The Marriage of Bigfoot

Jade and I went to Harajuku today, to go shoe shopping for my wedding.  Harajuku on a Sunday is really something else, but it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth to watch the masses of white tourists, as they invariably take copius photographs of much younger Japanese women. 

"They should just erect a statue of Gwen Stefani and get it over with," Jade said, pointing out the massive tourist boom in the neighborhood that resulted from the artist's generally clueless obsession some years ago.

"Like Yon-sama," she continued, "did you know that they built a statue of him in the Korean town where his TV drama supposedly takes place?  He did wonders for the tourism, so the city was really grateful to him."

"Isn't that fad over yet?"  I asked her.  Yon-sama is the gratuitous Japanese nickname for the  Bae Yong Joon, a Korean actor who tends to be lusted over by many an older Japanese housewife.

"Almost over," Jade assured.

Anyway, shoes.  We had to come by Harajuku to buy shoes for my wedding, because Harajuku is also where all the Japanese transvestites come to buy their shoes.  Likely, these same boutiques would also carry my size.  I wish I were kidding.

My feet are not even that big!  I wear a lady's 9 in American shoes.  Yet shopping in a regular Japanese shoe store is frustrating if not impossible for me.  So this time, Jade and I put up no pretenses and went straight for the she-male shoes.  After all, my wedding is far too important to go around pretending that I can fit into Japanese sizes.

If nothing else, my new shoes will make for a funny story at my wedding reception in New York.

Comments

[ThePenguin]

The kids that hang out there are usually very happy to have their photos taken. Dunno anything much about Ms. Stefani, but that scene has been on the tourist trail since well before she was around. Didn't know about the transvestites, but I will keep an investigative eye out.

[Aunt Susan]

Lea, we are loking forward to your wedding.
And now the shoes too!

[Aunt Susan]

Lea, we are loking forward to your wedding.
And now the shoes too!