@Archibald:
For anyone who's been there or lives there, does any of this hold water?
If you're a 6'4" roided sumbitch, yeah. But if you're like me, blonde and petite, you may instead invoke the lesser-known and double-edged weapon, the Gaijin Charm. On one hand you wouldn't imagine what power a shy giggle and a fidget can hold – but on the other hand, you can also be erroneously hit on by drunk-as-a-skunk salarymen that you can't shake off. :getlost: