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Was what I heard from a car with a couple of guys in it when the Boy and I were walking home from grabbing lunch in Kichijoji. They waved at me as they turned the corner. The Boy asked me if I knew them but I had no clue as to who they were. We laughed at them, mainly because the guy driving was trying to do an Aerosmith fashion thing and bandanas are not so popular of late. He also had a big silly grin on his face.

It was a bit of a coincidence because on the way to Kichijoji we’d been talking about how I thought I get noticed more when I wear a singlet top with my tattoo showing. He commented that he doesn’t notice anymore because people stare at me all of the time. Not for any other reason than I’m a foreigner - even I tend to notice other gaijin around the place. We do stand out. Even now.

This is an often discussed subject among gaijin here. The funny thing is that for most of us we do get tired of constantly being on display when we are in Japan, but then as soon as we go home we miss the attention and grow bored with blending in.

I guess it’s just human nature for us to want our cake and to eat it too…

• During the last election campaign, one of the candidates and his entourage was driving around my neighborhood. From the back of the car, a youthful volunteer spied me, and leaned out and waved, shouting something friendly to me that I didn’t quite catch as the car turned a corner.

  Maybe he didn’t realise that foreigners do not have suffrage here.

  Kuri
  03/06/17 11:48 AM

• Funny observation.  I noticed that too after I left Japan.  It’s kind of an odd feeling.  I have felt the same feeling when, in 2000, I put my 1973 Austin Mini in the garage and started driving around an early 80’s BMW.  The Mini is so rare (in Vancvouver) and so goddamn cute, people looked at me and smiled all the time.  It was nice too, it was like I was driving around the happy wagon.  And people would always be talking to me “oh, i used to have one of those” sort of thing.  Anyway, I switched to the BMW and was just a normal guy again…..  Honesly, I missed the attention.

  Shaun
  03/06/23 01:49 AM