He has a jet-black buzz cut, and holes pierced in his ears big enough to put your pinkie through. He's a successful entrepreneur, not a corporate slave, running his own clothing and body piercing shop. He's creative and independent, and he's unafraid to speak his mind. Best of all, he's brave. He once took a trip to America, paid cash for a banged-up 1973 Oldsmobile and then drove it, shaking and rattling, across the unknown continent.
Japanese men get a bad rap, and to be honest, quite a few deserve it.
Often, their boorish behavior knows no bounds, and rare is the woman who try to put a stop to it. While most of my co-workers, both male and female, were friendly and curious about my culture, the behavior of some would fall into the realm of what in the U.S. would be considered sexual harassment. On another occasion, a young male co-worker wondered aloud about the color of foreign pubic hair. As a foreigner in Japan, I wanted to be an observer rather than an activist, so I let these incidents roll off my back. In retrospect, I'm glad I did.