Episode 23: The Station God of Hakata Station

Hakata Station, the gateway to Kyushu. It is a massive terminal equipped with Shinkansen lines, conventional lines, subways, and even a bus terminal, where tourists and business people come and go incessantly. On top of that, the station building is a gourmet paradise, with the scent of mentaiko and ramen constantly drifting through the air.
The station god who protects Hakata Station is a cheerful middle-aged man wearing a Hakata-ori haori jacket and holding a ramen bowl. On his head is a twisted headband with the character for "festival" written on it, and in his hand, he holds a ladle for tonkotsu soup.
"It smells delicious again today! Come on everyone, fill your bellies before you hop on the train!"
In the morning, a tourist pulling a suitcase was lost on the Shinkansen platform.
"Kagoshima? Nagasaki? Which way is it?"
When the god waved his ladle, the digital display on the information board happened to switch, brightly displaying "Bound for Kagoshima-Chuo." The tourist cheered and lined up.
"Alright, case closed! That's a miracle worth one bowl of ramen!"
In the morning, on the conventional line platform, a businessman was panicking, asking, "Which way is the train to Kurume?" The god held out his ramen bowl and shouted, "Extra noodles!" Just then, by coincidence, an announcement echoed, "The rapid train to Kurume is on platform three," and the businessman started running.
"Good, the extra noodles effect is outstanding!"
By noon, the restaurant floor in the station building had long lines. A tourist was agonizing over the choice, "Ramen? Motsunabe? Mentaiko?" The god frowned and held his head.
"Why don't you just eat all of it!"
The moment he waved his ladle, the tourist shouted, "Screw it, I'll order everything!" The table was piled high with hot pot, ramen, and mentaiko, and the staff was in a panic. However, the tourist was completely satisfied and kept taking pictures. The god grinned and gave a thumbs up.
In the afternoon, a foreign traveler was having trouble at the subway ticket gate.
"Canal City? Where?"
The god held his ramen bowl high. Then, a university student nearby naturally called out, "Shall we go together?" The traveler was moved and bowed, and the god teared up, muttering, "Young people are doing a good job."
In the evening, the rush hour began, and the station was in total chaos. The god shouted while swinging his ladle around.
"Go! People in Hakata are fast, so if you don't match the tempo, you'll get swept away!"
As if matching that rhythm, the flow of people naturally sped up, and the congestion mysteriously cleared.
At night. The red lanterns of the food stalls began to light up in the streets of Hakata, and people returning from drinking came back to the station. The god sat on a beam, and while pretending to slurp steaming ramen, he muttered.
"Hakata Station holds everything—tourism, work, and gourmet food. It's busy, sure... but because of that, there are plenty of smiles to go around."
Then, he held his ramen bowl high and shouted toward the night sky.
"One more serving of extra noodles! I'll make sure tomorrow is full of food and full of smiles!"
That voice reached no one. But the steps of the people passing through the ticket gates to go home were somehow filled with a sense of fullness.