From a dull roar to a whisper

Last night was the first night I encountered both Shore Patrol (the military police) and the Japanese police. Before you worry, I don't mean it was a personal encounter.

John, John's friend, and I decided to have a chu-hi on Friday night. No big deal, the chu-hi stand is a great place to chat. It was crowded that night with lots of other Americans. As a crowd of people, we weren't particularly loud. I would classify it as a dull roar and people were trying their best to keep it down.

Shore Patrol drives up in their vans and gets out and yells, "There have been noise complaints tonight from this stand! Keep it down or all SOFA personnel will be asked to leave!" Well, this is new to me. I'm SOFA sponsored, only having one drink before I head to dinner and a movie date with John....so I'm not used to being ordered around like I'm in the military, especially when no one is being particularly rowdy.

The crowd takes note of the order and keeps it lower than before. Thirty minutes later, the Japanese police come to the stand. At this time, John and I decide to leave. No need to be someplace troublesome when we are just enjoying a drink.

So moral of this story: Americans are loud. We don't think we are, but we are. The Japanese are very noise sensitive. I really didn't think as a crowd anyone was being rowdy, but the people who complained (at 8pm) clearly didn't like the noise. The country of Japan lacks space (it's a densely populated island), so bars are built in residential areas. Just something to be aware of for anyone who might visit Japan. Keep it down to a whisper.


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