Date With Fuuta

So, last night I did manage to meet up with Fuuta. He lives in Shimanto, which is a few hours outside of the city, so he didn't actually arrive until about 9 pm. I had told him I'd need to go home about 10 or 10:30, so I was a little surprised that he still bothered to drive so far when we wouldn't have all that much time. But I'm glad he did.

At first we didn't really know where to go or what to do, but eventually we headed downtown and ended up at the Boston Cafe. It was maybe not the smartest place to go for a short time since there's a seating charge, but it was somewhere familiar and nice, so I led us there. We hung around and talked, mostly in Japanese but occasionally in English. The conversation went reasonably smoothly but there were a few times when communication broke down. Still, I didn't particularly mind, and I think Fuuta was okay with it, too. He never seemed frustrated or impatient.

Some things about Fuuta: he's 22 and works as a caregiver for the elderly. He really likes his job and was telling me that it's the kind of work that changes you. I'd definitely agree, and I have a very favorable opinion of him based on the fact that he's enthusiastic about his work. Caregiving is not easy. It takes a special kind of person to do it well, and to enjoy it. Other stuff: his main hobby is playing guitar. He's in a band, and I think he writes music as well. He comes across as very sincere.

One thing that's particularly good about Fuuta is that he didn't fixate on the fact that I'm a foreigner. He did tell me repeatedly that I have big eyes, but other than that I felt like he treated me as a normal person. He showed an interest in my background but didn't interrogate me. I felt like we had a normal conversation, to the extent that my Japanese allows it. He complimented me a lot, which sometimes makes me uncomfortable, but it didn't seem like he was just trying to flatter me. The most hilarious moment of the evening was when he told me that I have big eyes like a chihuahua... and he meant it as a compliment. I laughed like crazy and told him that was a terrible thing to say, and he couldn't understand why I wouldn't like being compared to a chihuahua. I guess people in Japan don't think of them as rat-dogs. Also, he has a chihuahua and thinks they're really cute. He showed me a picture of his dog, and I have to admit that it was pretty adorable. So I guess I've got the eyes of a chihuahua.

In the end, we stayed out until a little after 11:00. At that point I figured I'd better get back home. He gave me a ride back and we said our goodbyes. He sent me a message today asking if I'd been tired at work, and we've been texting back and forth, so I imagine we'll be in contact for a while. Maybe I'll see him again; I'm hoping to.