Here’s a story I can’t really tell anywhere else. The names have been changed to protect the guilty.
Recently a Japanese guy I know went out drinking with a bunch of his coworkers. This was a special night, because it was the first time in seven years that the guy was able to drink alcohol. For whatever reason, he hadn’t had the chance to drink, and he was looking to enjoy alcohol that evening. And he did. Everybody drank a lot, and after the first party most of the members moved to another place for a second party. As the alcohol really started hitting him, he decided it would be best to hit the road before the end of the party, and get safely home.
So he excuses himself, says goodbye to everyone, and heads to the station. The remaining people at the party noticed that he was pretty drunk, but understand that it has been a long time for him, and are just happy that he is having a good time. After about an hour or so, the party starts to break up, with some hard-core members moving on to a third place, and the rest heading to the train station to go home.
Two members of the party are walking to the station, completely sober. They are both young women, and they both happen to be pregnant, so they haven’t had any alcohol all night. And as they walk to the station, they see some guy passed out on the sidewalk. People in the busy city are walking past the drunk guy passed out on the ground like he isn’t even there. And the young women are startled to discover that it was the poor guy who hadn’t had a drink in seven years.
They try to get the guy up on his feet, but he’s having a lot of trouble standing. He’s not puking, but it looks like it is just a matter of time. He is reasonably coherent, though, and understands who is helping him and thanks them profusely. The women each take an arm, and start walking/dragging him to the station. The time until the last train is ticking away, so they hurry.
So here’s this guy, getting carried to the station by two compassionate young pregnant women, and when they get to the station they put him on the train to his home, and they can wash their hands of the incident. The next day, the guy comes to work a little late, but nobody says anything about the incident, and he quietly thanks the two women by e-mail later in the evening.
And the reason I love this story, is because it perfectly illustrates the relationship between work, drinking and social life in Japan. This kind of thing doesn’t happen every night, but it isn’t all that unusual. You help out your coworkers, and they help you when you need it – even if that means dragging your drunk ass to the train. And the next day nobody teases you, lectures you, or says anything about it. Like it didn’t even happen.
