You're only a few hours away by car; se if you can enlighten him on the
"anonymity" that Debito seeks.

From the usual source of amusement...

==============
Fighting a worthy fight


I was impressed by Debito Arudou's July 8 "Zeit Gist" article, "Watching the
detectives," and his continuing fight for human rights in Japan. I've been
aware of his voice for many years, as I lived in Otaru my first year in
Japan and was intimately aware of the discriminatory practices he has spoken
of -- and not just at an "onsen" (hot spring).

As my Japanese wife and I have chosen the opposite course -- to leave the
archipelago -- I am left mostly with admiration for someone like Arudou, who
has committed himself to life and change in Japan. By renouncing his
American citizenship largely in protest over the present course of U.S.
foreign policy and becoming a citizen of Japan, he can no longer brush off
the nagging little problems that many temporary foreigners face while in
Japan. Having a family, especially children of a mixed heritage, engages and
enrages in a way that the average American or Australian can't comprehend in
whining about Japanese prejudice, all the while plotting his or her exit.

I fully support everything Arudou is fighting for, but feel slightly sad for
him because even sudden progress through legal channels may not bring him
the anonymity and recognition as a Japanese that he seeks. Even with
occasional hiccups along the way, all immigrants to America are recognized
as Americans -- an identity that transcends one's national origins. My
Japanese wife can walk down the street without a second glance, while no
matter how well Arudou masters the language or citizenship, he may still
face the stares, the shouts of "gaijin" or waitresses looking to his wife
for his order. 

None of this takes away from the worthiness of his fight, and perhaps a new
generation of immigrants in Japan can succeed where so many have failed
before. 

J.C. ESSER 
West Palm Beach, Florida