Just before the spring break ended, I visited Kamakura with a friend. Kamakura is this place in Kanagawa Prefecture with the biggest buddha in Japan. It's a popular tourist place since it's just near from Tokyo and Yokohama. There's also a nice island there called Enoshima with a lot of things to do. We've only seen the Great Buddha or Daibutsu though. No time to see Enoshima but people are saying great things about it.
Well anyway, on our way to see Daibutsu an old Japanese man with a bicycle suddenly stopped us. We were on a crowded street so we didn't panic or felt afraid. We were just taken aback by the suddenness of his appearance in front of us.
Japanese Man: Excuse me, can you speak English?
My friend and I:Yes, we can.
Japanese Man: Okay good.
(He reached something from his bicycle basket and handed a scrap-bookish letter to us.)
He just wants to correspond with an English speaker. He said he doesn't know a lot of English speaking people here in Japan. It would have been personally creepy to me if he's younger but he's grandfatherish old so I'm more open to corresponding with him. I have yet to post my first letter to him though. I'm just thinking if it's smart to put my home address. If I don't, it would be just me sending posts. If I do, I don't think it's safe and wise. So I don't know yet.
That encounter with that old man was the strangest part of the trip until we got on the train on our way home. In one of the stops, another old Japanese man with a briefcase sat beside me. He slept for the first 20 minutes while my friend and I chattered the trip away. Then, he just suddenly talked in clear perfect English.
Another old Japanese Man: Excuse me, I have a question.
My friend an I: Sure.
Another old Japanese Man: (Asked a question related to grammar which
is too long to put here. )
His question is actually not a question but an anecdote. We listened to him anyway. We welcome the break from each other's endless chatter. Then from that question, my friend and I began to have a conversation with this another old Japanese man.
We learned that he lives in Shimada and that he works for Shizuoka Tourism Office. He also lived in the US for almost 15 years. He lived in Chicago and LA. He also shared that he had always love speaking in English and he even won a speech contest in Junior High School. The most interesting thing about him is that his real name was used in a James Bond book. That book hasn't been made into a movie yet but the title is Man with Red Tattoo. He's one of the main Japanese characters in that book.
That man didn't stop talking to us until he reached his stop. He also handed us his business card just in case we'll drop by at Shimada or Shizuoka. He said he's happy to have met us. It's a rare chance for him to speak in English. He'll be happy to see us again. We're happy that we've made someone happy just by speaking English. Perfect way to end the day.
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| The Great Buddha at Kamakura (Daibutsu) |
Well anyway, on our way to see Daibutsu an old Japanese man with a bicycle suddenly stopped us. We were on a crowded street so we didn't panic or felt afraid. We were just taken aback by the suddenness of his appearance in front of us.
Japanese Man: Excuse me, can you speak English?
My friend and I:Yes, we can.
Japanese Man: Okay good.
(He reached something from his bicycle basket and handed a scrap-bookish letter to us.)
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| The old Japanese man's letter |
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| Sakura-lined street leading to Hachimangu Shrine at Kamakura |
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| Garden pond at Hachimangu Shrine, Kamakura |
That encounter with that old man was the strangest part of the trip until we got on the train on our way home. In one of the stops, another old Japanese man with a briefcase sat beside me. He slept for the first 20 minutes while my friend and I chattered the trip away. Then, he just suddenly talked in clear perfect English.
Another old Japanese Man: Excuse me, I have a question.
My friend an I: Sure.
Another old Japanese Man: (Asked a question related to grammar which
is too long to put here. )
His question is actually not a question but an anecdote. We listened to him anyway. We welcome the break from each other's endless chatter. Then from that question, my friend and I began to have a conversation with this another old Japanese man.
We learned that he lives in Shimada and that he works for Shizuoka Tourism Office. He also lived in the US for almost 15 years. He lived in Chicago and LA. He also shared that he had always love speaking in English and he even won a speech contest in Junior High School. The most interesting thing about him is that his real name was used in a James Bond book. That book hasn't been made into a movie yet but the title is Man with Red Tattoo. He's one of the main Japanese characters in that book.
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| The Man with the Red Tattoo cover credit: http://www.japanreview.net/review_james_bond.htm |
