How I feel now, after yesterday's racist.

[chan]

How I feel now, after yesterday's racist.

Toranomon Station, about half eleven. The Ginza Line train in the direction of Shibuya. Carriage half empty. I step into the carriage head down, but about a meter in is this wide obstacle, blocking me from getting through to the inner part of the carriage. It turns out to be young guy, about 25, carrying an enormous backpack and standing sideways to the door. Must have been a meter and a half wide. Trying to get round, I nudge the back edge of his pack - just a nudge, hardly any sense of a push. No problem, get by, sit down in the center of a three seat row. The guy's girlfriend is leaning with her back against the steel pole at the door end of my row. He's still in the same position, half blocking the entrance, half facing in my direction as he looks into his girlfriend's face and talks.

I have my iPod at medium volume, and anyway it's a soft song. The guy is looking at me, eyes glancing from her face to mine. I hear his voice, slightly raised, enunciating in an aggressive way, and then the words "Excuse me", and again, more fiercely, in my direction, "Excuse me!". I discretely turn off the music. I look forward, reading him out the corner of my eye. First thing I notice is the gorilla-like width of his neck. Neanderthal width. And then, shaven head and cauliflower ears, from years of judo. Eyes, piercing, with thin-rimmed glasses, as if for reading and unsuited to the steroid face and aggressive energy he had. Not tall. Perhaps about my height, 172. But built like a brick-shithouse. Massive body. Not just gym-fit, but verging on body-builder level.

Strange clothes. Velvet pants that look sort of hip hop. Sneakers, possibly basketball ones. A top with the texture and look of a baseball shirt. Those dainty glasses. Not gang-like but a bit un-Tokyo somehow. Maybe not from Tokyo, I thought. From the country perhaps. Girlfriend - I can hardly remember what she looked like - bland.

So I can hear him speaking in Japanese, immediately after the pointed "Excuse me"s said in my direction in English. "Fucking foreigners. I fucking hate foreigners in Japan. They think they own the place. So rude, barging into people... Do anything they like... Get away with anything...". Girlfriend, looking a bit sheepish but nodding and half agreeing, half smiling. I imagine him punching the crap out her later in their six mat room. He had that air about him! Not psychotic, but cruel. Somebody who I felt might enjoy causing pain. To his girlfriend. Or a stranger on a train.

I'm boiling over with anger. I rehearse the words in Japanese in my head:

"Look, the only reason I didn't say "Excuse me" is because it's unbelievable to me that you would stand in a train with an enormous backpack, still on your back, sideways on to the entrance with people trying to get on, and not even make the slightest hint of a movement to get out the way. And anyway, what does race have to do with it? Aren't you embarrassed, making this public declaration of hatred for foreigners?"

I have a much less fluent version of that prepared. My heart is beating so fast. I catch his eye. "What? What?" he says. I look back. Heart is going so fast. Boring girlfriend says to him "Calm down, calm down, he could be drunk or crazy."

This is the thing. Even when he was still there and I had the chance to defend myself, even then, I could predict that I wouldn't do anything. And I could already start to feel that creeping sense of regret and self-disgust that I wasn't brave enough to do anything. That's how it always goes with me. I have friends who get into scrapes and it always ends with them pushing the other guy out the way and walking off with the last words. Those friends are usually tall and confident of their strength. Not short and chubby.

At Aoyama-Icchome, another person has trouble getting round the ape man. Gorilla boy chuckles and says to his girlfriend "Perhaps it is me who is getting in the way..." By about Gaien Mae, he seems to have gotten over me and is smiling and talking with his girlfriend. And the train gets more crowded and we aren't in each other's sight. I am still seething.

Then when the doors open at Omotesando, I look round and he's gone. But his girlfriend's still standing there, holding the metal pole. By chance, no one is sitting in the seat to my right. There's nothing to stop me turning and speaking directly to her. I turn and tap her arm, "Excuse me, he got it all wrong..." The buzzer sounds to indicate the doors arre about to close and in jumps boyfriend, back pack and all.

Her: "He tried to talk to me, he said something to me."
Him to me "What? What? What the...?"
Her to him "Leave it, leave it, this is scary."

I notice the width of his fingers as they grip the pole. Big cucumbers. Like wrists. It looks like they want to rip the pole out the floor and stab me with it, from above, down through my spine. And on his little finger there's an enormous skull ring. I imagine a ruptured eyeball. This isn't made up.

