Onsen fall

Saw a side of the Japanese today I know exists but try to ignore.

Was at an onsen. This tall, thin guy got out of the really hot bath. He took a few steps, wobbled, and fainted, smacking his head hard against the tiled floor.

I wasn't the closest to him, but I moved the fastest. And because he weighed two pounds less than a piece of string, I could pick him and carry him over to a bench. There were about twenty other people around. The only two that came to help me was a very old half Japanese half non-Japanese guy and his clearly mentally challenged middle-aged son. Both could speak a little English. 

I got the older guy to go call the staff, and his son to get some cold water. The guy, frankly, looked dead. He woke up, his face completely gray and his body shaking like he was having a seizure. I asked the son to ask him if he was diabetic or had epilepsy but he was neither. He probably hadn't eaten enough and spent too long in the hot water.

Staff arrived and I backed off. They looked him over for about three minutes, then left. I asked the old guy where they were going. He said they believed the guy was just fine. He clearly wasn't. I went and bought the guy a cold sports drink with electrolytes and sat with him for about an hour. His head wasn't bleeding, but the shaking and gray skin made me worry about concussion. The twenty other people still just sat with empty looks on their faces.

When he had somewhat recovered, he was apologetic, showering me with "sorry" and bows. I tried to dismiss it. Not the point, dude. I asked the old guy to tell him he should go see a doctor. It was a mighty hard head butt against the tile floor. The guy said he would and apologized again.

Disappointing. Read Murakami's book "Underground" about the subway terrorist attacks in Tokyo and you'll read how people stepped over seriously injured victims and rushed out because they were already late for work. I've worked at gyms in both Australia and the US where people have been injured and staff actually had to ask people to back off because so many wanted to help. I know it's a cultural thing, but it still sucks. Wouldn't mind a little of their egregious politeness channeled into selfless decency.

I left not long afterward. It was raining outside and I walked very carefully lest I slip and break a leg and die waiting for a foreigner to come help me.