I work an early shift on Friday, so usually after work I meet up with The Penpal and we hang out at one of the parks near Mishima station. Her office is conveniently about half way between my workplace and her house, and only takes a few minutes by bicycle.
Our usual hangout spot was taken, so we went to a nearby park for the first time. Unlike a typical “park” in Tokyo, which usually consists of a tree and a bench, this one was a reasonable size. The park was laid out around a large pond filled with fish, with a tree lined path around the outside and several benches to sit and enjoy the view.
On one side of the path, just off to our left, we saw two high school kids sitting on another bench. They were far enough away that we couldn’t see exactly what they were doing, but they were close enough to get the general idea. I understand that there aren’t a lot of private places in Japan, especially ones accessible to high school kids, but a public park during is not the best place to get “friendly” when it’s still bright outside.
The fun stopped temporarily when an old lady walking her dog came across the students. She glared at them with what I assume was an evil look (her back was to us) until they stopped what they were doing and sat up. This brief pause lasted about as long as it took for the lady to angrily walk by, at which time they enthusiastically started up again.
Spending time with The Penpal after work is always fun. Today however, the students were enjoying the park much more than The Penpal and I were.
Drinking in Japan 