Read and Ride

The Nihonjins are a literate lot, so I noticed.

Everytime I rode the subways, every other person around me was bound to be, if not dozing off, holding a book. An anonymous book, that is.

And yes, I was very intrigued by the “book cover phenomenon”: every book in every pair of hands was wrapped in a plain paper book cover. The more atas ones would spend on a more gorgeous-looking book cover, leather-bound or exquisitely embroidered.

I was impressed that the Nihonjins took so much care of their precious treasures, and was almost put to shame myself. But I was even more impressed by the fact that bookstores in Nihon would actually give away free paper book covers to every customer, and that almost immediately took away the shame from me.

Until one day, I found out, under some inquisitive spell, that the Nihonjins do not really care that much about the well-being of their books.

The book covers serve only to hide the title of the book from the prying eyes of the world.

While a little disappointed, I saw sense immediately. I’m pretty sure the homeward-bound, bespectacled uncle with his permanent side-parted hair and his neatly pressed shirt, tucked meticulously into his grey trousers, wouldn’t really want the whole world to know he was that engrossed at that moment with Chapter Ten of his book, where the two sixteen-year-old schoolgirls were finally tearing off each other’s uniforms in the PE storeroom.


Anyway, I digress once again.

I am so impressed by the evidently high literacy rate of the Nihonjins, or so as I’d like to still think, I decided I should perhaps also start making better use of my own subway time.

Instead of taking a quick nap on the twenty-minute ride and then trudging into the office groggier than I have been when I leave the house, totally negating all the energizing effects of a hearty breakfast and a hot shower, I now pick up a book and read.

Of course it helps that the book I’m reading now is captivating me entirely, otherwise I might still end up having a ten-minute nap. Or worse, still a twenty-minute nap that causes me to miss my stop.

So far, so good. I’m kept perky as I step into the office.

Let’s see how Day Three goes tomorrow.