Short story - at the Japanese airport
In a Japanese airport on my way back to Hong Kong...
I am waiting at the Tokyo airport, waiting to to take my last plane, to Hong Kong.
So there are signs at the airport, at the gate.
Kept saying : "Tokyo - Hong Kong - 1740 - On time"
1740 came and went, and Japanese engineers went rushing into the bottom of the plane working frantically. Actually, it looked like a Japanese movie but instead of battling with a giant bird, it was a plane - and they kept disappearing underneath it as they went up into the underbelly fixing stuff. Odd thing is you don't see them come out. Those Japanese are small and hard-working. Maybe the Engineers had to work on the plane during the flight. Who knows.
So my Tokyo-Hong Kong flight was delayed by 2 hours - as they kept announcing in their terrible Anglo-Japanese and Canto-Japanese and Mandarin-Cantonese and perfect Japanese. They brought out a whiteboard that had their announcement in 20 lines Japanese of Japanese writing and 5 lines of English writing. I look up at the big digital board. "Tokyo - Hong Kong - 1740 - On time."
"Why do you have a big board up there, all beautiful and big, at the top of the stairs and right here above your head, if it isn't true?" I asked the Japanese Gatemaster, as other onlookers were looking to pipe in.
"Solly sir, we cannot change it." He leplied. Honestly, he leally said that.
"Then why do you have it?" I piped back.
"We are making announcements."
"You wouldn't have to if you just update the board. It is now not 1740 and the plane is not 'On time', you should update the board. I now want to go drinking for 2 hours, and I can't be here to risten to your announcements. Am I okay to leave for 2 hours?" I piped some more.
"Sure, goodbye sir." he assured me.
So with 2 hours of free-time now liberated of my delaying schedule, I decided to exercise a favorite hobby of mine - well developed from my assertions of Canadian rights - complain.
First to the Airport information counter. I talked slowly so the Japanese lady could understand me. She understood - and almost cried. "It's okay - I don't mind that much that the flight is delayed - but it really should be indicated on the boards - it's okay - really." She indicated it's the airline, so, with time on my side, I descended to find my airline representative - of Japan Air Lines.
There was a long line for people getting boarding passes - so I found a woman holding a sign advertising travellers to board a different plane for a particular flight. I told her of my own plight and asked who I could complain to. "Please don't cry, it's okay, I just think it's important." She didn't know what to do - she went to go find her boss, but couldn't leave the sign. I offered to hold it up "Really?" she asked followed by a high-pitch giggle. "Yeah. I got nothing else better to do."
So I held it, until another representative came by and broke the sign that said "JL 740 Vancouver - Gate 38" out of my hands.
The other woman came back, and told me the signs have all been updated and juice and rice would be offered to all passengers. She thanked me. I think she was waiting for a hug or something, I didn't know what to do. I really don't know anything about the Japanese culture or manner, and I probably won't learn much now by giving her a hug. The awkwardness of it all was one-sided. I waved my arm goodbye, really fast, in a fast gyration like most asians do, but decided that my two-finger salute would be short. Those who know the asians know what I'm talking about (it's like a peace-symbol, but it combines with a smile and squint and sometimes a kick to the side. High boots and big hat accessories are optional).
I did some walking and looked for any other trouble or complaining I could muster, but decided I didn't want to make anybody else cry.
Finarry I boarded the plane - the Gatemaster got my ticket and took the opportunity to apologize to me for the delay and thought I would be delighted that they are providing rice and juice. "That's because I did your work and did something about it!" I don't think he understood me. I got my lice and dlink and went off into the plane. I was the only one on the plane
with an empty seat beside me - and got prenty of rest.
I am waiting at the Tokyo airport, waiting to to take my last plane, to Hong Kong.
So there are signs at the airport, at the gate.
