Fate, Tokyo-style
WARNING: Contains mild peril, adult themes and a happy ending.

What follows is a series of unlikely events that happened to me a few years ago. In the summer of 2005, I was still a fresh-faced IT graduate working for my first investment bank. An opportunity arose for one person in the combined global teams to visit Tokyo for a six-month secondment to work on a large project.

After a short battle of wits with my colleagues in the USA and Germany, I was selected from a pool of ten or so likely candidates. The stage was set for half a year in crazy Tokyo.

A few weeks before I was due to fly out to Japan, another graduate from the New York team entered into the fray. She only wanted a piece of the project, which meant there was now awkward inter-office politics to deal with. My spineless manager ended up conceding three months so she could also spend some time in Japan. Three months in an exotic country was still better than nothing so I agreed to continue with my flight as planned.

July arrived all too soon. On the day of departure, my mind was buzzing with nervous excitement. I’d had a fantastic summer of festivals spending quality time with my friends and family. Bouncing up the steps into the regal surroundings of Virgin Atlantic’s ‘Upper Class’ cabin (corporate expenses are excellent), I slinked into the seat, complimentary champagne cocktail in hand. I stuck out like a sore thumb. All the other passengers in my section were aging businessmen in grey suits. My incongruous appearance and my buoyant mood seemed to catch the attention of a pretty cabin crew girl. She kept brushing past my arm and making none-too-subtle eye contact, so I threw caution to the wind by taking every opportunity to flirt outrageously with her. I think the bubbly helped too. A few hours later, it paid off. The lights went out for the night portion of the flight and she made good on her promise that if I needed “anything at all” she would “make my flight more comfortable”, courtesy of an extended tour of the Upper Class toilets. ‘Virgin’ Atlantic my arse…

Upon landing at Narita, properly worn out after the best flight I will ever take [cough], I felt like the whole world was at my feet. My confidence levels were unassailably high as I checked in to the luxurious hotel my company had provided. I switched on the TV in time to watch London win the Olympic bid and abandoned all hope of getting any sleep. Instead, a night out to celebrate my ‘spawny-git’ luck seemed more appropriate.

The next morning, I dragged my jetlagged, hung-over carcass into the office and managed to stumble through breakfast, meet-and-greets and a full day in the office. I’d barely slept for 48 hours which combined with +8 hours time difference meant I was essentially sleep-walking for most of the day. My moment of clarity arrived at about half past five in the afternoon as I was checking the day’s news. A story was breaking in the UK that morning about a series of power problems on the London Underground. Apparently, several transformers had exploded…. simultaneously… on different stations and lines… during rush hour.

Oh fuck… please no....

One look at the map of the explosions confirmed what was glaringly obvious to everyone except the BBC. It was a co-ordinated attack on London’s transport network. My mood changed quickly, from one of blind shock to total relief. Two of the stations were on my normal route into the London office at about the same time that I usually went to work. Had I not been in Tokyo, there was a strong chance I would have been directly involved in the Liverpool Street or Aldgate blasts. As the enormity of the events was being absorbed, my feelings of relief drained away as concern mounted for my friends in London.

The Tokyo office was full of British ex-pats who crowded around the TV screens. The phone lines were all dead in London so it was impossible to confirm if our colleagues, friends and families back home were okay. We went downstairs to the bar and watched events unfold. My body and brain were too fatigued to adequately reconcile what was happening, and so my spiral of decline began.

I recall very little of that evening as I ended up getting horribly pissed. The next week or so was much the same as the isolation from anything familiar and comforting began to take hold. I spent the daytime ambling through the working day and the evenings drinking, puking or engaging in meaningless sex with any trollop who would have me. Sometimes all three at once. As fun as that may sound, it was as close as I’ve been to a living hell. I lost all respect for myself and was seriously considering going home.

Then my brother arrived for a ten-day visit. He and an old school friend had both been made redundant so they’d decided to capitalise on my free accommodation in Japan and take a cheap holiday. I barely saw them for the first few days as they went out every night, but it was the boost I desperately needed. Just seeing familiar faces again restored my composure, so I started the working week with a renewed desire to catch up with my lagging project work.

About halfway through the week, I arrived back in my flat after work to find my brother, his friend and two Japanese girls sitting in my living room sipping green tea. I learned that my brother had managed to seduce one of these girls the previous night and had spent the night at her place, frolicking as young people on holiday are wont to do. He takes after his older brother … The other girl was a friend of my brother’s conquest.

Keiko (for that was not her name, but it will do) also spent the night at this girl’s flat as all the trains had finished for the night, then she’d tagged along with the others the following morning. She was quiet, but she seemed to enjoy making conversation with me while the other three chatted amongst themselves. There was *something* about Keiko that I found quite bewitching…

That same day at work, I’d been given a new mobile phone, but my phone book was empty. I asked if I could take Keiko’s number as she seemed warm, friendly and, most importantly, she spoke good English (I couldn’t speak Japanese at all back then) so it seemed like a smart move. After a short while, the girls said their goodbyes and I sat and listened to my brother’s shameful boasting (as I said, he takes after me) while pondering my brief but jovial encounter with this mysterious and enchanting girl.

I couldn’t take my mind off Keiko. She was so unlike the other women I’d met so far in Japan, so delicate and feminine, adorable in every way. My usual tactic would have been to attempt a quick one-night stand but I didn’t want to tarnish her with a cheap fling. Unusually for me, I just couldn’t find the courage to call her. I was suffering a mental block that placed her tantalisingly out of my reach.