But thats about it really. We parted company at Shibuya with him, a giant Japanese bulldog, spitting fire from his eyes and staring at me, head turned back. And I was left feeling like I always do. First I start wishing I could be taller and bigger. I doubt he would have said all that if I looked hard. Then again, he probably assumed my iPod was on and that I wouldn't understand Japanese anyway. Why didn't I say something? I can't even stick up for myself. What if someone was bullying my kids? Would I also sit there in angry silence. Then I start thinking about what I'd do if I could get him tied up by his feet upside down. Then I think it was better not to have risked saying anything as he could really have been a nutcase. And anyway, I have the moral victory. And she'll realize what an asshole he is and leave him soon... blah blah

But then why have I spent all this time writing this out? A day later, a day after the racist, and I still feel that I need to purge myself of the anger and the frustration. Then again, I'm sure I'll have more people on planes and trains, in offices and streets, in shops and in the homes of friends, more fucking people. Always more fucking people.

[KanpaiQuigley]

When it comes to confrontations, I've always been told to "choose my battles wisely."

In this situation, you were facing a lose-lose. He's bigger, and cauliflower ear is an immediate signal that the guy doesn't fuck around (a lot of my wrestling buddies have it, and they always scrap). You're the foreigner, so it would be your ass if something actually went down. Is one prick worth possible expulsion from the country?

To be honest with you, I think you sufficiently got him back by talking to his girl. You scared her, pissed him off, and they had no idea what was going on. The only thing that would have made it better would be blowing her a kiss through the glass window as the train left the station

[kamome]

That was very well written and does a good job of explaining the feelings you have when a fucking racist/ignorant Japanese (or anyone for that matter) gets in your face with their attitude.

I think you did the right thing. If you started a fight, you could have been hurt and/or blamed just for being the gaijin in the situation. I had a guy pull that kind of shit on the train once - same thing - I brushed past him on the train and he was screaming "Dirty bastard! Dirty!" over and over again. What a fucking psycho.

[GuyJean]

..Then I think it was better not to have risked saying anything as he could really have been a nutcase. And anyway, I have the moral victory..

You made the right choice.. As you wrote, he realized he was the problem after others couldn't get on the train.. Talking to his girlfriend was a nice touch.

I've been in a couple altercations with the locals (nothing more that yelling and shoving); it's best to smirk and walk away.. Or agree with everything they're yelling at you. I've had other passengers on the train apologize to me for the way one guy was acting using this method..

GJ

[Adhesive]

Good story, takes me back, lol.

I can kind of relate, although I'm 6'2" and played college sports, people always assumed I was a pushover because I have what people refer to as a "sweet" or "kind" face. The problem lies in the fact that I'm actually the opposite and find it very difficult to back down fgrom a fight. This is a great combination for lots of bruised knuckles and regrets.

The Japanese, however, never seem to bother me, because to them my face is still a gaijin face, and I'm still 6'2', 190lbs, and assertive which they have a hard time preying on.

[Tommybar]

ALWAYS WALK AWAY!

A buddy of mine helped a drunk Japanese guy out of a bar. When the Japanese guy turned around to thank my buddy, he stepped back, hit a step with is foot and tripped. The Japanese guy died. My buddy is now looking at 3-20 years.

All of the newspapers ran head lines that imply my buddy had malice in mind. Not so. Watch yourself.

http://pstripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=40302&archive=true
http://pstripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=41350
http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/389635/all

[Neo-Rio]

I had a few idiots approach me recently, and I handled them much the same way - by taking the higher moral ground and allowing them to belittle themselves.
Issues on the train are plain weird. For the hundreds of Japanese people cram themselves onto trains everyday, they pick on the only gaijin on it to blame for it.

One guy on the train was drunk and yelled at me "I hate Americans!". After explaining to him that I wasn't even from the USA, I said "I like Japan", and he crawled off onto a seat after attracting the glare of everyone on the train.

The other day I was at a clinic and some guy yelled at for me sitting down "too hard", then followed that up by slamming himself down on the chair to show me he could do it too. I just pointed out to him that "well now you've done what you're not supposed do, so that makes us equal. Shut up" The he mumbled something and I asked him if he was just having a bad day, to which I got no response and then he left me alone.
I was there with my Japanese girlfriend and she thought that he was just jealous of me.

[Catoneinutica]

[quote="GuyJean"]You made the right choice.. As you wrote, he realized he was the problem after others couldn't get on the train.. Talking to his girlfriend was a nice touch. ]


Excellent advice, and works quite well in China, I might add. An ever-so-slightly condescending attitude really seems to have a magical de-balling effect in the ever-so-hierarchical East.

About the OP: Yes indeedy, you chose the right course. I've seen specimens eggg-zactly like what you described at Gold's Gym in Makuhari. Two words: 'Roid rage.

Still, I wish you'd inquired of him, with the most sincere insousiance after removing your headphones, "Otoko ga suki desu ka?"

