So the terrible news should come first:
This morning, the train was delayed for 30 minutes because somebody jumped in front of it.
You read about this happening in Japan all the time but when you actually experience or are affected by it
actually happening, well it's very unpleasant.
On the way home, as the rapid express train was approaching, I stood near the railing and watched the headlights come closer and closer. It seemed like it was taking forever for those small gold lights to arrive. Then, before I knew it, the train was roaring past beside me at blinding speeds--blowing my hair and shirt all over the place. I just couldn't help feel so sad at that moment. I felt as if I just experienced the person's last view and last moment on earth. I could have easily jumped right in front of that train too, traveling at some odd 200 or more kilometers per hour. It would be over so fast!
But I'm not suicidal. It was such a sad moment.
NOW for the complaining!
2 things:
1) What's wrong with Japanese people?! Nobody was even phased by the suicide! In fact, a lot of people were angry that the train was delayed.
I told my host family about the suicide and the first thing that my host mother said was, 迷惑 (めいわく)
meiwaku.
迷惑 is very hard to translate into English. It's a rude thing that affects everybody. When a company produces a product that needs a recall, that's 迷惑. Every year, the emperor of Japan apologizes for WWII, because what Japan did was create a 迷惑 to it's own people. (God this is hard to explain.)
迷惑 is when you do something bad that affects others in your same group. Since Japanese are very group minded and nationalistic, WWII, getting involved and eventually leading to Hiroshima, is a 迷惑 committed by the old government because it negatively affected the Japanese people (a lot of them died, etc).
So basically, my host family didn't even feel a bit bad for that person. They said he committed a 迷惑 on all the people riding the train that morning, and more importantly, to his own family.
I can agree, but daaaaang don't you even feel a bit bad?
2) I'm sick. I don't know what I ate on that temple excursion, but it is ruining me. Everyday I have a headache all day and night, my whole body aches, my neck is stiff, my shoulders are stiff, my lower back feels like I'm pinching a nerve every time I bend. And I am throwing up. I ask for aspirin or some kind of pain killer and my school and family do nothing but tell me to stretch and take some joint-health pills.
Can I get a pain killer, a fever reducer? Nope. Just take some joint-health pills for old people and stretch your shoulders and you will be fine.
I had a fever last night!
Just take joint pills and stretch. OK Fine I get it, I need to ask my fellows for some freaking advil or something.
OK done ranting. It's OK to rant sometimes about Japan, contrary to popular belief, this place isn't perfect you know. And their are no more samurai, and pokemon never existed in real life. Sorry to kill your dreams.
But I still like it here, just wondering why I can't get an aspirin or something?
(super short temple trip video coming soon)
