Conversation with a Japanese cab driver (part 1)

Wow, do I have a lot to say with the experience of cab drivers here in Japan, especially with the way that I see foreigners talk about them.

But for now, today's story.

Murakami Haruki, a famous Japanese novelist who is famous outside Japan for the translation of his novel "Norwegian Wood," wrote a short essay about cab drivers in Japan. A friend told him that you can tell where a Tokyo cab driver is from based on his willingness to start a conversation. If he starts up a conversation, he's not originally from Tokyo. If he doesn't start up a conversation, he's probably originally from Tokyo. The ramifications of that are for another post.

But it got me wondering, would it be the same with a foreigner (with me)? Would the same non-Tokyo but still Japanese people so willing to start conversations with other Japanese also be so willing to start one with a foreigner.

Well, I've taken a lot of cabs since I've read the essay, and I can answer "yes!" They ask some questions about where I want to go, and then based on my apparent Japanese ability, the conversation comes. And so far, it's 8-0. 8 non-tokyo people started conversations and 0 tokyo people did (I asked them where they were from during the conversation).

Today's cab driver was from slightly north Japan, a part I had been to so I said it was beautiful. He said simply "Japan is a mountainous country so obviously that comes along with it." That was interesting. Not just that I thought what he said was true, we're all used to seeing mountain scenes and all that, but also because he was presenting his idea of Japan (his home) to me (someone visiting his home) so directly and humbly. That is of course part of Japanese culture.

We talked about a lot of things, but I'm tired so I'll end it with this.

When I told him I came to Japan from America, he asked me about America and then asked me about Bush. The Bush thing was interesting because usually cab drivers don't bring up things like that, and also, political affiliation is something of a taboo to talk about in the US.

And then he asked me about what Ithink about Bush. I told him my thoughts and we agreed on a lot of things. And then he told me...

Actually as a person that sees hundreds of people a day in his cab, he always asks foreigners, especially Americans, about what they think about Bush. It was his little study.

The result, he said about 80% say Bush is awful, and 20% say he's great. It was interesting that he said that out of the 20% that told him that Bush is great, almost all (or maybe all) of those people work in finances.