We were greeted last night by the most powerful typhoon to hit Japan in ten years (or so I’m told). Lucky for me, I had to be up at 3:30 AM for a conference call with the home office. This allowed me stand at our window and marvel at the impressiveness of the sideways rain, which was kinda cool. More importantly, it also allowed me to chuckle at an oddity that nicely illustrates both Japan’s nanny state mentality as well as its general disregard for noise pollution.
There was the scene, 3:30 in the morning with lots of wind and rain swirling about. And what do I hear? Some charming little bells followed by a woman’s recorded voice (that annoying, high-pitched, squeaky Japanese kind) blasting over the loudspeakers placed throughout our neighborhood. What was she saying? Basically, that it is very windy and rainy, so be careful. Thanks, for that. Not only did you just scream the super obvious from the hilltops, but you woke up half the neighborhood while doing so. This went on for a solid ten minutes, then it would break for about twenty before coming back on again. I can’t imagine how many expats were inclined to throw their patio furniture at those loudspeakers last night.
We’re talking about a country where soothing chimes go off each day at 5 PM just to remind its citizenry that the workday is done. And a country where loud, verbal protest is the most common sort. Guys stand outside of the television station across from our apartment with a microphone and box speaker yelling nonsense about some programming. And far right wackos ride around in black vans and buses blasting nationalist propaganda at all hours of the day, including bright and early on weekend mornings when they love to visit our neighborhood (being expat-heavy and all). These things are so loud that each time I hear them I have fun with the daydream that shows me aiming a rocket propelled grenade launcher at those bastards from my balcony, or scurrying down to street level and pulling the drivers out of their seats so I can proceed to pummel them in front of their friends. There is no way in hell such levels of noise pollution would be allowed in a place like New York, which helps demonstrate the upshot of the inhospitable big city.
It’s now 8 AM and the sun is shining, though a pretty powerful wind remains. Lizzi is out walking Hurley, braving the elements. I just saw a white and orange colored object fly across the horizon. Perhaps the typhoon gods had other plans for our little furball. Meanwhile, ever the cautious people, schools are closed today in Tokyo. I need to shower and head to the office. Here’s hoping the taxis are still running.