Kept saying : "Tokyo - Hong Kong - 1740 - On time"
1740 came and went, and Japanese engineers went rushing into the bottom of the plane working frantically. Actually, it looked like a Japanese movie but instead of battling with a giant bird, it was a plane - and they kept disappearing underneath it as they went up into the underbelly fixing stuff. Odd thing is you don't see them come out. Those Japanese are small and hard-working. Maybe the Engineers had to work on the plane during the flight. Who knows.
So my Tokyo-Hong Kong flight was delayed by 2 hours - as they kept announcing in their terrible Anglo-Japanese and Canto-Japanese and Mandarin-Cantonese and perfect Japanese. They brought out a whiteboard that had their announcement in 20 lines Japanese of Japanese writing and 5 lines of English writing. I look up at the big digital board. "Tokyo - Hong Kong - 1740 - On time."
"Why do you have a big board up there, all beautiful and big, at the top of the stairs and right here above your head, if it isn't true?" I asked the Japanese Gatemaster, as other onlookers were looking to pipe in.
"Solly sir, we cannot change it." He leplied. Honestly, he leally said that.
"Then why do you have it?" I piped back.
"We are making announcements."
"You wouldn't have to if you just update the board. It is now not 1740 and the plane is not 'On time', you should update the board. I now want to go drinking for 2 hours, and I can't be here to risten to your announcements. Am I okay to leave for 2 hours?" I piped some more.
"Sure, goodbye sir." he assured me.
So with 2 hours of free-time now liberated of my delaying schedule, I decided to exercise a favorite hobby of mine - well developed from my assertions of Canadian rights - complain.
First to the Airport information counter. I talked slowly so the Japanese lady could understand me. She understood - and almost cried. "It's okay - I don't mind that much that the flight is delayed - but it really should be indicated on the boards - it's okay - really." She indicated it's the airline, so, with time on my side, I descended to find my airline representative - of Japan Air Lines.
There was a long line for people getting boarding passes - so I found a woman holding a sign advertising travellers to board a different plane for a particular flight. I told her of my own plight and asked who I could complain to. "Please don't cry, it's okay, I just think it's important." She didn't know what to do - she went to go find her boss, but couldn't leave the sign. I offered to hold it up "Really?" she asked followed by a high-pitch giggle. "Yeah. I got nothing else better to do."
So I held it, until another representative came by and broke the sign that said "JL 740 Vancouver - Gate 38" out of my hands.
The other woman came back, and told me the signs have all been updated and juice and rice would be offered to all passengers. She thanked me. I think she was waiting for a hug or something, I didn't know what to do. I really don't know anything about the Japanese culture or manner, and I probably won't learn much now by giving her a hug. The awkwardness of it all was one-sided. I waved my arm goodbye, really fast, in a fast gyration like most asians do, but decided that my two-finger salute would be short. Those who know the asians know what I'm talking about (it's like a peace-symbol, but it combines with a smile and squint and sometimes a kick to the side. High boots and big hat accessories are optional).
I did some walking and looked for any other trouble or complaining I could muster, but decided I didn't want to make anybody else cry.
Finarry I boarded the plane - the Gatemaster got my ticket and took the opportunity to apologize to me for the delay and thought I would be delighted that they are providing rice and juice. "That's because I did your work and did something about it!" I don't think he understood me. I got my lice and dlink and went off into the plane. I was the only one on the plane
with an empty seat beside me - and got prenty of rest.
posted by Canadian "Civil" Servant at 19:31
4 Comments:
What kind of rice?
What kind of juice?
mmm...rice and juice. mix 'em together and what do you get?
Good rice and bad juice~~~
What kind of rice?
What kind of juice?
It was Japanese-style rice (which is pink and dressed in sailor outfits) and Japanese-style juice (which says "Pikachu!" with every sip from a battery-powered voice-synthesizer embedded (included) in every juice box.
There were cans of Coke too - but I passed, taking a gamble on the Japanese-juice. Yeck. And annoying.
"Pikachu! Pika-Pika-Pika-Chu!"
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