Japanese people are scared of me. On the subway, no one will sit even remotely close to me. People will rather stand up or move to a different car, than sit next to me. Maybe they’re scared I might ask them a question that will test their ten years of elementary and high school English, when all they can remember is “I have a pencil.”

I also love watching the guys and girls that pass out little coupons for new bars/restaurants/etc. because they’re ruthless and unflinching in trying to give them to everyone that passes. Until they notice me walking toward them, about 15 feet away, at which time they calmly turn their heads the other way and pretend they were doing something else. Sometimes they even whistle a little tune like in the cartoons.

But I guess really, when I think about it, it’s that Japanese people either treat me like a pale, giant eyed, socially awkward monster, or are really helpful and curious – and there’s no middle ground. For example, I’ll be sitting down in a crowded sushi bar, contemplating how funny it is that nobody wants to sit on either side of me, when some curious fellow or young lady will come right up, sit down, and start up a conversation in broken English.

I used to think that there were two types of people in the world, those that are afraid of everything new or different; and those that aren’t. I now think that I was wrong. Everyone is afraid of things that are new (challenging, different) but some people just ignore or get over that fear and push themselves out of their comfort zone. I also believe that it’s possible to change from one to the other.

Prologue
As I was typing the last sentence, sitting in a coffee shop called PRONTO, two early twenty-something Japanese guys came over as if to sit at one of the two tables on either side of mine. These two tables are the only tables left in the cafe, the only thing after that being the uncomfortable stools at the bar. One of the guys motions to his friend: “what do you think (of this table)?” He points to the empty table on my left. The other guy looks at me, looks at his friend, and then motions that they should sit on the stools at the bar. Hah. Yes. I am that scary.