On Sunday I had plans to visit one of my students from my preschool in Shinagawa. She wanted to eat sushi so I met her mom and grandmother at a really nice sushi restaurant for lunch. I had chirashi-zushi, which is usually a layer of rice on the bottom and sashimi scattered about on the top. It is beautiful, delicious and is really filling. In fact I couldn't finish mine so I tried to take it away in a take-away bag. This became a problem, though because when it comes to sushi ... since it is usually raw, the sushi chefs don't want anyone getting sick from eating sushi that went bad. The sushi chef wants everyone to eat sushi when it is fresh.

When the sushi chef was convinced I would eat my leftovers very soon he consented to allowing me a take-away bag. It is reassuring to know that there are places in this world that actually care about your health even after you leave their restaurant.

Then I found the best omiyage ever with my student's mother. She took me to an omiyage shop which finally had touristy things like postcards, magnets, and keychains. In the keychain section there was a collection of keychains that made sounds. My favorite collection was the yamanote-sen collection. Each keychain played the theme song for a stop on the yamanote train line.

For those unfamiliar, the yamanote-sen is a loop that goes around the main hub of Tokyo. Each stop has its own theme song. There are a number of theories "why", but my favorite is that when people are sleeping they will hear their tune and wake up so they don't miss their stop.

Honestly I love these little theme songs. They aren't really theme songs but more like little jingles or small melodies. My favorite is the one for Tokyo Station, so that was the keychain I bought for my own personal souviner.

After getting back to Kawasaki station I was in for a treat. There were bands playing live shows all around Kawasaki station. I stopped to listen to two of them. The first one had a good PR manager who was collecting information from the audience. I filled out one of their surveys because he told me that I would get a free CD just for filling it out. (I'm also on that band's email list now ...) The other band I actually liked better (for the genre of music they played) but they didn't have a manager scurrying about or even someone selling CDs. I would have asked them between songs, but they seemed to have a set playlist and routine that I didn't want to interupt. At one point I thought they were going to play the "last" song but then suddenly they played 2-3 more songs, so I gave up. I didn't want to stay out too late.

In fact I was really worried I stayed out too long so I decided to run.

Oh yes ... run.

Maybe it was the cool weather. Maybe it was the exhileration of being in Japan again. Who knows. But I was running. I was running so quickly and everything was amazing. And I felt I could fly I was so super happy and excited.

And then I tripped.

I could see that I was going to fall. I thought about what I was carrying and how should I land so I didn't smush everything. I wondered if there was a way I could catch onto something or if I were to lean this way or that ... or ...

But it was too late. I had fallen.

I was a bit stunned. Even more surprising was the reaction of the person passing me who asked me if I was ok.

This probably isn't a "surprising" reaction to everyone, but I've been lead to believe that no one worried about someone when they fall in Japan, especially in and around train stations. Supposidly so many drunken salary workers are falling all the time that everyone has just gotten used to seeing this site and pays it no attention. Sure I didn't look like a drunken salary worker. For one thing I wasn't wearing a suit, but actually a big white-ish sweater and a long pink skirt and long pink boots. I probably stuck out like a sore thumb. In fact I was wearing my big green stocking hat at the time too because it was a bit chilly. But still, I didn't expect such a sincere and geniune reaction. It really threw me (no pun intended ... since remember I've already fallen). My elbow and knee were kind of sore feeling, but instead I jumped back up (somehow) and said, "Daijoubu desu" (I'm fine) and then walked quickly away.

I was embarassed for one. But also I had to rethink the stereotype that had been taught to me from practically every "Visit Japan" guide I've read. So much for heresay, right? I guess everything needs to be taken with a grain of salt and that people are people wherever you go. And so I'd actually like to write a few publishers to tell them to stop teaching everyone that people in Japan don't care when someone falls. The truth is that probably some people do and some people don't. And I just happened to experience someone who did.