As Alex and I sipped our cafes after lunch, Alex overheard our French waitress talk to another woman in the kitchen say in French, “An American and a Japanese man.”
Two older men yelled over at us from a park bench in Reims and asked if I was Japanese. “Korean,” Alex responded
Even Takoashi (a Japanese woman, living in Japan), from our Champagne tour asked if I was Japanese.
Everyone thinks I am Japanese.
We waited too long to purchase our train tickets back to Paris from Avignon and the only option was first class. In our car of about 60 seats, there are about 50 Japanese tourists. I look around at the men, of ages, and I look nothing like them.
The Japanese tour leader was translating the French train instructions in Japanese to the group. A bemused train worker yelled over to Alex in French (the only white person on the platform) if she understood that. She smiled and said, “No.”
because i'm asian 