There was once a forum on the main site for foreigners in Japan, Gaijinpot, and one thread was about ‘relationships’.  Here there moped a sad fellow known as Kansai Ben.  To tell his whole story would be too much for now, and would simply mirror the experience of thousands of other Gaijin like him, but in short he was divorced from a J-girl, was struggling to meet child support payments as he was unable to do anything in Japan but teach English, and he never saw his kids.

So far, so sad.

His ex always talked shit about him to the kids, about how he was a Read More

My company rents out a small apartment building.  I’m the only bloke here at the moment.  As we’re super rich in this country my colleagues and I hire cooks, cleaners and a night guard.

One day a girl announced she didn’t want to hire the night guard anymore because it was too expensive.  She asked what we thought.  I said I reckoned we should keep him just for the sake of giving someone a job.  Sure, he’s not essential, but it costs us so little and it’s all his got.  He looks after his mum.  The pay only just covers the cost of some basic food.  And this is not a city full of free-market opportunities for the enterprising local.  Why bother penny-pinching in such circumstances?  Anyway, he’s also handy for running errands, carrying things and whatever, always pleased as punch to make himself useful.

Charity is one thing, but giving someone a job is quite another.

The other residents didn’t want him there anymore.  One said she’d noticed he was starting to come late and leave early (while still acknowledging that he was as reliable as a Bumfuckistani gets), while the other said she didn’t care.

Thus outvoted, that one that wanted him gone said to me excitedly, “We’re firing CJ on Saturday!”  It was a few days before Christmas.  She had a gleam in her eye.

I had a sick, uncomfortable feeling that I did not Read More

I’ve been wandering for about twelve years now.  I’ve dragged my Tinker’s caravan across three continents.  Why?  What was I looking for?  I don’t know.

I’ve always had the feeling that I would end up living permanently overseas.  From my university days I had the sense that I was unsuited to Australia.  I can’t explain it any better than that.  Perhaps it is my personality.  Certainly if I had been born Japanese I would have moved to Australia by now and I’d be loving it.

There’s nothing in particular I dislike about Read More

It’s time I had good hard look at myself and tried to figure out how I get into these situations.  Does this happen to anyone else there in the peanut gallery, or is it just me?

There’s a lady I once hooked up with.  She happened to be staying in a nearby city for an event.   I had to fly there anyway for my connection so I came here a few days earlier than planned to hang out.  She booked hotel rooms in both our names, so I thought, looks like she’s good to go then.  But I also thought, Read More