23 February 2009

A quiet day for us, so just an observation to record. Approaching the anniversary of our arrival here, I was considering my attitude to other foreigners. When I was a 'newby', I was always glad to see a western face and would try to make eye contact and smile. Now, although I still notice every gaijin (outsider) I actively avoid catching their gaze. Part of it is because I am a little shy and find it hard to hold eye contact even with friends, and part because in my experience every foreigner I pass looks surly and distant. I expect I do to them as well though. If I am honest, I prefer not to frequent places where there are lots of expats (like Hiroo, where there are more gaijin than Japanese). I suppose I like to feel that I am living an exotic lifestyle in a far-off land, and don't want to admit that there are thousands here doing the same. On the other hand, if there weren't so many of us expats I wouldn't be able to get half the products from home that I do, and there wouldn't be so much English signage, so it does make day to day life easier being part of a large diaspora.