All taxis in Japan have a sign on the back of the passenger seat. Of course, it's not usually used as a passenger seat because the passenger(s) sit in the back. But if there are four people, one will probably sit in the front. Anyway, the sign gives the name of the driver and his hobbies. I guess that the purpose is to give passengers a starting point for a conversation if they are in the mood.
I'm always in the mood for a taxi chat. This driver's hobby was listed as karaoke.
"So you like music", I asked
"Yes, I listen so much that I wear out cassettes really quickly", he replied.
"What kind of stuff do you listen to?"
And so he began to give me a history of his listening experience since the 1960's. It suddenly dawned on me that it was directly related to my research into English songwriting in Japan. The influence of the Beatles and Dylan in the 60s sparked off a huge folk movement and the Group Sounds movement, some of which sparked off L2 songwriting. I had been hanging out on Wikipedia trying to find information about the period and had completely overlooked the simple solution of asking people who had grown up in the era. Another methodological kiss in the ass for me :)
As I got out of the taxi, armed with a list of bands to check out, I said to the driver, "karaoke, ganbatte ne".
"Karaoke? I don't do karaoke."
"But it says it here," I said.
"Really? Oh it's my wife who likes karaoke."
Funny thing, isn't it. Sometimes a whole new door can open to you, even when the sign is wrong.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Changing beliefs
Last night, a taxidriver changed my mind.
I don't drive myself and spend half my life lugging heavy musical gear, books or computers from one place to another, so I spend a lot of time sitting in the back of taxis. In other cities, I have talked to taxidrivers who were from that city and had worked as a taxidriver for years. In Nagoya, all the taxidrivers come from somewhere else. There's are lots from Kyushu and even from Okinawa. They all seem to be running or getting away from something else, too. There are failed businessmen - failed because they don't get a second chance in Japan. There are restructured salarymen, too old now to get a new job in a similar company, in Japan where experience seems to count for so much less than loyalty. There are old men who shouldn't really be behind a wheel at all, and certainly not behind a wheel for 18 hours a day driving other people around.
But the guy last night was a genuine Nagoya taxidriver from Nagoya - just like the traditional image of a London cabbie. He has been working at the same company since I was three years old, almost 35 years ago. He lives next to his company in the company dormitory in Shinsakae. HIs pride and belief in the company are immense and he has no respect for those drivers who work for a few years at one company and then move on. Trust is everything. The company will do anything for him that he asks. He is still a few years off retirement, but they have promised him a job after that for as long as he wants. He chooses his own hours to work. In his case, he works from 5am until 6pm each day except Sunday. He sleeps a solid eight hours every night. He is healthy and content. He is proud of his job.
He changed my mind about the loyalty system in Japan. Perhaps it is the source of many of the good things in the country, rather than just being a closed system where people don't get a second chance.
Japan is changing. I wonder how many loyal taxi drivers on the road today will still be driving a cab in the year 2042. I will miss them.
I don't drive myself and spend half my life lugging heavy musical gear, books or computers from one place to another, so I spend a lot of time sitting in the back of taxis. In other cities, I have talked to taxidrivers who were from that city and had worked as a taxidriver for years. In Nagoya, all the taxidrivers come from somewhere else. There's are lots from Kyushu and even from Okinawa. They all seem to be running or getting away from something else, too. There are failed businessmen - failed because they don't get a second chance in Japan. There are restructured salarymen, too old now to get a new job in a similar company, in Japan where experience seems to count for so much less than loyalty. There are old men who shouldn't really be behind a wheel at all, and certainly not behind a wheel for 18 hours a day driving other people around.
But the guy last night was a genuine Nagoya taxidriver from Nagoya - just like the traditional image of a London cabbie. He has been working at the same company since I was three years old, almost 35 years ago. He lives next to his company in the company dormitory in Shinsakae. HIs pride and belief in the company are immense and he has no respect for those drivers who work for a few years at one company and then move on. Trust is everything. The company will do anything for him that he asks. He is still a few years off retirement, but they have promised him a job after that for as long as he wants. He chooses his own hours to work. In his case, he works from 5am until 6pm each day except Sunday. He sleeps a solid eight hours every night. He is healthy and content. He is proud of his job.
He changed my mind about the loyalty system in Japan. Perhaps it is the source of many of the good things in the country, rather than just being a closed system where people don't get a second chance.
Japan is changing. I wonder how many loyal taxi drivers on the road today will still be driving a cab in the year 2042. I will miss them.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Golden Week Holidays
Golden Week is a nice holiday in Japan. The weather is generally pretty good and although it's not really a week, most people get at least three days off. But this taxidriver isn't getting any day off. In fact, he hasn't taken a day off in the last 365 days. His days aren't short either. He works 12 hours a day and then just goes back home to eat and sleep. He sometimes wonders why he was born at all. Was this what he was supposed to do. With all that work, you might imagine that he's pulling in a large salary. The opposite seems to be true. Because he's not getting enough customers, he has to work longer hours. Work has its enjoyable moments, but it has its horrible moments, too. So, if you're not getting quite the holiday that you wanted during Golden Week or are finding this heavy rain a little too much for your picnic, enjoy what you have - it's so much more than that taxi driver.
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