114. Gentleman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezn1S2WZqYI

Western men automatically achieve their God-like status here in Tokyo by being white. Japanese men worship them because they think it’s cool to hang out with them. Japanese women throw themselves at them because they think they can get their tickets out of Japan.

When I see a short, fat, and bald western man walking on the street with a gorgeous Japanese woman, I often wonder if that man actually has some superb quality that I can’t see, like a fantastic personality or a fascinating bank account.

Karl is a rare case here in Tokyo, although they do exist. Successful long-term residents, unhappily married but won’t divorce because of the kids or the money. So they go out, have a wild time, then go home and sleep in the same bed with their wives. They are usually quite generous with money, because they don’t have alimony to pay, yet.

There are also many other rich western men here, lost in Tokyo, usually high-level managers in multi-national corporations, in their late-40’s or 50’s, divorced with 2 children in college back home, trying to start a new life here but can’t really love again because they believe, after their bitter divorce, and probably rightly so, that all the girls around them are after their money. So they play safe and buy love. Well they will take me out and pay for my dinner all right, as long as it’s Subway or somewhere even cheaper.

Another type is not as rich, but equally miserable. They are usually English teachers, hate their jobs, but love to have it easy here in Japan, easy money, easy girls, easy life and all. They know they can never go home because they won’t find any jobs there. So basically they are trapped in Japan. But they suffer from very low self-esteem and sooner or later they cheat on their partners, because they just have to prove their worth and girls here are only too willing. And of course, if everyone else is doing it, why not? This type will not pay, period. Dinner, lunch, breakfast, or even coffee.

The last type is professionals such as bankers, lawyers, oh and professors. They are very clever people, so they won’t love anyone else but themselves, oh no, they are looking for mothers, for themselves and for their unborn kids. They want unconditional love from a sex partner/maid/breeding mate/nanny, and that’s right, she has to have a good job too, and most of all, she has to love him so much that she would forgive him again and again when he has affairs after affairs, which is socially acceptable here in Japan anyway. This type wants me to cook for them, so they don’t even have to pay for their own food.

So, hmmm, let’s see, which type shall I choose?

(Of course there are always exceptions, and I will keep trying, because I still believe in love. Yes, just call me stupid!)