White Girl in Japan・日本にいる白人女性

Sometimes I just wonder. About me. About other people. This morning I went over to the Plum Forest near Osaka Castle to see how many were in bloom and then headed to breakfast with my laminated coupon when I got back to the hotel. When I was being seated, the woman told me that there were only seats in the middle of the restaurant. I asked if there were really nothing on the side, and she said she would find a table to clean up. I told her that I would be happy to wait.

So, I go back to the entrance to wait. Along comes a Japanese couple who are told that they need to wait in line (since they are trying to enter via the exit.) They come over by me, and since I’m the white chick, they both say, “Good morning.” I bow my head a bit but don’t quite know what to do or say. That conflicted feeling back again.

The woman who was seating me comes back and is telling me that she has a spot, it’s not next to the window, but is that okay? (All in Japanese. After all, they know me at the restaurant.) The couple behind me starts some low, embarrassed laughter. The woman returns once again, apologizes for keeping me waiting, and I am finally taken to me seat. I am left wondering what I should have done. I feel strange about the whole situation but haven’t figured out how to remedy those feelings or how to address this type of situation when it happens. Wavering between laughter and embarrassment.