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Do As Tokyo Does | Blood | (Entered Mar. 11, 2008) |
Recent Do As Tokyo Does: | |||
If I was to ask you your blood type, how many of you would know what I'm talking about? If you're Japanese, you probably learned the answer to this before you learned to walk. There really should be a little blood testing booth after the immigration counter at Narita airport to prepare us foreigners, because it's as certain as sunrise that in the next 5 minutes some Japanese person is going to ask you what your blood type is. My blood type? What are you, a doctor or something? I figured that giving blood probably wasn't like dropping off your dry cleaning, but I was unprepared for all the paperwork and tests I had to go through. Not only that, everything was in Japanese only. If it wasn't for the kind (and cute) nurse at the reception desk trying to help me, I would have bailed early on. I had to fill out forms with detailed questions on whether I had this and that disease, whether I was homosexual, if I'd been to Europe in the last month, where I took my last vacation, and anything else they felt needed asking. I was sent to a little booth where a doctor quizzed me on my answers and wanted information about the allergy medicine I was currently taking. I had to have my blood pressure measured while the same doctor frowned over the result, saying it was too high. I waited in waiting rooms more than a few times. The whole ordeal took more than 30 minutes, and I hadn't even rolled up my sleeve yet. I'd come this far though and they still hadn't told me to leave, so I figured either they were just humoring me, or I was going to be ok. While watching the bag fill up I kind of wondered if I'd have any left after they were done. So did I take one step and fall flat on my face? Did I start screaming and convulsing in agony? Other people lazed around with a stupified look on the faces for hours after their donations, but I headed out right away (stopping only for the above picture, which the nurse found amusing) none the worse for wear. 400 ml of blood? Who needs it? I was more interested in the free Haagen Dazs and juice waiting for me in the lobby. I wanted to take more pictures but it's hard when one's arm has got needles and tubes sticking out from it. So are there any other benefits to giving blood? Well I'm not sure why, but the blood clinic was chock full of hot young girls, and I'm not just talking about all the cute young nurses either. Maybe giving blood is the newest fad to strike Tokyo and I got in there just at the right time? If you're tired of the bar scene, and have tried all the other available options with no success (you know who you are), you might want to head over and hang out in the lounge of the blood clinic. Not sure what a good opening line would be though. 'Hi, what's your blood type?', or 'So, do you like needles?'. Improvise. |
Abandoned Ginza
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