Alexander's

Being in Tokyo among all the other fancy and well dressed people I have no problem going to some extremes when I choose my wardrobe. Sure some people find my style strange and would rather dress inauspicious than stand out at least a little bit, but I work 12+ hours a day in the lab and want all the fun and entertainment I can get in my sparse free time. And sometimes fun means to be able to go sopping to Shibuya[^1] and in the process turn a few japanese heads with my dashing good looks.[^2]

But honestly to stand out enough that someone warrants you a second look in Shibuya is not that easy. I've seen people with hair colors in all shades of red, green, blue and very cool looking silver.[^3] Garments in every color and shape are present and some people wear shoes that are worth more than my entire wardrobe.[^4] So when I say dress up to get some attention I really mean dress up. By now I've had my picture stealthily taken by foreigners as well as Japanese.

This is a lot of fun in a city like Tokyo where the fashion is crazy and no matter what I do, there probably is someone even fancier dressed just around the next corner. The problem gets bigger in the smaller cities. When stepping out of a Shinkansen in the middle of nowhere and probably being one of the five foreigners in the whole city -- still being dressed like going out for a fun night in Shibuya.

So visiting a wedding in Izumi -- a town half way across Japan -- and deciding that dress chic but not too colorful ment a navy blue combination of shirt and matching waistcoat, a long black overcoat and my artistically bent cylinder hat with a few silver accessories to complement the whole look -- that maybe was a slight miscalculation on my part. I'm tall the shoes and the hat make me even taller, the long coat is a rarity and the silver--black--blue contrast is nice and eye catching in a for Tokyo subtle way.

The people in Izumi where dressed in desaturated earthen colors. Simple cuts, no hats and no fancy hair color. Even the skirts here have a -- by European standarts -- normal length.

When I finally arrived in the hotel the receptionist greeted me -- after my slightly helpless smile -- with a friendly Alexanderさんですか。[^5] I'm looking forward too some very interesting two days in Izumi. Well I guess I'll at least be forever remembered as the strange foreigner with the superb fashion taste and the camera.[^6]

[^1]: a district in Tokyo for trendy and fashionable young people [^2]: Yes even Japan has not yet managed to rid me of my humble ways [^3]: If my hair was still a bit longer, I would color it silver at once [^4]: Btw I finally traded my converse for japanese style shoes. They fit me, look cool, were cheaper than Converse and have around 3cm high heels and 3-4 cm of extra space after my feet end. The first time I tried to walk in them was an adventure. I have a whole new appreciation for the women wearing 8+ cm high heels here [^5]: Are you Alexander -- which goes to show just how many non asian people come to this place. Yup I definitely was the new Gaijin in town.

Failing to bring anything but the aforementioned garmentsalways travel light! [^6]: If nothing else then at least the strange part is true

Some of my friends can amuse themselves with or complain about some of the stranger Japanese customs endlessly. Sure it might be tempting and probably relieves a lot of stress, that, no matter what people say, Japan will cause in foreigners after some time. Some of our customs are equally weird, disgusting and above all rude. It's just a point of view and I don't posses the arrogance to think that mine is right. I therefore also try to minimize my posts about the "Oh so weird Japanese". That being said, some of the situations are just so strange, that I can't resist the urge to write about them.

So for example yesterday, I had the good fortune to witness a very well dressed man in his fifties harass a woman on the subway. And while I agree that a woman, who just had her pants photographed by a pervert, is not a thing for a cheerful post, the scene that followed surly was.

I noticed the whole thing just because after I left the train said japanese woman startet to bark with a very well dressed man, who might well have been her husband. The typical scene form Vienna, when the wive gets angry because the man forgot to lower the seat after going to the toilet and now, after two hours of endless bickering, still won't repent. No wail of the banshee -- I didn't even give them a second look. Only I forgot, that this is Japan and not Vienna and here people don't make loud noises on the street. No her people in designer cloths pick up the dog droppings, sometimes even before they touch the ground![^1]

Only the petrified stares of the other people on the platform made me turn around again. By now the woman was gently pulling on the mans sleeve, who still seemed only annoyed, maybe ashamed, looked down and just tried to walk away. Also by that time a station guard was emerging in the background, hastily walking towards the whole scene. Some people were fishing for their cellphones -- either to make pictures, or to call and text their friends about what just happend.

Finally the man broke free from the clutches of the women, but instead of making a dash for the next exit he was just walking hurriedly with what seemed to be a swaying, almost penguin like, motion and hot on his heels the station guard -- also walking with the same strange, yet very amusing, gate. Both rushing directly towards me and I couldn't decide if I should laugh, cry or just step aside. The woman still lamenting in the background and the two guys, walking with stiff knees, swinging in asynchrony, were just too strange. I felt like the chicken with two enemies, whose brain gets overloaded and therefore can't do anything.

Just as the criminal was about to pass me I regained enough control of my body, to simply stretched my arm to the side across his path. No one could be stopped by this. It was a mere gesture, but I was not in the least interested in getting a bloddy nose, just to stop someone who would rather have the thrill of taking a unsharp, probably totally unrevealing panty-shot, than look at them danger free on the internet or one of the countless porn DVDs. To my great surprise the man barely touched my hand, stopped and just looked down. Then the the station guard laid a hand on his shoulder, I shrugged mine, turned around and walked out.

The fine for taking a panty shot in Japan is around 500,000 Yen[^2]. Surely a bit more than the price of a Luis Vuitton bag you might have to buy one of the high school girls, but you don't get the thrill of the forbidden with those.

And as a last note. All mobile phones in Japan have to make a shutter sound when they take a picture to prevent perverts from using them. Good thing I hacked my iPhone -- it is totally silent now and nothing stands between me and all my pervert pleasures![^3]

[^1]: Yes here I've seen dogs do their business in the gloved hand of the owner [^2]: 4300 Euro [^3]: The photo above was taken with my SLR, I don't like the photos from the iPhone -- not enough resolution when it really counts

Weil ich ja eigentlich nie über den japanischen Alltag schreibe, sondern nur ber die lustigeren Dinge, möchte ich hier einmal auf die Blog von Martin und Florian hinweisen. Besonders das neue Post von Martin über die Eigenheiten von Japan finde ich sehr lesenswert.