[kurohinge1]

Great story, Chan, and well written.

It sounds like you encountered a Japanese version of what's commonly referred to in the western world as a "meat-head".

They are usually docile but are easily confused and can anger quickly.

They have ridiculously short attention spans and memories, so chances are he forgot completely the dimensions of his train-stopping backpack and possibly even that he had one on. This also means that if you can escape eye contact for more than about a minute, they will forget who you are and why your face is vaguely familiar.

Rest assured, Chan-san, the bottom line is that there is nothing you can do or say to a meat-head that will make it any smarter or any less of a meat-head.

Personally, I probably would've blurted a little "sumimasen" about a second before I pushed him into the pole to get passed, and I probably wouldn't have bothered talking to his GF (meat-heads tend to mate with females even dumber than they are).

But, otherwise, you can't "fix" those sort of people, so try not to worry.

[GomiGirl]

Ah the joys of train travel...

I was on the Yamanote one afternoon with an English speaking colleague. We were having a civilised conversation in English while standing in the aisles on a fairly crowded train - we were both in business suits. A very odd lady was making derogatory comments in English quite loudly to herself (her back was to us) about how when people live in Japan, they should speak japanese. At first we ignored it and then she became more vocal. A few other passengers looked embarressed and shot us sympathic looks.

She was disturbing the carriage as she got louder and louder so I quietly asked her in Japanese what her concerns were. "お姉さん、何か問題ありますか？” I thought that was kinda polite - or polite enough. She still wouldn't face me let alone look me in the eye. She just started talking about her "political party" who didn't think that foreigners should be in Japan and everybody needs to speak Japanese - she was saying this in English... ranting more like.

I decided she was a nut job so turned my back on her and resumed my conversation with my friend. We both decided we were not doing anything wrong and we were not going to let her bother us and certainly not going to intimidate us to stop what we were doing. She was even more angry at this and kept going on until we arrived at our stop. I think other people in the carriage were embarressed for us but I just put it down to her being a nut job..

NEVER ARGUE WITH DRUNKS AND FOOLS.

But this is the only real time that I have seen this in nearly 7 years. In any population there are going to be weirdos that are atypical of the general population. Don't let these individual nut-jobs get you down... just think of the odd-balls in your own country and keep it all in persepctive.

[CrankyBastard]

Stuff like this seems to happen a lot on the trains.
Last time it happened to me, I went all glassy-eyed and started ranting in Japanese about HIV positive and suicide and hating and being hated.
The whole car went quiet, the instigator went quiet, and I got off at the next stop.

[Greji]

NEVER ARGUE WITH DRUNKS AND FOOLS.

Ahh, I don't know anybody else!

[Marvin Feltcher]

[quote="GuyJean"]I've had other passengers on the train apologize to me for the way one guy was acting using this method.. ]

Reminds me of an incident on the train a few years ago. I was sitting down as we approached my stop at the end of the line and there were few people in the same carriage. One of the other commuters was an older man, who was screaming out insults at me and two young guys who were standing near him.

The young guys and I exchanged glances, each rolling our eyes in disbelief at the old man's childish behavoir. The train stopped. One of the young guys grabbed the pole near the door, swang around and unleashed a flying kick that saw his foot slam into the old man's face.

The geezer's head snapped back, hit the window and blood started spewing out of his nose. It was still pouring out when I handed him my towel and escorted him to the station attendants to be helped with what was almost certainly a broken nose.

Incredibly, I couldn't for the life of me remember at the time having seen anything that could have caused it.

[sillygirl]

After a night out in Tokyo, getting the first train back to Tochigi, some drunk old geezer started shouting at my husband for dating a gaijin.

I couldn't speak enough Japanese to chops him, but I had to hold my hubby back from smacking him right in the gob.

This happens rarely - usually in Tokyo. Like GG said, each country has it's own share of nutjobs....

Fuck 'em....

(Mind you, it's great once you have enough Japanese ability to chops 'em back! Hee hee....)

[Samurai_Jerk]

Shit, I just got home from a police interrogation after being assaulted by some punk in the street for being a gaijin. Everthing worked out in the end and I'm home with no charges filed. But now it's about 4:30 am and I have to wake up for work at 6:00 am, so I'll give more details later. Man, I'm fucking pissed.

[ichigo partygirl]

Shit, I just got home from a police interrogation after being assaulted by some punk in the street for being a gaijin. Everthing worked out in the end and I'm home with no charges filed. But now it's about 4:30 am and I have to wake up for work at 6:00 am, so I'll give more details later. Man, I'm fucking pissed.

oh sorry man. Good to hear that you didn't get charged. Hope you weren't hurt too badly. Good luck at work today!!

