If you live in Japan long enough, you are undoubtedly going to experience a funny, weird, or strange incident at some point or another. So here is one of my recent stories. I got on the train with badly sprained foot*, I was in a splint and all bandaged up. There was a kind, Japanese gentleman who offered me his priority section seat. I was incredibly grateful because nobody wants to stand for an hour on a banged up foot. I sit down, relieved that I don’t have to stand. The relief becomes minor discomfort when I realize that the man next to me is taking up 1.125 of his seat, which means he’s on me, while we’re sitting down (if that makes any sense at all). I go from being slightly annoyed to incredibly perturbed when I see the man next to me scratching his arms, neck, and head like rabid fleas are biting him. He also begins to pick & peel sores on his arms!! I fight the urge to gag. I lean as far to my left as possible saying excuse me to the passenger on my left. The scratching and peeling is then followed by labored, and equally annoying, heavy breathing. My skin feels like it’s crawling all over itself. I feel like them woman on the Temple of Doom when all of those bugs were crawling all over her. Just as I’m about to loose it, the man gets off. Whew!
*I sprained my ankle and instep during a karate tournament, but more on that another time….
I watch him walk off of the bus and see small splotches of blood on his t-shirt, where the scratching had been the most intense.
If you ride the train, please look left and right before you sit down, you just may save yourself a stomach-churning ride home.
Please look out for the next 'Tale from Japan.'
This is Donald Ash with a Tale from Japan.
See you next time 
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