TROPICAL MAGAZIN 2016/12

Japánban az a jó, hogy csaknem minden működik. A nyolc órás vonat nyolckor érkezik, az automata ad vissza pénzt, a taxis nem kér borravalót. A villanyszerelő, a vízszerelő, a gázos pontban akkor csenget a lakásba, amikor kell, ahogy azt megígérte. Ugye, milyen elképesztő?

Persze a japán életmódnak is vannak furcsaságai a bugyiautomatáktól a mangaszexig. Külön neve van annak a jelenségnek, amikor valaki halálra dolgozza magát. Japán ismerősöm pedig lefordított egyszer egy feliratot: „Csúcsidőben ne kíséreljen meg öngyilkosságot, mert késnének a vonatok!”  De ezzel együtt én rendkívül tisztelem és szeretem a japánokat, imádom a kultúrájukat, arról pedig legendákat tudnék mesélni, sokan közülük milyen udvariasak és vendégszeretőek. Ebben a lapszámunkban sokat olvashatnak a felkelő nap országáról. De nem csupán Japánba, hanem a Távol-Kelet más mesés vidékére is elviszi Önöket a Tropical.

Jó szórakozást!

Dr. Kiss Róbert Richárd

The charm of the Far East

When I was in Japan I understood how it’s possible that a country, which lost the war, which doesn’t have unlimited oil resources, where the earth moves a little bit almost every day, where tsunami is frequent at the coasts, can achieve magical results in a relatively small amount of time and how it can become one of the world’s leading economic powers. The secret lies in the mentality. I met a seemingly middle-aged man in the Tokyo metro. He asked me if I wanted to buy a water purifier. I told him that it would be difficult for me to take it home and that I always keep to the custom rules, so I’d like to pass on the opportunity. Then he asked me what I taught about how old he was. The Japanese are utterly polite and I didn’t want to fall behind so even though he looked sixty, I said fifty. “Seventy-two” he said with a smile. He still works. He promised his boss twenty years ago that he would sell twelve water purifiers but he didn’t manage to do so. Anyhow he keeps trying and won’t retire until he either succeeds or dies. Since he already looked up all his acquaintances during the years he is now accosting people in the metro; there could be always somebody in the need for a water purifier.

What’s great about Japan is that almost everything works. The train scheduled to arrive at eight o’clock arrives at eight o’clock, the automat gives back money, the taxi driver doesn’t ask for a tip. The electrician and the plumber knock on the door at the exact time they promised. It’s incredible, isn’t it?

Of course, the Japanese lifestyle also has its oddities like the panty machines or the manga sex. They have a separate expression for the phenomenon when someone works his/herself to death, and a Japanese acquaintance of mine translated me the following caption once: “don’t attempt suicide in rush hour, because it would delay trains”. Nevertheless, I very much respect and love the Japanese, I adore their culture and I could tell about how polite and hospital the majority of them are for hours. In this edition you can read a lot about the country of the rising sun. Still, Tropical doesn’t only guide you to Japan, but also to the other magical countries of the Far East.

Enjoy the journey!

Dr. Róbert Richárd Kiss