[ichigo partygirl]

Ive never had out and out bad experiences like some of you have but everyone gets some shit sometimes. With me its usally drunk japanese calling out to me and when i ignore them calling me a white whore or something - depending on my mood i walk away or i tell them they have small penises that couldnt please a dog.

Sometimes you really want to say something but you have to take the high road because you know if you say something really bad its just not helping their perspectives on foreigners get any better - does it make a difference??

[firefly]

I'm actually pretty nervous about getting involved in altercations given the Police prejudice against foreigners and a lot of stories I've heard. This is an idea in my head that I'd love to change though - how were you treated Samurai_Jerk? What happened?

Shit, I just got home from a police interrogation after being assaulted by some punk in the street for being a gaijin. Everything worked out in the end and I'm home with no charges filed. But now it's about 4:30 am and I have to wake up for work at 6:00 am, so I'll give more details later. Man, I'm fucking pissed.

[Samurai_Jerk]

[ichigo partygirl]

Sounds like you did the right thing by asking for a translator and not signing anything or bowing to the bad cop routine. I think the rest of us should look at what you did as what to do if we ever get in that sort of situation. (although i do support the fact you smashed his eye - nice shot :P )
Good to hear you're OK

[Captain Japan]

SJ, sounds like you did the right thing. Glad to hear you wiggled your way out of it. Were the other guys drunk as well (I would assume they were)? At what point were you able to sober up?

[Taro Toporific]

...kept saying it was self defense. Bad cop left again and good cop says in Japan that's not self defense...

In Japan, the right of self-defense is nil. Japanese cops feel that if there's an altercation, it-takes-two-to-tango. Whether it's a traffic accident or a scuffle, your existence makes you guilty in some part. Others like gbooth might have more to say about this, but you got the best outcome that you could expect.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Cap'n J,

They were drunk too which is one reason I think the cops took it relatively easy on me. Also, the four guys that grabbed me after I hit him claimed to be passers by who didn't know the guy. I'm 99.9% sure that was BS since they appeared out of nowhere. I told the cops I thought it was a set up and maybe they came to that conclusion too while questioning them.

I'm glad to be a American at times like this. I think our steady diet of police and courtroom dramas makes us more savy in dealing with questioning. These guys were doing a cliche good cop/bad cop routine. Despite being drunk I switched into litigious American mode and was very careful about how I worded my story. That's why I wanted to make a statment in English. I could have told the story in Japanese but probably not with the right nuances.

At one point when bad cop was yelling at me I told him, "You don't scare me, I'm not going to change my story, and I'm not going to talk anymore if you keep yelling at me like that. Call me a lawyer." I think the assertion of my rights and logical arguments threw them for a loop. It was great seeing the wind go out of his sails when I pointed out that my fist had no marks. If I had punched him that hard my hand would probably have been fucked. That's the beauty of the elbow.


BTW, I think I'm still a little drunk.

[Samurai_Jerk]

In Japan, the right of self-defense is nil. Japanese cops feel that if there's an altercation, it-takes-two-to-tango. Whether it's a traffic accident or a scuffle, your existence makes you guilty in some part. Others like gbooth might have more to say about this, but you got the best outcome that you could expect.

Yeah, I know about that. Although I've talked to some J lawyers I was teaching about this before and they said you do have a right to self defense (at least in theory) but it's basically tit for tat. So you can only respond with up to the same level of force. So I guess if I pushed him and ripped his shirt I would have been OK. Basically you have no right to be a man under Japanese law.

[Captain Japan]

It was great seeing the wind go out of his sails when I pointed out that my fist had no marks. If I had punched him that hard my hand would probably have been fucked. That's the beauty of the elbow.

Did he ask you to roll up your sleeve to see your elbow? If you popped him cleanly there could have been a mark of some kind.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Did he ask you to roll up your sleeve to see your elbow? If you popped him cleanly there could have been a mark of some kind.

No. Besides I was wearing a suit so it gave just enough padding to keep any marks from my elbow.

[GuyJean]

..I hope he doesn't change his mind and decide to press charges later though.

He won't.. It's over for him. I'm glad you taught him a lesson; fuck with a Russian, expect resistance.

Cool story.. It's cool because you lived through it.

GJ

[Samurai_Jerk]

[quote="GuyJean"]He won't.. It's over for him. I'm glad you taught him a lesson]

Hey, they're lucky. If I really was a drunk Russian I probably would have beat all of their asses single-handedly.

[kamome]

Wow, SJ! I think it's cathartic for many of us to read your story. How many FG's have wanted so badly to pop an ignorant J-dude in the eye AND get away with it? Good job, dude.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Thanks, kamome. I'll accept your conclusion: I am a stud.