I was sitting on the train at the station, waiting anxiously to get home from a long day at work so that I could take a shower and wash away all the crap flung (literal and figurative meanings apply) at me from small children, when I noticed a man and woman saying good bye outside of the train. They looked to be in their mid-thirties and were quite obviously in love.
For anyone living in a place where couples lie on the beach with their tongues down each other's throat, you probably either take these displays of affection for granted or you shield your kids' eyes as you hurry them along towards more G-rated territory. I should point out that while the degrees of difference of public indecency between a kiss goodbye and a make out session on the beach are a matter of opinion, there're both examples of people showing their affection for each other.
Love in Japan is a lot more difficult to spot in public (especially for me because I'm just a stupid foreigner). But it can really affect your general mood and outlook to be surrounded by mostly stone-faced people hurrying to and from work and school. It's not even common to see parents hugging their kids. Which is not to suggest that they don't. They do. They just don't do it in public. Though this really isn't about Japan. It's about me and my recent trip to Australia where I was reminded of what affection looks like—or at least what it looks like to me: People smiling and hugging in public, and, yes, the occasional act that borders on what some would define as sex.
Back in Japan, the woman had now boarded the train. The man stood outside the closing doors across from her, waving and smiling like a giddy 4 year-old. The woman waved and laughed, seeming a little embarrassed by the attention. As the train began to pull away from the station, he ran alongside it, waving to her for as long as he could until he reached the edge of the platform.
Posts
