Gaijin Party

Saturday Night
Miki invited to me a “gaijin (foreigner) party” on Saturday night.
So, after rushing back from Kawagoe, I did my “fastest shower in
the west” routine (Trish, that one was for you) and got myself fluffed up. Miki’s friend, Gerald (originally from the UK) was hosting a birthday party for himself and two other friends. There were about 10 people there, both Japanese and non-Japanese, but all fluent in English. Everyone was very friendly and interesting. All of the foreigners (UK, Australia, Canada) have lived in Japan for years. Almost everyone at the party had also spent time living in other Asian countries like Singapore and Korea. It was great to be able to have conversations that didn't involve the weather, the delicious food, or my skill level with chopsticks.

Gerald lives in an area called Meguro, which is Japanese for “where all the rich foreigners live.” His apartment was huge and meticulously decorated. Instead of a TV he has a projection system that played the trippy visualizer effects from iTunes all night. iTunes just launched in Japan last week, so he’s right on trend.

We all left the party late, after the trains stopped running, so a few us walked through the neighborhood to the main street to catch cabs. The houses were huge, by Japanese standards, and each had a Mercedes in the driveway. Note to self: become second wife to rich businessman in Asia.

Price check: 20-minute cab ride from Meguro to my place $37.00.