Wait, where am I again?

Skateboards, sneaker stores, massage parlors, clubs, bars, homeless people, smoke shops, dreadlocks, fashionistas, hipsters, graffiti, reggae music, pet stores, pedestrians and an American Apparel.

I wasn't sure if I was in Shibuya or San Francisco

And isn't it ironic...

American Apparel Store in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan

...don't you think?

Some Japanese people stare at me..

...but most of them don't. Culturally speaking, staring is bad, and besides, it's not like I'm the first black person to ever be in Tokyo. It's also typically elderly Japanese men and women who stare.

On the other hand, I get tons of eyes from white people here. Percentage-wise, I definitely get more looks from them. While I obviously don't know their backgrounds nor could I fathom what they're thinking, I often get the feeling they're tourists who are thinking to themselves "There are black people in Japan?". If I'm right, then they obviously have yet to visit Roppongi.

And to add insult to (pseudo) injury, I was reminded today of the historic black-male/white-female relationship while walking around in Shibuya tonight. While walking down the street, I looked up to see one headed my way. But upon seeing the white of my eyes, she immediately clutched her purse and started moving toward the far side of the walk way.

Was that really necessary? In Tokyo? Am I really going to risk prison time (23 days before even seeing a lawyer) and deportation to rip and run her bag? Can't be serious...