John W. wrote:

> Years ago when I was deciding whether to settle in Kansai or Tokyo (for
> personal reasons I'd narrowed it down to those two) I chose Kansai. The
> reason was that while sitting in Osaka Jo Koen pondering my life a few
> gaigin came up to me and started talking. I was obviously a tourist
> (backpack and everything) and probably looked a little lost. But that
> helped convince me, because they offered to help me get work, find a
> place to stay, etc., whereas not a single gaigin in Tokyo made eye
> contact, much less asked if they could help in any way. And I never
> regretted the decision to move to Kansai (though I have met many
> gaigin-avoiding gaigin there).

Around these parts, the "friendly gaijin" always operate in pairs... 


-- 
Dave Fossett
Saitama, Japan