Friday came and my brother and his mate went home. I felt a little sad to see them go, but their visit had repaired my self-esteem so in the evening my work mates and I went out into Roppongi and we had a *massive* night out in town. I wobbled back into my apartment at 7am in the blazing sunshine of a summer Saturday morning and collapsed face-first asleep on my sofa. At around midday, I crawled the short distance to the kitchen, poured a glass of water and fell into my bed.

You know when you get woken up in an unusual way, sometimes things just don’t make sense? Well, the first sensation I remember was wondering why I had a wet face… don’t get any nasty ideas though. It turned out to be the glass of water I’d rested on the shelf behind my bed. The reason I was wet was because the contents of the glass were splashing to and fro. I sat bolt upright as it dawned on me what was happening…

A FUCKING EARTHQUAKE!

Dealing with a massive hangover is hard enough, but when the entire world around you is shaking like a shitting dog, it’s difficult to work out which movements are real and which are self-induced. I crab-walked across my room, braced myself in the door frame and watched plates and glasses tumble out of my cupboards. The ‘quake was terrifying and seemed to last ages, but eventually, the shaking subsided. I got dressed quickly, picked up my phone instinctively… and saw just one number. I pressed the ‘call’ button and waited for Keiko to pick up.

“Very big earthquake!” she squeaked at me down the phone. I stammered back my rubbish attempt at Japanese “Hai, sugoi eartho-quako!”. She giggled and my heart fluttered. We were excited and edgy having just experienced this awesome natural display of power, but talking to each other was providing a soothing effect for us both.

I asked where she was when the ‘quake happened and it happened to be in the local cinema not more than a ten minute walk from my apartment. I agreed to meet her for a coffee so we could recount our experiences, but I was secretly just pleased to be seeing her again. About nine minutes later I was opposite the coffee shop and I found Keiko sitting there, waiting for me. When she noticed me cautiously watching her from across the street, she smiled in a way I will never forget. It was a radiant, sunny smile that made me forget all about the earthquake. I knew then that I was smitten with her.

We spent the rest of the day just hanging out together. Later that evening she came round to my apartment and we watched DVDs together after I enjoyed a meal she cooked in my tiny little kitchen using the remainder of my unbroken crockery. Unusually for me, rather than trying it on, I walked her to the train station and watched wistfully as the carriages pulled away. It had been a long time since I’d felt such strong emotions for anybody and I was perversely enjoying that long-absent yawning in my stomach.

A few days later, Keiko and I met up again and went out in Tokyo for a proper dinner date. Afterwards we went out in town but by the time we wanted to go home, it started raining unbelievably hard, so we waited it out. The rain refused to stop –Tokyo typhoon season is like that— and again, all the trains had finished, so we made a dash for a taxi back to my apartment. We were both absolutely dripping wet, so I offered her a towel and said she could get changed into one of my shirts while she waited for her clothes to dry. Deep down I was hoping for more, but I still didn’t want to risk spoiling the magic we were generating together. After about five minutes of getting changed in my bedroom, she stepped out, still with wet hair (one of my biggest turn-ons) wearing just two items of clothing… my home town football top and, as I was to later discover, a pair of sexy silk panties. I was in heaven! After much kissing and cuddling, I asked her (in badly broken Japanese) if she wanted to spend the night together.

She looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes and softly whispered one word:

“hai”.

-----------------------------
EPILOGUE:

Keiko and I stayed together as an item for the remainder of my trip, but I had to go home in September. It was too much to bear for both of us, so Keiko ended up visiting me in London a month later. She then decided that she wanted to stay with me in the UK, so she moved here in early January 2006 and she’s been with me ever since. We got married in January 2007 and we’ll shortly be moving back to Tokyo so I can repay her commitment to me with my own tour of duty.

So there you have it. A series of seemingly unconnected events, not unlike the movie Magnolia, which culminated with me meeting my future wife.

And the best part? It’s all true.
( chart cat has an itch, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 16:45, 11 replies)

Wow
I am so impressed you had the presence of mind to be able to think Japanese words during a fricking EARTHQUAKE. Too cool.
(TDub Nunc id vides, nunc ne vides on, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 16:49, closed)

Nice story
well told, happy ending, and it's your b3ta birthday too.

Happy b3aday.

*clicks*
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 17:15, closed)

Great story...
... have a *click*
(kabukisteve, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 18:28, closed)

Yay for you! *clicks*
Don't you just love your first earthquake experience.......scary as fuck!
( Batshitmentalist is sane for once, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 19:17, closed)

What a delightful tale!
It could be the cheap wine and unmanageable workload but you bring a tear to my eye!
(Medibot, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 19:22, closed)

wow
this is such a lovely story :)
(Ellytots Last thought of chocolate on, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 20:25, closed)

Aww.
Have a click for an excellent real-life happy ending.
(Sundayturkey has the biggest mug of tea, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 20:46, closed)

Yeeeesssssssssssss!
YOU THE MAN :)))
(swampi thought of this, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 21:52, closed)

Glad you liked it
It brought back some powerful memories writing this story.
( chart cat has an itch, Tue 2 Sep 2008, 23:14, closed)

AHHHHH (so cute my head espolded)
I love it, the sweetest love story ever. Click for you!
(pink_kittyboo was killed by many bunnies on, Wed 3 Sep 2008, 13:21, closed)