Muninn

Went to have some great Miso ramen noodles after an afternoon of studying in a coffee shop. There was yet another 人身事故 which, while it means “an accident involving a human” is often a euphemism for a “suicide” when someone throws themselves in front of a train. The trains were delayed about ten minutes on all four central lines, leading to some chaos and constant updates over the loudspeakers (“the ambulance has arrived” etc.) It must be tough to work at the stations where this happens…

While I’m venting my frustrations, I want to explain to everyone why I don’t really enjoy going to “izakaya” or many restaurants as a form of multi-hour social activity:

1) Many of them are smoky or have smoke filled “non-smoking” areas. Today I was dragged out to a dinner party with the students I teach English to once a week and I couldn’t believe it when a waitress came in the middle of our meal with a “cigarette” menu offering group discounts! Half a dozen students immediately bought packs from her flashy menu and started smoking in the middle of the meal, then complaining that the taste of the cigarettes interfered with the taste of their curry. I almost got up and left in disbelief and certainly didn’t enjoy the rest of my smoke filled meal. In other places I can’t help but laugh to see the non-smoking section in a glass box at the back of the restaurant (are we the ones poisoning the air?), or a mere handful of tables surrounded by a large smoking section.

2) Many of these places are really noisy, and thus, like many bars, you can’t have a decent conversation, I can’t relax, and often leave more exhausted than when I went in.

3) Much of the social activity revolves around drinking lots of alcohol. I have nothing against drinking, as people apparently get some kind of pleasant feeling from the consumption of it. Since I never drink myself I can’t attest to this. Surfeit of it, however, kills discussion with content of any complexity. I was told on several occasions this evening in the middle of an interesting talk that my friends in conversation couldn’t articulate their points due to their excess intake of alcohol. This happens so often at events like this that I tend to automatically go into my special reactive mode: “Stop all attempts at conversation and spend the rest of the time watching people say stupid things. Think of a good excuse to leave and use it whenever you think people are focused enough to understand what you are saying.”

4) In the case of Izakayas, the alcohol to food ratio is horribly tilted to alcohol. I have no motivation to go spend the equivalent of $30 on $3 of mediocre finger food and two glasses of orange juice. Note to all friends: Never invite me to an “izakaya” or a “nomiya”, I am not interested and will only go if I’m pressured into it.

Like most people I love to join friends for good food and good conversation. However, I find these to be incompatible with smoke, noise, and in “izakaya” culture, with my wallet.

I’m really happy to see some real attempts at change here in Tokyo when it comes to the horrible pollution from the cigarette smoke. Most of my friends know that I’m really sensitive to smoke. First I noticed all the “No Smoking On the Streets” or “No Smoking While Walking” signs painted on the pavement or around the streets or on the walls in Ogikubo. Now I see the same thing near Waseda. I always dread the 10 minute walk from Waseda subway station to the university during which I have to navigate my way through dozens of smoking students and desperately find a chunk of pavement where I can breathe non-smoky but already exhaust filled air. The experience almost always leaves me nauseated by the time I reach Takada library on campus.

Today I saw huge signs around the Hachiko dog statue in Shibuya, asking people not to smoke around the popular meeting place. I never meet friends there for two reasons: 1) the rest of Tokyo meets there, which defeats the purpose of having a place to meet where you can easily find friends, 2) the entire area is a cloud of foul smelling tobacco smoke that makes me want to puke.

So is anyone following these rules in Ogikubo, near Waseda, on Waseda’s campus where smoking outdoors is only to be done in designated areas, or around Hachiko in Shibuya? Umm….nope. I don’t think any of them are enforceable or are enforced as any kind of punishable offense. Hachiko was still a cloud of smoke today and the walk to Waseda and around campus last time was still a nauseating experience. However, these are the first steps in the right direction. It is time for the absolutely ridiculous and moronic argument that “You are taking away our freedom to smoke even outside now, what about our rights?” to be revealed for the stupidity and selfishness that it is a glowing example of. It is time for smokers to realize that the air we breathe is a common good that unfortunately all of us share. When you fill the air with smoke and enjoy the rush of a narcotic flowing through your blood, you think you are exercising a freedom or a right. That is complete bullshit. You are filling OUR air with smoke that WE have to breathe as we walk together on the pavement. On the streets of Tokyo, packed as it is with people, unless I stay in my cottage every day, I must breathe the air that everyone else does and spend almost all outdoor moments in great discomfort because of your selfishness.

I went to visit my friend Michael Zock down at 東工大. As I left Shibuya on the 東横 train line I saw over a dozen people taking pictures of the trains and most of all, the electric board showing train departures. I thought, “How cute, some Asian tourists visiting Japan are taking pictures of the trains and electric board. I guess they must think there is something novel about it. After all, I have taken lots of pictures of various bullet trains in Japan.” Hmm, how strange that some of them were using cellphone cameras to take the pictures, not something you would expect foreigners to use in Japan for their pictures. Why would Japanese be taking these pictures though?
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