ABANDONED IN JAPAN WITHOUT A CENT 1983

This next post is a “flashback in time” to Japan in the summer of 1983. Although, completely innocent of all wrong doing, I was subjected to a large ration of abuse for a long time. I will tell this story from Deysi’s viewpoint and let my readers determine fault or innocence. It all took place in a city called Kumamoto which was a short distance from my work in Japan. It also happened to have an international airport, of sorts. Deysi has brought this memory up many times in the past. Usually, to highlight one or more of my transgressions or character flaws. I hope you enjoy this flashback and can see the truth and righteousness of my position.

As you may remember, 1983 took us to Japan for work with our American employer from San Fransisco. I had left a couple of weeks earlier than Deysi and Ron, in order to scout out the territory and make sure all was in order for the royal arrival. Deysi, of course, begged to stay behind and pack up all of our belongings, move out of the apartment, and make sure Lalitas had a safe place to stay. At this point Lalitas had joined us in Canada, found work and bought winter clothes. Before Deysi left, she found her, a sweet, high-rise bachelor apartment, overlooking the Bow Valley in Downtown Edmonton. She also managed to arrange police protection, while her sis remained behind, waiting for us.

I in the meantime, was busy at work in our new location, Omuta, Japan, attending church regularly and pining deeply for Deysi. After two hard weeks of looking after myself, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry and house hunting, the day had finally arrived. Deysi and Ron were on their way! I was pumped and got up extra early for the trip to Kumamoto, and the airport. It was about a one hour drive, on the wrong side of the highway, through an extremely twisted maze of traffic. All this with no traffic signs in English. I had enlisted a friend to chauffeur me for the pickup. Had he went the opposite direction at the first turn, I would not have known any better. I was completely lost!

He had been in Japan about 3 weeks longer than me, which made him an expert in all things Japanese, in my mind. Away we go, I am so excited, I can hardly wait. We arrive in Kumamoto about 2 hours before the flight arrival time. My buddy thinks I’m crazy, but he does not, yet, know Bubbaloo. I had made contingency plans, for anything that could possibly go wrong, surrounding this arrival. We did however, manage to stop at a local snack bar, for lunch. It was here that I ate the raw horse meat. The memory of which is imbedded in my mind to this day. Where I grew up, you get caught eating your horse, your ass is gonna be “hung up” in a tree.

So after a little lunch and a Japanese beer, we arrive safely at the airport, a long time in advance of their arrival. My buddy of the famous bicycle trip, of a previous memory, finds himself a place to stretch out and doze off. I go sit by a door that said “arrivals”. Again, I am so excited. Geezus, I hadn’t been in trouble for two or more weeks. I am trying my best to follow the electronic information board. Unlike, the airport in Tokyo, this airport was about 95% in Japanese. The time passed, I kept waiting for some arrivals. I watched the signs and paced up and down.

Finally I see a notice that seems to announce the arrival of the flight carrying the precious cargo. I get close to the gate, bouquet of flowers at the ready. Then I wait. After what seems like hours, a few Japanese passengers come through the doors. Now my anticipation is great. Little by little more Japanese come through the exit. No Deysi or Ron. I’m starting to get a bit jumpy. I check the flight number, I peer thru the gates, I look for someone to ask. Nothing, now there is no one remaining to come thru the gates. I then think, well they are probably stuck in Immigration and Customs and might be a little delayed. I wait some more. Panic is starting to set in.

I have a very strange feeling that disaster is about to strike. I’m starting to curse and swear now. Frantically I look for help. Finally I spot a Japanese person with some sort of uniform. I go ask her to help me. Luckily she speaks English. After hearing of my problem, she very politely tells me the “the arrivals for foreign passengers” is at the other end of the airport. Where I am standing is for Japanese citizens only. Oh great, I now make a sprint for the other end of the airport. It was a smaller airport, but felt as if I was running thru O’Hare in Chicago. Breathlessly I arrive and frantically look around………….

Sure enough there stands Deysi. She is not exactly looking overjoyed to see me. She is kinda tapping her foot and doing everything she can to ignore my arrival. Her mind is already made up. I am in some serious trouble and I haven’t even spoken yet. It looks as if a welcome kiss is not going to happen. I don’t see her flying to me, arms outstretched waiting for me to lift her off the floor in an embrace. Ron is standing next to her, doing her best to show me, her most scary face. Her greeting is “do you know I have no money, with me and you have abandoned me in Japan”. Ron is vigorously nodding her head and has that “now you are in some serious shit”, look on her face.

Hold it, I protest, “I have been waiting for you at the arrivals gate for one hour.” She just looks up and over her head is a large lighted sign proclaiming “International Arrivals”. What the hell can I say. So now it is somehow my fault that she didn’t stop in Vancouver and change a bit of money to Japanese. Also my fault that the arriving passengers go in two different directions, and certainly my fault for not admitting my guilt. Geezus! About this time up saunters my buddy “Goldie”, with no idea that he is also, now included in my guilt. Hell he hasn’t even met her. Her final words to me are, “you had about 10 more minutes and then Ron and I were returning to Canada”! Yep, Ron’s head is bobbing up and down in agreement.

No matter how I explained it, it made no difference to her. I was basically an unsympathetic, fool who had purposely missed her flight and left her stranded, without a penny, in Japan. I’m trying to tell her, that I was only about 150 feet away, at any time, and so excited to see her. Her response was “JimboRed, don’t you lie, I can smell the beer on you”. I grovel a bit, but to no avail, it just makes me look more guilty. With that we started our new adventure in Japan. The ride back to Omuta was done in silence. I rest my case.