Jaejoong Oneshots

Story of a Cassiopeia

Sign posts in Kanji...

People talking in Japanese...

I couldn't understand any of it but I didn't care.

I am in Japan... I've been telling myself that fact over and over again but it just wouldn't sink in...

Carrying my luggage with me I went outside Narita International airport and faced the busy streets of Tokyo with a smile on my face.

I really am in Tokyo.

I couldn't believe it. For years I've been dreaming about going to Japan. I've been saving the money I earned from work just to be able to come here.

And now I'm in Japan.

It was the first time I went outside my home country not to mention alone. So I was kind of nervous but definitely excited. If you’re going to ask me why I chose Japan of all places, it’s because next to the Philippines, Japan is my most favorite country. I'm not really sure why. Maybe it's their culture, their language, or maybe it's their amazing Japanese pride.

It was during college when a friend of mine introduced me to Japanese stuffs. Basically everything about Japan like manga, anime, jdrama, jpop and even their language. I’ve been trying to learn Nihongo ever since then but because I didn't have a proper lesson, the level of my Japanese isn't something that can be used in a normal Japanese conversation.

Well you see being in Japan with a limited amount of Japanese vocabulary requires a great deal of courage.

Anyway, I hailed a taxi and the driver said something in Japanese and I assumed he was asking where I wanted to go. I already expected that taxi drivers in Japan don't speak English so I tried my best to explain to him that I needed to go to a hotel. I told him in a Japanese accent, "hoteru" and luckily he understood. Anywhere is actually fine with me. I just needed a place to stay. The cheaper it is the better.

Inside the car I listened to some songs of my favorite boy group Tohoshinki. As I gazed outside the window I thought, "Is this how they felt when they first came to Japan?" Tohoshinki is a Korean group who is also famous in Japan. They were actually one of the reasons why I wanted to be there. Maybe I would be lucky if I could come to their concert even once.

Unconsciously I began singing...

♬Dare mo ga dare ka ni aisareru tame ni♬

The driver said something in Japanese and I assumed he meant I have a good voice since he said ii(good) and koe(voice).

I think I blushed because he laughed and then I told him, "Arigatou gozaimasu."

When I arrived at a hotel, I thanked the driver. I went inside the building where I was greeted by a friendly receptionist and thankfully she speaks English.

It was still winter in Japan so it was really cold. They don't sell winter jackets in manila since we don't have a winter season. Since I didn’t have a jacket I decided to go shopping right away.

After I settled in the hotel I decided to walk to the nearest shopping place although I'm not sure where it was. I decided to tour myself. In a distance I could see the Tokyo Tower. Up close it looked really tall. I heard it was even taller than the Eiffel tower in Paris. It was so beautiful. It was already getting dark and the night view of the tower was amazing.

I was walking in the streets of Tokyo when I saw a crowd of people doing what looks like a filming of some kind of drama. I was curious so I tried to see what it was. I was trying so hard to get a good view of whatever happening in there that I didn't notice a man who was apparently didn't notice me too for he was talking with someone on his cell phone. We bumped with each other and we both said "Sumimasen" almost at the same time. He was holding a drink on his hand and he accidentally spilled it on me. He said sorry again and again. I didn't get the chance to see his face because I was busy wiping the spilled coffee from my jacket. Something stopped me suddenly. I guess it was his very familiar voice. I looked up to make sure I'm not hearing things. But when I did I was so shocked I couldn't move. Right in front of me was Tohoshinki's Jaejoong. I dreamed about meeting him someday but I never expected it to happen at all. But at that exact moment he was actually in front of me saying, "Hontou ni gomenasai." When I finally caught myself I said, "Daijoubu desu."