Throwing Muses

I would just like to point out a couple of obersvations I have made recently, which may be interesting, or may be not. It's Saturday morning here, there's a pretty vicious thunderstorm going on outside and I'm listening to Gift Grub on Todayfm...radio roy is still the best I think. Anyway, observe away with ya:

1) The myth that Japanese people can't drink is, without doubt, not a myth (it seems that a little enzyme which breaks down aldehyde is certainly extinct in the majority of the locals). I have witnessed this all the time I get the train home at night, watching the salarymen stumble around, sing loudly and generally behave in ways that would insult their very morals should they witness it themselves! But what struck me as being utterly hilarious and somewhat disconcerting was the scence of my very first vomitorium. While walking to hit a few baseballs with the lads after work on Thursday night, we passed what I can only discribe as a group of early 20-somethings, dressed in the hip-hop style which is huge here, vomiting in a violent manner on the side of the road, with the obligatory girl with their arm over the shoulder of the human fire extinguisher, patting him gently and laughing silently. What hit me first was not the smell of puke but the smell of disinfectant! It is obviously a regular occurence. It was hilarious. Casting an eye across the assembled participants, one was struck by the normality of it all. I've seen guys (95% of the time it's men, I'm not being sexist here) as they are about to board the train, kneel down, upchuck in the gap between the platform and locomotive, stand up, smile at his fellow salarymen and get on board. Then the nervous journey begins as one hopes that he doesn't decide to upchuck in one's general direction...I have yet to see them puke on the train though. At least they have some decorum.

2) Kyobashi is a busy hub in Osaka, the train station is a changeover stop from the subway to various train lines going to various destinations. As a result, the surrounding environs of the station have become the biblical Sodom and Gommorah, with the sex industry thriving there. There are pimps everywhere, general gigilos with buffaunt hair and black suits. It's quite comical really and I think it's very tongue-in-cheek, but they probably take it seriously. There are the usual dancers and the like, but what is the main draw are the girls in the bars. The way it works is, so I've been told, OBVIOUSLY, is that you just go in, pick the chick that you fancy and pay about 150yoyos, in some places, to spend 60 minutes with her....TALKING! Yup, they just sit down with you and chat. I guess it's in the strictest tradition of the geisha (of which there are very few now in Japan...Kyoto still has some genuine Geisha) but why would you pay that much moola just to chat to someone. It's not that I'm saying for that much money you should get jiggy with it (outcha Tayto) but it's an expensive way to get to talk to someone...anyway. I just thought it was amusing as the usual post on the floor when I come home in the evening are flyers for these places.

I was going to write more but my brain is addled and I need to eat so....smell ya later