Voice of the airport

In an earlier post you could already read that I had some strange experiences at Chinese airports.
Last year I had a special group travelling with me through China. This group consisted of older couples and a few singles from the same Christian organisation. The group started their trip from Shanghai and had to continue to Xi'an after a couple of days sightseeing in Shanghai.
I didn't know the group very well yet the day we had to take the flight to Xi'an as we were only 2 days together.
We arrived well on time at Shanghai International Airport to grab our flight but the flight was delayed. Which is normal in China, a flight arriving on time must be a miracle. After checking in the suitcases and receiving the boarding passes we passed the security check and headed for the boarding gate to discover that the plane had some delay. The ground staff assured me it would only be delayed for 1 hour. So I gather everyone around and told them they could leave their hand luggage near the gate. I would watch the bags while they could have a walk around and look at the shops at Shanghai Pudong International Airport. I also instructed them to be back on time (1 hour later).
As promised 1 hour later the plane arrived and we could proceed to board the aircraft. Everyone from the group picked up their luggage and got in the plane. I saw that one backpack was left behind and according to the luggage tag it belonged to Miss X, a single lady in the group.
I asked the group where Miss X could be and they revealed that she had a drinking problem and probably was sitting in a bar.
I got a bit worried as we had to board the plane immediately and asked the ground staff if I could call for her through the microphone system of the airport. They allowed it and I prepared my best voice to announce solemnly that Miss X was asked at the gate quite urgently. The whole of Pudong Airport heard this Dutch announcement.
I waited for 10 minutes and Miss X didn't show up. The ground staff urged me to hurry up as they wanted to close the gate in a few minutes. I gambled and took a choice and ran through the enormous hall of the airport looking in all the restaurants and bars around. I finally found Miss x sitting in one bar drinking a beer and looking at me as she was from another planet. I explained her the situation and finally got to her. She looked as she waked up from her trance and started to panic. We both ran to the boarding gate, where the staff was waiting for us. We got on the plane and entered the plane as the last passengers.
So that was a close call.
From then on I knew Miss X's problem and watched her carefully.
She didn't disturb the trip any more but we had to organise some "toilet stops" quite frequently for her.

Business card

Japan is in our mind the land of the business man. And this image is quite correct for the big cities as Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe, ...
The most important tool for a business man is his business card. If you don't own a huge map full of other people's cards you are a nobody in Japan. The business card is synonymous for the person himself. So you have to treat a business card with the same respect as for the person itself.
Upon receiving a business card make a slight bow and stretch out both arms. You will take the small card with both hands and make a quick nod with the head. Examine the card and then put it away respectfully. NEVER FOLD a card, because this could be seen as a sign of folding the person himself. Don't put the little piece of paper in your trousers but place it respectfully in a card holder or in the pocket of your jacket.

So a little card can make quite a fuzz. Upon walking in the streets in Tokyo I saw some men giving their business cards away (still with 2 hands and a little bow) on corners of the streets. It seemed only females were targeted in this random give-away game. I decided to ask my guide why these men were giving away these precious little papers.
Because Japanese get more relaxed after work and after some beers I decided to take my guide to a beer bar and question him. The bar was located in Ginza area, which is a good and expensive, but mobster-directed district of Tokyo. Only a couple of streets away from my hotel, but on the way I made another amazing discovery. In front of a classy building in one of the streets I saw a lot of pretty ladies all dressed up in wedding dresses. So I thought "What a nice huge wedding took place here!". But anyway it might be something to ask my guide for.
So after a couple of Belgium beers the tongue gets loose and that's when I find out that Japanese are refined in their ways of offering sexual services.
The men giving away them business cards are generally working men (sometimes married) who offer their services after their working hours. It seems a big percentage of the male population in Tokyo is handling business cards in the streets as to find some payed (or not payed) sexual activity!
The wedding girls didn't come from a highly fashionable party. They are the most exclusive prostitutes. How fancier the clothes, how more expensive the lady, that's the Japanese rule. And I didn't get to know the exact price, but it seems such a high class girl will demand as much as a half month's salary (Japanese salary).
Amazing what information you can get with a couple of strong Belgium beers!