Forgetful Mice and their Plans

Or something like that...

Geek here with a mini-post. Remember how I said I was staying up late so I wouldn't wake up super early? You know, so I wouldn't be super tired for the show tonight? Yeah, well, I've been up since 4:30 AM (1:30 PM Central). The post last night was wrapped up around 10:00 PM, and I tried doing a couple things on my phone but my eyes were rolling back in my head and out I went. 

I did realize, however, that I forgot a quick story in the post last night...
After we left the department store Keio (the one with higher resolution in real life than back home), we were walking back to explore Shinjuku station further when we were approached by a young looking Japanese couple. The woman started talking to me, in Japanese, and the chain of events went, slowly, in my head like this:

1. Oh; this person is talking to me!
2. Wait, I don't understand a syllable of what she is saying...
3. Ahh, that's right, this is Japanese she is speaking.
4. They kind of look like they're lost, or in need of minor help or something.
5. Now why would they pick out two foreigners if they needed help?
6. Hold on a second brain, she's still talking, we should probably say something.
7. How does that go again?
8. Let's see... 
9. I put up my hand to indicate "wait"
10. Say this: "Nihango". Hmm pronunciation? "Nee-han-go". I finally say it
11. Oh, and say "wa", so I did.
12. I'm trying to remember how the rest goes quickly, and she looks at me and says, "ah, Nihango," then looks at me expectantly.
13. Okay, so she knows I'm saying "Japanese", but I need to get the rest out so she knows what I'm saying about it.
14. I belt out, "hanasemasen"
15. Did that work? Did I do it right?
16. She looked at me with a smile and said "oh, hanasemasen." Then they both said, with quick bows, "Arigato-gozaimass." 
17. We smiled back and bowed, then waved goodbye, and they returned the gesture and we parted ways.

At first it just felt so cool to handle the situation in a way they understood. It's a surprising feeling, when you successfully interact with a stranger in their language, that just feels neat. It's really more than that, but difficult to explain, suffice it to say, I have a whole new respect for people who visit America, and try to speak our language, even if just to say a few phrases. I'm sure, to them, we speak very quickly, and sound mostly like we're speaking gibberish.

Not long after our encounter, we started getting really curious about what they wanted. The Art Girl quickly crafted a story about how they were fugitives and were seeking out others that appeared to be outcasts, and a couple of foreigners stood a good chance of being what they needed. Unfortunately, however, they only spoke Japanese, so we wouldn't work. We both agreed, though, it was probably more likely that they need a few yen for a train ride, and thought foreigners may be more likely to give.

Well, The Art Girl has brought back a gochiso (feast) for breakfast, that I'm sure she'll show and tell you all about later. 

Ogenki ke (Keep well)

-Geek