The point goes beyond a pint

It was a busy day for me in Japan. I’d woken in my capsule hotel and headed wearily through the streets of Shinjuku to catch my coach out to a small town overlooking Mount Fuji. A day of wandering and taking photos in silence ensued, punctured by a short conversation with this guy at the bike rental shop, where I happily picked up a quaint Dutch bike and completed a 10km ride to a local shrine and back.

Skip forward to meeting in the evening with my Japanese mate I met at Leeds University. We were very glad to see each other, but we walked around with very little dialogue most of the time. A temporary moment of familiarity was awarded before I found myself touring the streets solo again.

After absorbing the vibrant streets of Shibuya and managing to escape the unforgivingly complicated metro system, I found myself spat out in front of an establishment tucked into the ground claiming to be an English pub. I traipsed my way down the stairs expecting to have a little check on the price and vibe of the place, but ended up sitting down for a pint.

First, a Sapporo beer. I have to get the Japanese experience I chuckled to myself. But what caught my attention next was an explosion of Irish music emanating from the corner of the pub. I look over and a group of four middle-aged Japanese men are playing Irish instruments!

I head over with my translation app to note to them that I enjoy the music and how it reminds me of ‘home’. I did not expect one of them to come over and strike up a conversation.

‘You are Irish, right?’ he asks in an unmistakably strong  Japanese accent. I proudly show him my passport, decorated with a harp and a language I quite frankly don’t understand.

We get chatting about his time working in Ireland, a good 20 years ago. He then buys me a Guinness. I was stunned. We sat there sipping on our dark pints of stout frequented by a little conversation here and there.

It was evident he had lost some confidence in his English ability, but the smiles he gave when I showed him images of various staple Irish foods and locations failed to make the situation ever awkward.

Although all he did was buy me a pint, I felt it had a profound meaning to it. Almost 9000km from my home, I was warmly embraced by a complete stranger, making the distance between our worlds almost non-existent. 

I like to think this man was shown great hospitality during his time in Dublin all those many years ago, and he is simply passing on the favour. A full circle moment, where the borders of cultural adversity are shattered by a shared moment of humanity.

I am proud of my Irish heritage. From the unending friendliness and humour to the rich music bleeding out of a pub one cold night in Tokyo, my culture and what it means sits close to my heart. I embraced Japanese culture for a day, as this man embraced mine. It was truly a special moment, and I believe the point goes beyond a pint.

Words by Aidan Goddard