You close the notebook, put it in the backpack, and walk down the corridor. You notice no one. The hum of the HVAC is off; the bright, midday light streaks across the vinyl floors. You enter the elevator, arrive at a lower level, and walk towards the shop. No guard there. You walk in.
You think about how Japan of long ago managed to combine an outside tradition with its own to create a new thing, a harmonious relationship. This flies in the face of this idea that Japan by its nature is exclusionary. There is no one there except the clerk.
- “Hello. How may I help you?” The clerk said.
- “Good day. It’s quiet here. How are you doing?”
- “I am doing well. I am fulfilling my duties in a calm, not crowded, safe environment. Now, what will you have today?”
- “A turkey sandwich and black tea, please.”
- “It will be ready shortly.”
- “I am studying Japanese literature and I am fascinated by how an individual operates in a society. It seems like that idea of individual rights was imported from the West as they made a new government in reaction to colonial expansion.”
- “But the Japanese are people too. They do not want to live in jail,” the clerk said.
- “Well, they are different. We put them in a category like that.”
- “This category is our–your—concept,” the clerk said.
- “What else should I think with?”
- “Exactly. What do you know about Japanese people? Of course, they think of themselves as individuals. They believe they have worth. Let’s not let your concept cloud the basics,” the clerk said and looked away.
- “Granted. But what does the individual owe society and the society the individual?”
- “Let me get your tea…. The individual must be at a certain level, have a level of self-dignity for others to care about them. The society would accept that person in their ranks and take care of them,” the clerk said.
- “What about the other way?”
- “Well, we don’t know much about Japan now, who knows, but the society or authorities, whoever, should create the right environment for those individuals to rise up,” the clerk said.
- “Should…”
- “Well, they didn’t seem to do that, but here you go. I don’t want to keep you from your studies.”
The clerk nods, tilts an issued hat, and closes their eyes. You nod in turn, pick up the sandwich in a brown bag and the thin paper cup with a sleeve. You sit alone in the corner of the lobby, open the bag, look at the sandwich, and are disappointed with only half a tomato slice and no cheese: the shortages continue.
You eat half the sandwich and sip a quarter of the tea. You hear a sound coming towards you. The librarian steps in front of you.
- “How has your time been here?” The librarian asked.
- “Informative.”
- “Unfortunately, it may be a little lonely here.”
- “Make the study that much easier.” You said.
- “So, what have you learned anyway? We have a right to know,” the librarian said.
- “I learned about how Japan progressed from a feudal society to an industrial one…”
- “Is that so? Commit the main structure to memory. It is not free to secure this place and you have taken advantage of our services.”
- “I hear you loud and clear,” you said.