Post by Nobu Sasaki on May 25, 2011 19:44:07 GMT -5
ooc: First of all, the picture is a pic of what Nobu looks like in this post. In Winter 2009, he's 17. Second, I based this post off of a few experiences out here in Japan, one recently and one from last semester! 
Nobu was returning home from school, the final day of school before the special winter holiday began. This time, he'd elected to take the JR train home. He preferred it over the subway anyway, because as it was an overland train, it meant he got to look out over the city he'd grown up in all his life and admire the scenery. Usually he took the subway because of its closer proximity to his school, but as it was a nice enough day outside anyway, aside from the slowly setting-in winter chill, he had no problem whatsoever with making the walk to the JR train.
Already, his spirits were quite high. For the winter break, his family had made arrangements with his friend Kyo's. The two families would be spending the holiday in Kyoto, at a new upper-class hotel in the mountains, so they would have an excellent view of Kyoto in winter time. Even though Nobu was into Western culture and modern things, he also knew how to appreciate the things unique to Japan. Though they went often, Nobu always enjoyed the trips to Kyoto--it was a place that made him feel proud of his country and its long history.
Nobu boarded the train, finding a spot at the other set of doors to stand. The train was pretty busy today, but he wasn't fazed. Instead, he continued to dwell on the trip his family had planned.
The hotel they were going to stay at was a modern-style ryokan, complete with a boatload of things to do. Most of all, he was looking forward to the onsen. Apparently, there was both an indoor and outdoor onsen, as well as a sauna. Some playing fields as well for sports, and swimming pools, and...well, surely they were going to have a wonderful time as usual.
He smiled to himself, letting the music on his iPod fill his ears. He was listening to a group called Eiffel 65--he liked their electronica style, even if they were an older group.
The train was passing by row after row of Japanese houses, both modern and old, some with roofs covered in snow already, and soon Nobu found himself drifting into his subconscious, feeling the music while thinking about how he had to finish packing before getting a good night's sleep. If a good night's sleep was even possible...he wasn't sure he'd be able to, considering how excited he was. But then again, he could always sleep on the train.
He would have kept dwelling on thoughts of the coming holiday, but somehow while he was standing there, he sensed someone staring at him. That was weird. Generally, people in Japan minded their own business, unless you were a foreigner or purposely stuck out in some way. Nobu considered himself a pretty average-looking Japanese guy, so the fact that he was getting such a feeling was a little...strange.
Not wanting to be too obvious, he turned down the music on his iPod just slightly, though he didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. There was the clatter of the train on the tracks, the sound of the robotic female voice announcing the next station. He tried to look out of the corners of his eyes, but he couldn't see anything particularly special. There was someone standing pretty close to him on the left, but considering the train was crowded, that was normal, wasn't it?
Still unable to shake the feeling he was being watched however, and quickly being brought back to reality by it, he decided to chance a glance at the person.
It was a foreign woman. Maybe a little older than him, in her 20s. She seemed to be staring him up and down before meeting his eye, an interested gaze in her eyes. Still, Nobu thought that the eye contact alone would be enough for her to look away, embarrassed, but she was still staring at him anyway. She didn't seem fazed at all.
Now, feeling he was the one who had been embarrassed, Nobu quickly turned away, returning his gaze to the scenery beyond the double doors in front of him. Why was she staring at him like that, he wondered? There was nothing special about him compared to the other people on board. Was it something about his uniform? Did she attend the girls' college that his high school shared a building with? It seemed far-fetched, but of course it was possible. Maybe she recognized him from there. Still, it was...weird.
Adjusting his school scarf so that he could breathe a little easier, he turned his music back up, trying to return his focus back to thoughts of the holiday. It didn't matter who stared at him on the train. Soon he'd be back home with family, and tomorrow he'd be on his way to Kyoto for a little piece of paradise. A weird foreign girl on the train couldn't possibly ruin that.
...Except, he could still feel her gaze on him, and no matter how much he wanted to ignore it, it was making him feel increasingly uncomfortable. There had to be something wrong. Even if they shared the same school building, it wasn't enough cause to stare this much, was it? Did she like him or something? He seriously doubted that one. While he didn't have trouble meeting Japanese girls, it was the Western girls who never really seemed interested in him. More of them liked Kyo--maybe because Kyo looked like a natural Japanese, with his black hair and matching, mesmerizing black eyes.
Nobu considered turning around to ask the girl if she wanted something, but he knew he didn't have the guts. Maybe it was just better to stand here and hope she'd get off at the next stop. Or maybe he could get off at the next stop and just wait for the following train.
As he looked out the window, now pondering over what he should do, he realized he could see the girl's reflection. And yes, she was still staring at him, as he suspected. He caught her giving him another once-over, before staring at the back of his head. It was like she was trying to drill a hole into his brain with her gaze alone. What the heck was going on?
