Today was another lazy day for me while Lucas went out shopping again in Akihabara for some kind of erotic video game he’s going to give as a gag gift.
I really just needed another day to myself. Contrary to popular belief, I am somewhat of a solitary beast. I really need my “me time.” I spent the day hanging out in the hotel room eating take-out from a restaurant across the street and watched TV. I also went through several days worth of photos and updated the blog. Another notable event was an earthquake that happened a little while ago. The hanging lamp in my room was swinging a little. There was also a slight aftershock but the event was mild by California’s standards.
UPDATE: 10:15 P.M.
Well I got sick of relaxing and decided to head on down to a coffee shop about a block from the hotel. The location is prime for people watching. One wall of the seating area is ceiling to floor windows with a heavily trafficked crossing for a view. Oddly enough a seemingly random but nonetheless interesting observation I made while passing through Roppingi a couple of nights ago comes to mind. As we walked past a row of clubs I noticed that all of the leg work for “pink” businesses was being done by Nigerian immigrants. I know they were Nigerian immigrants based on an interaction in the redlight district of Shinjuku our first night out. Most of the men barked out key words in English through a thick Nigerian accent at passing tourists but they also likewise yelled phrases in Japanese directed at the passing businessmen coming home from work. Most of what is said is lost in the sea of churning bodies that is the sidewalk but their game is clear. It pains me a little to see this pigoenhole being the life of any immigrant in a first world country but it seems to be common place here and it may very well be far better than the life they left behind. At first glance it seems to me the determining factor for Nigerians being common in this line of work is purely the novelty of seeing an African in Japan but the fact that they speak a fair bit of English would also be a plus if their main clientel are westerners. After doing a little Googling on the subway coming home that night, I read that in recent years Japan has become a popular location for Nigerians to immigrate to. I would really like to go back to the area tonight for some socializing and drinks with the local crowd but since Lucas is still out and he is morally bothered by the area, I guess I’ll have to pass. I’d go on my own but Lucas had mentioned that he read in a recent article that foreigners are known to get drugged and taken advantage of at clubs and bars in Roppongi.