gaijin

i finally found someone who expresses how i feel about tourism:
"If there is one thing more hateful than another it is being told what to admire and having objects pointed out to one with a stick."
Francis Kilvert

similarly, i'd like to take a moment to discuss the gaijin (foreigner) population of fukuoka. some friends pointed out that all the gaijin always look unhappy, and how true that is! i think most of them feel that by looking happy they reveal they are amateurs, because smiling is what tourists do. i probably look unhappy too, but not because i am. it's because i am doing any combination of the following things:
-trying not to get run over by a taxi while looking like i don't care
-figuring out how to say what i need to say in japanese as i approach my destination
-cursing the heels i have to wear to work while trying to remain graceful on cobblestone sidewalks