"Dou shou kana..." he muttered under his breath. He shifted his weight against his school bag, which he was keeping propped up between his feet.
ooc: Random, like this post, but here is the hotel Nobu and his family and friends will eventually and definitely be staying at
: |Click|
Nobu was returning home from school, the final day of school before the special winter holiday began. This time, he'd elected to take the JR train home. He preferred it over the subway anyway, because as it was an overland train, it meant he got to look out over the city he'd grown up in all his life and admire the scenery. Usually he took the subway because of its closer proximity to his school, but as it was a nice enough day outside anyway, aside from the slowly setting-in winter chill, he had no problem whatsoever with making the walk to the JR train.
Already, his spirits were quite high. For the winter break, his family had made arrangements with his friend Kyo's. The two families would be spending the holiday in Kyoto, at a new upper-class hotel in the mountains, so they would have an excellent view of Kyoto in winter time. Even though Nobu was into Western culture and modern things, he also knew how to appreciate the things unique to Japan. Though they went often, Nobu always enjoyed the trips to Kyoto--it was a place that made him feel proud of his country and its long history.
Nobu boarded the train, finding a spot at the other set of doors to stand. The train was pretty busy today, but he wasn't fazed. Instead, he continued to dwell on the trip his family had planned.
The hotel they were going to stay at was a modern-style ryokan, complete with a boatload of things to do. Most of all, he was looking forward to the onsen. Apparently, there was both an indoor and outdoor onsen, as well as a sauna. Some playing fields as well for sports, and swimming pools, and...well, surely they were going to have a wonderful time as usual.
He smiled to himself, letting the music on his iPod fill his ears. He was listening to a group called Eiffel 65--he liked their electronica style, even if they were an older group.
The train was passing by row after row of Japanese houses, both modern and old, some with roofs covered in snow already, and soon Nobu found himself drifting into his subconscious, feeling the music while thinking about how he had to finish packing before getting a good night's sleep. If a good night's sleep was even possible...he wasn't sure he'd be able to, considering how excited he was. But then again, he could always sleep on the train.
He would have kept dwelling on thoughts of the coming holiday, but somehow while he was standing there, he sensed someone staring at him. That was weird. Generally, people in Japan minded their own business, unless you were a foreigner or purposely stuck out in some way. Nobu considered himself a pretty average-looking Japanese guy, so the fact that he was getting such a feeling was a little...strange.
Not wanting to be too obvious, he turned down the music on his iPod just slightly, though he didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. There was the clatter of the train on the tracks, the sound of the robotic female voice announcing the next station. He tried to look out of the corners of his eyes, but he couldn't see anything particularly special. There was someone standing pretty close to him on the left, but considering the train was crowded, that was normal, wasn't it?
Still unable to shake the feeling he was being watched however, and quickly being brought back to reality by it, he decided to chance a glance at the person.
It was a foreign woman. Maybe a little older than him, in her 20s. She seemed to be staring him up and down before meeting his eye, an interested gaze in her eyes. Still, Nobu thought that the eye contact alone would be enough for her to look away, embarrassed, but she was still staring at him anyway. She didn't seem fazed at all.
Now, feeling he was the one who had been embarrassed, Nobu quickly turned away, returning his gaze to the scenery beyond the double doors in front of him. Why was she staring at him like that, he wondered? There was nothing special about him compared to the other people on board. Was it something about his uniform? Did she attend the girls' college that his high school shared a building with? It seemed far-fetched, but of course it was possible. Maybe she recognized him from there. Still, it was...weird.
Adjusting his school scarf so that he could breathe a little easier, he turned his music back up, trying to return his focus back to thoughts of the holiday. It didn't matter who stared at him on the train. Soon he'd be back home with family, and tomorrow he'd be on his way to Kyoto for a little piece of paradise. A weird foreign girl on the train couldn't possibly ruin that.
...Except, he could still feel her gaze on him, and no matter how much he wanted to ignore it, it was making him feel increasingly uncomfortable. There had to be something wrong. Even if they shared the same school building, it wasn't enough cause to stare this much, was it? Did she like him or something? He seriously doubted that one. While he didn't have trouble meeting Japanese girls, it was the Western girls who never really seemed interested in him. More of them liked Kyo--maybe because Kyo looked like a natural Japanese, with his black hair and matching, mesmerizing black eyes.
Nobu considered turning around to ask the girl if she wanted something, but he knew he didn't have the guts. Maybe it was just better to stand here and hope she'd get off at the next stop. Or maybe he could get off at the next stop and just wait for the following train.
As he looked out the window, now pondering over what he should do, he realized he could see the girl's reflection. And yes, she was still staring at him, as he suspected. He caught her giving him another once-over, before staring at the back of his head. It was like she was trying to drill a hole into his brain with her gaze alone. What the heck was going on?
"Dou shou kana..." he muttered under his breath. He shifted his weight against his school bag, which he was keeping propped up between his feet.
ooc: Random, like this post, but here is the hotel Nobu and his family and friends will eventually and definitely be staying at
: |Click|