Some Japanese People --- part 1~

1   1.   I was ready to take the Narita Airport Express for Shinagawa. The platform was quiet; no one was there but me, sitting on a bench with my two suitcases, facing the train, which was in cleaning process and not ready to load passengers yet. A man in uniform walked in my sight, holding a writing pad. A train inspector, I thought. Suddenly he turned facing the train, standing straight like a tree and dashed out his arm pointing at the connecting spot between two train cars. “よし！(Good!) ” Loudly and clearly he said, and nodded fiercely. He wrote something on his writing board and proceeded to the next connecting spot. “よし!” His arm was so straight and voice so strong. Quick and serious. “よし!” “よし!” “よし!”…He repeated the action forcefully at every connecting spot until he disappear at the end to the train where I couldn’t see.  And then it was me alone at the station again.

     2.  It was a Sunday morning in Osaka, and the shopping mall was quiet and extremely clean. I walked into a small store of lovely dresses and got attracted to a milk white Tomboy-like dress. “いらっしゃいませ！(Welcome!)” I heard this lovely and sweet voice calling from inside of the store, but as I looked up, a girl in dark punky shirt and shorts walked towards me with a huge smile on her face; a chunk of tattoo showed on her neck. “ Ye---Yeah, I was wondering if I can try this on…” I asked, turning back to the dress on my hand, realizing that my look at the girl might have been a bit impolite. “Sure sure!” The girl replied in her bright sweet voice. She took the dress from my hand and started checking meticulously for possibly blemished spots. She then walked back to the counter with the dress and cut out some thread, carefully, with a pair of mini-size scissors. Then she held the dress in both hands and guided me to the fitting room---it was surprisingly huge with exquisite decorations. I turned around to her for the dress, but she was already bowing a big deep bow with hands facing up over her head handing me the dress. “どうぞ！(Please!)” In her bright voice.