I read somewhere about this Japanese dude who just locked himself in his room for like a year with a bunch of English books and came out and aced the TOEIC test. That’s my goal for 2013. Just have pizzas delivered and grow a crazy long beard and read nothing but manga and watch Japanese soap operas.

I’ve come to believe there are 3 kinds of people, in roughly equal proportions.

1/3 of all people act as if race defines a person. If you don’t look Japanese, you’ll forever be “foreign,” no matter how much Japanese you speak or how many squid innards you eat.
1/3 just really don’t notice. To them, race is about as significant as eye color. Like Stephen Colbert, they don’t see race.
The remaining 1/3 are somewhere in between. They think of you as foreign, but they probably won’t make a big deal out of it other than asking mildly annoying questions like if you can eat sashimi or drink green tea.

This seems to be pretty much the same in both the U.S. and Japan, and it doesn’t seem related to education or exposure to foreign cultures. Some people are just born to see race more than others. I don’t know why. Maybe that’s the real difference between people.

Actually I hate being the center of attention, but being foreign you can’t avoid it.
I live in quite a small place, too, but luckily I’m not recognized that easily! I’d hate that.
I’m female and I’m shy anyways.
You’d think that after over 4 years here, one gets used to it, right? Wrong!!!

I’ve never had anybody take my picture though. That’s a whole other level of stardom. Have you tried signing glossy 8x10s and handing them out as presents? They’d probably go like hotcakes.

It’s funny how when you need something, it’s never there in your possession!

Seems everybody knows you Ken! Popular guy you are;)