Valentines day Saturday was great. Why? Because I live in Japan, where all the pressure is on the girls. On February 14th, girls give chocolate to guys they like, and a month later, on "White Day," men are expected to return the favor. Besides my girlfriend, I got chocolate from my host mom and sisters, accompanied by a smiling "raigetsu tanoshimi da mon" ("looking forward to next month").
Miyuki getting ready for work in the morning. She still hasn't unpacked completely; she yanked those shoes out of one of the numerous stacked boxes behind her.
I picked Miyuki up from work in Omotesando, where she had me pretend I didn't know her so we wouldn't get in an awkward conversation with her hen na obasan (weird middle-aged woman) coworker.
Cute-Ass Dogs:
Italian food, in an Omote-Sando hideaway with great ambiance and !real pizza! As usual, international couples follow us everywhere; the obvious one is behind Miyuki's left arm, and there's a stealth gaijin at the bar.
The Pink Cow, Tokyo's only self-proclaimed ex-pat hangout. In the words of my girl, "Gaijin Bakari (nothing but foriegners)!"
And that's V-Day for ya. Up this week: photos from my neighborhood, getting ready for Thailand, and trying to do something about my growing belly. It's kind of odd- I've been a lot healthier in the last month or two than I was in the few months prior, but my body's looking less and less in shape. I wish they had a YMCA out in this backwaters suburb.
Other perspectives on Valentines Day in Japan:
Joseph Tame's Daily Mumble
Brianna's From Japan With Love
Seron's What Japan Thinks, featuring translated surveys of Japanese attitudes on everything under the sun.
