsession : To grow conversations out of the dust.
So, on I went. Along the way, I got a bit lost, so I asked a postman for directions to Shinagawa. He pointed me in the right direction, a little hesitantly, and I rolled on. But, once again, the obsessive conversation grower came into action, and I rolled back and asked him where his post round was. I swear I'm losing it. But I think maybe this runs in the family. So we had a little chat, and once again I was offered a "ki wo tsukete" as I left. In Japan, this is a friendly espression a bit like "take care". I set off again, the words "ki wo tsukete" turning over and over in my mind, and crashed into a bus!
I did't crash into a bus.
I arrived at the "House of Sin" 30 minutes later, and sat like a zombie for....too embarassed to say. But it includes the words ten and hours.
So, it was 9:30 pm by the time I headed out onto the streets again. Now, it was like walking by an oven when the door is open : Flippin hot! On the way back I stopped off and had a sausage curry. I passed Tokyo Tower, all lit up like a Christmas tree, and zoomed down the slopes around Kanda and Ochanomizu, and made it home for 11, absolutely exhausted.
posted by PA on Sunday, July 18, 2004
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