Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
9
A Face in the Crowd
My first morning in Japan took place more than 25 years ago, but I remember
it vividly because of an unexpected act of kindness. Shouldering my backpack,
I was making my way from my Tokyo hotel to Shinagawa Station, a sea of
people streaming past me on their way to work. A soft, wet snow was falling
from the gray sky.
Suddenly, a woman appeared at my side and fell in sync with my stride, hold-
ing her umbrella aloft to shelter me from the cold snow. We walked like that all
the way to the station, where, to my surprise, she whipped a towel from her bag
and proceeded to dry my wet hair. Back then, my Japanese was limited to
phrases like “Where's the bathroom?” so all I could manage was a polite
arigatoo.
But my guardian angel's job wasn't over yet. She helped me find the Yamanote
Line bound for Tokyo Station and, finally satisfied, sent me on my way.
Over the years I have been the recipient of so many acts of kindness that I
have to wonder whether it's because people in Japan are so nice or whether it's
because I'm so inept (I suppose if I didn't get lost so often, I wouldn't need so
much help). Strangers have gone out of their way to deliver me to my destina-
tion, made telephone calls on my behalf, helped me choose meals from inde-
cipherable menus, and showered me with small gifts.
But no one stands out in my memory as much as that woman who took me
under her wing that very first day. I was excited to be in a new foreign country,
nervous about finding my way, tired from the long flight, and feeling just a tad
lonely in the sea of unfamiliar faces. Of course, she didn't know any of these
things when she stepped up to help. I was just a face in the crowd, but when
she left me, I no longer felt quite the stranger in a very strange land.
2
major topic of concern for more than a
decade. My former Tokyo landlady fears
burglary so much that she no longer opens
her door to strangers.
Another pressing long-term concern is a
declining birth rate coupled with an aging
population, with Japan's over-65 genera-
tion, which now accounts for more than
22% of its population, expected to double
by 2055. Meanwhile, Japan's ratio of chil-
dren ages 14 and younger is believed to be
the lowest in the world, accounting for
only 13.5% of the population. The gov-
ernment has predicted that Japan's total
population could plunge by nearly one-
third by 2055, causing tax-revenue short-
falls and a shortage of labor.
Discontent with the status quo played a
major role in Japan's national elections
held in August 2009, when the left-of-
center Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ)
defeated the conservative Liberal Demo-
cratic Party, which had ruled for all but 10
months since its founding in 1955.
Whether the DPJ, which also cruised to
victory in a Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly
election, can truly effect change remains to
be seen. Its first real test, critics say, will be
in drafting the annual budget from April
2010.
Meanwhile, almost every Japanese com-
pany you can think of, from Sony to Toy-
ota, has suffered devastating losses the past
year, as exports to other countries plunged.
