Yesterday evening, I made up my mind to hit the town, wander around and play the field a little. I had some yen in the pocket and I was ready to meet new people.
Perhaps I should stress early on that my approach to pick-up varies somewhat from the usual take. Instead of chatting up girls that are hot or cute, I prefer to find someone that I instinctively feel matches me and build a connection. That's probably the folly of a young and inexperienced boy, and it might explain why I haven't slept with any of the girls I met off the streets.
When I was still going to school, I had a decent time with the ladies, nothing crazy, but I've left all that behind now. In Tokyo I try to focus on interacting with many people, guys or girls. Just through talking to people on the street, I found them to be surprisingly receptive and open.
So it was with an open mind that I boarded the train to Shinjuku. I was listening to some Carmen McRae and preparing for a great evening. Maybe tonight I'd find the girl that I felt was nice enough to take home. As a matter of preference I don't approach on the train, least of all rush hour. I like to take it slow and listen to music, get in the mood. By the time I get to the main streets the headphones come off and my tongue is loose.
As I was climbing the stairs up out of the station, out of the blue, a girl tapped me on the shoulder. I don't even remember where she came from, I was wrapped up in a song. Perhaps she approached me from the side. She was smiling at me, and I instinctively took off my headphones. She said something like, "If you'd like, why don't we go out together?" And the first thing I could think of was, "Do I know her?" I was probably silent for too long because she laughed and said, "...so, are you good?"
Now, I've been approached by touts and girls in the seedy and not-so-seedy areas of Tokyo quite a number of times, and this girl didn't give off that vibe at all. It seemed like she was just looking for someone to have fun with. Truth be told, she wasn't the kind of girl I'd talk to. She didn't even look good. Maybe 7/10 on a good day when the sun was shining the right way. I'm no James Dean myself, so I wasn't about to reject her on the basis of being some hot guy - I'm just your average guy, only I dress well.
However, I was a little shocked and not very interested, so I told her I was sorry but I had things to do. She was like, never mind, that's okay.
I took a little detour to a café nearby where I had a black coffee and several cigarettes. I mulled over what had happened slowly. Thinking about it, perhaps if she had asked a little later I would've said yes. Life is made of small adventures after all, and who knows if she might've had some friends that I was interested in.
Nevertheless, what happened happened, and there's only moving forward.
If you were in my place, what would you have done?
The whole affair called up a verse of a song I knew and loved.
"Don't blame it on my heart,
blame it on my youth."
Perhaps I should stress early on that my approach to pick-up varies somewhat from the usual take. Instead of chatting up girls that are hot or cute, I prefer to find someone that I instinctively feel matches me and build a connection. That's probably the folly of a young and inexperienced boy, and it might explain why I haven't slept with any of the girls I met off the streets.
When I was still going to school, I had a decent time with the ladies, nothing crazy, but I've left all that behind now. In Tokyo I try to focus on interacting with many people, guys or girls. Just through talking to people on the street, I found them to be surprisingly receptive and open.
So it was with an open mind that I boarded the train to Shinjuku. I was listening to some Carmen McRae and preparing for a great evening. Maybe tonight I'd find the girl that I felt was nice enough to take home. As a matter of preference I don't approach on the train, least of all rush hour. I like to take it slow and listen to music, get in the mood. By the time I get to the main streets the headphones come off and my tongue is loose.
As I was climbing the stairs up out of the station, out of the blue, a girl tapped me on the shoulder. I don't even remember where she came from, I was wrapped up in a song. Perhaps she approached me from the side. She was smiling at me, and I instinctively took off my headphones. She said something like, "If you'd like, why don't we go out together?" And the first thing I could think of was, "Do I know her?" I was probably silent for too long because she laughed and said, "...so, are you good?"
Now, I've been approached by touts and girls in the seedy and not-so-seedy areas of Tokyo quite a number of times, and this girl didn't give off that vibe at all. It seemed like she was just looking for someone to have fun with. Truth be told, she wasn't the kind of girl I'd talk to. She didn't even look good. Maybe 7/10 on a good day when the sun was shining the right way. I'm no James Dean myself, so I wasn't about to reject her on the basis of being some hot guy - I'm just your average guy, only I dress well.
However, I was a little shocked and not very interested, so I told her I was sorry but I had things to do. She was like, never mind, that's okay.
I took a little detour to a café nearby where I had a black coffee and several cigarettes. I mulled over what had happened slowly. Thinking about it, perhaps if she had asked a little later I would've said yes. Life is made of small adventures after all, and who knows if she might've had some friends that I was interested in.
Nevertheless, what happened happened, and there's only moving forward.
If you were in my place, what would you have done?
The whole affair called up a verse of a song I knew and loved.
"Don't blame it on my heart,
blame it on my youth."
