Declan Murphy wrote:
> Ken Yasumoto-Nicolson wrote:
>
> > Anyway, it is a very nice place, enjoyed it immensely, apart from
the
> > frequent times I had to studiously avoid acknowledging the other
> > whities.
>
> Why? And why "I had to"? Were you not a white tourist in Kanazawa?
>
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).

John W.