Hidden

Ah how much fun it is to be a Japanese-looking foreigner in Japan.

Went out for dinner with Carleigh, Anand (yay he's back!) and their lovely parents at Universal Studios Japan's Hard Rock Cafe last night. For drinks, Carleigh decided she wanted to have a Bahama Mama. "What's in it," I ask, perusing my menu. I couldn't figure out what was in it and figured Carleigh must've had it before as its make up was written in Japanese.

So I looked over at her menu, trying to see if I was looking at the wrong page. It was then that I realised, I was the ONLY ONE at the table given the Japanese menu.. so THAT'S why I couldn't understand any of it!

Also, on the way back on the train, I was on my ownsome and couldn't help but listen to two girls sitting across from me. They were speaking mainly English with some very fluent Japanese thrown in. One looked mixed and another possibly like me, was a foreigner in disguise - though her waist was too tiny to have been raised in a country with a healthy dairy industry. I guess they must be either first year university students or in their late teens, judging by the way they were speaking - trying to sound sophisticated, yet busting out in non-sequitur arguments. For example:

A: "I thought you didn't want anyone to know that you and X are going out?"
B: "I told you, you're not everyone."
A: "But you also told everyone at Hard Rock."
A: "I was only telling Y.. but everyone heard me."

...

A: "Oh, and I have to tell Z, because, you know, I don't want her to get all weird on me. And because, you know, it's Z."

.. ANYWAY, after a while, they start talking about shoes:

A: "I was going to get those shoes [points at shoes of woman sitting a fair way away from us] but I wanted something a little more Chinese-style.. I like this girl's shoes though." [points discreetly--though I saw and accidentally made brief eye contact with her--at MY shoes]
B: "I saw a similar pair for 2 man [about NZ$300] the other day. Maybe you should take a photo of these and try to find them when you go to Tokyo." [pretends to reach into her bag to get her cellphone out]

This last conversation topic made me forgive their previously irritating conversation concerning relationships. You see, nothing makes a girl happier than to hear that something she bought for a mere NZ$20 looks NZ$300.

My dear, sweet Number 1 Shoe Warehouse - bless.