The 75th Episode : Are you a Japanese?
[October, 1996 South Africa => Hong Kong]
The first mission in Africa was over. I took a return journey to Japan via Hong Kong as same as the outward way. It would take 13 hours again to Hong Kong. It was never endurable to be at the middle of a three-seater like the flight to Panama. I checked in early to secure the aisle seat. I relieved.
The flight was by Cathay Pacific so there were many Asian looked passengers. And there was one more reason, I knew later. The Asian looked people were almost Taiwanese. Because the deep-sea fishery for tuna is active around South Africa many crew of the fishing vessel and their family often come and go from Taiwan and Japan. The vessel stay around and only crew are changed moving by the fast aircraft.
To spend time before boarding I walked around as usual. I got into a rest room. Oh hell! I recognised I had a failure when I got out. It was a ‘pay toilet’ that doesn’t in Japan, at least I’ve never seen. Tip was required at the door. I knew the existence and saw in Hong Kong but I had avoided using. I recognised a man at the door, whom I thought a dustman. The first using a pay toilet. I felt turning a big loss.
The time came, I boarded and was to take my seat…… But, who are you? A 30-year old looked Asian woman was sitting there. Double booking by the air company? I said her this was my seat showing my boarding pass. She was not to show her boarding pass, sitting in a self-serving manner. We had a problem. She seemed to be a Chinese, didn’t speak English or Japanese. I called a stewardess, we didn’t use the word ‘flight attendant’ those days.
Stewardess : She is a member of a group tour and wants to have a seat next to her friend, she said. Would you take a seat in the back?
Me : In the back? Which one?
S : Over there, the second seat of a four-seater.
Me : NO! I checked in early to get an aisle seat. Arrange an aisle seat or at the emergency exit.
S : I’ll try. Anyway, would you wait at the seat in the back (the second of a four-seater)?
Me : Hah? The order is wrong! Make this woman get back to her original seat. When you arrange my seat she can get here, that’s the order. Right?
The woman wouldn’t move. I was standing and waited for a while. If I once sat down the said seat, I might be made as it was in case another seat couldn’t be arranged. As long as I stood, the aircraft never started. Soon later a seat was arranged in 2-3 back, of course aisle side. Settled fortunately.
The aircraft took off and got into level flight, when drink began to be served. The stewardess stopped beside me and asked an order from the person on the window seat. I found her name plate on her chest. What!?!? It was written in alphabet but obviously Japanese name. She spoke Chinese with the woman sitting my seat and English with me. Therefore I did thought she was a Chinese, or Hong Kong or Taiwanese. She had not recognised about myself, yet, and asked me ‘what drink would you like?’ in English. I said ‘are you a Japanese according to the name plate?’ in Japanese. She was surprised very much and said in Japanese ‘are you a Japanese?’. We two had a hearty laugh.
Most of Japanese give up or yield when they have such a problem and few people insist like me, it's said. So I didn’t seem to be a Japanese, I guess.
The flight was well over the Indian Ocean in the fine and calm weather. There sat two old persons looked like a married couple next to me over the aisle. They seemed to have known the stewardess was a Japanese with our conversation, they spoke in broken Japanese with her. After a while the woman spoke to me, in Chinese!? I didn’t understand at all. ‘I’m sorry I don’t understand what you say. You spoke Japanese with the stewardess.’ I said in Japanese. She said in Japanese ‘I asked, are you a Japanese?’ Then speak in Japanese from the beginning! She was a Japanophile. How troublesome Taiwanese were!?
