Okay, let me pad this story by noting that I normally dismiss odd reactions by Japanese people as simply my imagination. I know Gaijin-panic happens from time to time, but it is certainly not the norm.... at least I haven't encountered it with the younger generation at all.
(Gaijin = Slang for foreigner. Rather rude word pointed towards those who are not-Japanese)
Anyway, keep that in mind.
So, I leave to go to the eki this morning from my home apartment. You know, somehow I had to get to the place where I was taking the JLPT, right? Well, I was feeling chipper this morning so I decided to jog down the street until I had to turn to head to the station. Since I hadn't been to this particular eki before, I looked at my map and counted the street lights until that turn. The number was nine. With that in mind, I took off jogging.
Well, I make my way easily down the street with little obstruction from red lights, except one and that bothers me. At about the fifth light or so, I look down the street to kinda see if I needed to pick up speed or not to avoid stopping at any other lights. Y'know, I'd prefer to continue moving if I can avoid stopping. Red lights have definitely become one of my pet peeves. Up ahead, I see this old obachan dressed completely in black trundling away down the sidewalk. She's somewhere between a block and a half and two blocks away from me at the time. This is where it got surreal for me
The old lady turns and glances back in my direction. I avoid eye contact like I usually do with people that I don't know. It's a habit I think I've picked up in Japan. If someone is staring I try not to care because I 'd rather not create a confrontation. However, she turns her head back towards the light up ahead. For half a second all is normal, when suddenly she flings her arms in the air, and I kid you not, takes off in a full arm flail run. While trying not to flinch, I'm meanwhile still jogging.
Looking on at the strange behavior, I try to convince myself that she is just running to catch the next light. I mean, the timing is sorta right because I know I'm going to barely make it while it is still green. Therefore she should definitely make it. By now, I'm close to a block away, and I figure I'll be able to pass her if I make the light too. Bad idea, but I keep jogging.
She makes it across the street. In other words, she makes the light. However, she keeps going in full arm flail run. Something she shouldn't be doing if she was just trying to make the light. I hoping against hope, I'm not somehow the cause of this scene. All of a sudden a half a block away from the light and me, she stops and glances back. This time, for just an instant, she was clearly staring at me. While stamping her left foot hard, she clasps her hands together and forcefully does an odd stretching motion twice in the direction away from me. I'm meanwhile still jogging.
In fact, I wonder why I'm still jogging. Should I stop? Should go a different way? Is it even safe to pass her? I decide I'm dealing with a weirdo but refuse to stop anyway. I mean she's only an obachan right? She probably can't even catch me. So, I simply tighten my resolve and decide to not even so much as look in her direction. I think that looking at her again might just set her off. As I pass her though, that is exactly what happens. Out of the corner of my eye, I can tell she's blatantly staring at me and stamping her foot. Then she barks something out as I go jogging past.
Sadly, I have no clue what she said, but it was short so one word, possibly two. It even might even simply have been “Gaijin.” I didn't stop, so I don't know exactly. Her voice was really creepy though; I would dare say she sounded like her throat was full of phlegm or her mouth full of spit. The instant so caught me off guard that I felt two conflicting emotions in reaction to her utterance. One was a cold chill up my spine, and the other was an intense desire to turn her attitude back on her. Meaning, I thought of stopping, bowing and then apologizing for my existence because that was apparently what she was having a problem with. Instead, I just kept jogging.
I didn't look back. I took my turn. I got picked up by a friend at the eki. I took my test. Truly, the day was otherwise uneventful.
What are your thoughts? To nip one thought in the bud: no she was not just clearing her throat. The timing was too perfect and I know I heard language, just what I don't know. ^_^
