declan_murphy@hotmail.com wrote:
> I don't live in Sapporo, but basically I've never been denied entry to
> any establishment in Susukino that I've wanted to get into, and haven't
> had any trouble obtaining reservations or introductions when
> entertaining customers, guests or myself. To some extent that simply
> reflects my exquisite tastes (or the tax-deductable expense accounts).
> Either way I'm actually about to step outside into the inhospitable
> wilds of Susukino in a few minutes, and may be out for quite some time.
> 
> Only place I've ever had trouble getting into was a minshuku in Nagano
> during a blizzard.

I got back to Aichi today and an intray the size of Chausuyama. Apart 
from hitting a bunch of places in Susukino that night (and for each of 
the next few) I enjoyed an onsen in Otaru etc etc. No problems anywhere. 
Not that I was expected any.

Only difference I could see between Hokkaido (4th visit) and Aichi is 
that here the locals are a little more used to gaigin. Walk silently 
into some obscure museum in Aichi, Gifu or Nagano and you get a nervous 
smile and an irrashai. Walk silently into say the Winter Sports Museum 
in Sapporo and you just get a nervous smile. Talk and there is no 
difference. From what I can gather, Hokkaido (particularly Sapporo) gets 
lots of short term tourists, but not much in the way of long term ying 
yong speaking gaigin residents as a percentage of the population.


-- 
"UFJ in general are a bunch of shitheads" - tourist in not-quite-Japan.