New to Japan, I hadn’t yet learned even
the basics of the language. I had to visit
Yokosuka, thirty miles south of Tokyo.
I lived twenty miles west of Tokyo.
I took the train and made several changes
without a problem. The way home though,
was a different matter. Doing things
in reverse order, I found out, isn’t
as easy as it might seem.
At the station ready to return home,
I stared confused at the map. Which train,
which platform, what time, were just the start
of my problems. Then a rescuer
in the form of an older man who spoke English
asked - where do you want to go?
After telling him my problem, he took me to
the platform and put me on the right train
but spoke to another passenger first. He would
not go on this train so the other commuter
would help me. The traveler eventually
passed me on to a third who helped me
change trains.
I was passed on from one helper
to another. all of whom aided me to
make changes of trains. By the end of my
journey and at my home station, I realized
I had been helped by five people, the last one
had no knowledge of the first.
This was a early incident that helped me
understand the character of the Japanese people.
Train map of Metropolitan Tokyo.
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