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elfsI went to meet Omaha at the Westlake Center food court prior to a meeting we had scheduled than afternoon, and while I was there I saw the most astounding sight imaginable:
Dozens of Japanese high school girls, all between the ages of 15 and 19, wandering around the mall. All of them dressed in knee-length grey pleated skirts, white blouses, black school blazers, knee-high socks and black shoes. It was like a bad otaku fantasy come to life. Some of them wore grey vests; others wore black V-necked sweaters with white trim. And they were all accessorized: mostly the bags, from Gucci, Urban Outfitters, and American Eagle. Some big and gaudy, some small and elegant.
Later, Omaha and I went over to See's Candies, where while Omaha was ordering I took a step back from the line and ran into one of them, along with two of her friends. I didn't see who I'd stepped into at first so I turned and said, "Excuse me. Ah, sumimasen."
She nodded, looking embarrassed. I said, "Ano, Eigo ga wakarimasu ka??" (Um, do you speak English?)
Her eyes widened. "A... a little."
"Skoshi?"
"Yes." She laughed.
"Gakuen wa, doko desu ka?" (Where is your school?)
"Saito International, near Tokyo."
"Thanks," I said. I don't know what impression I made. She smiled nicely and wandered off. Rather ordinary kid. In fact, that was the main vibe I got, just how ordinary they all were. Giggly high school girls, playing one-up games as to their findings and their gossip. I later learned from the woman behind the counter at See's that there were 400 of these girls set loose on Seattle: the entire upper class of a private high school. They'd been coming through Westlake every day for the past week.
And they're going home tomorrow.
Dozens of Japanese high school girls, all between the ages of 15 and 19, wandering around the mall. All of them dressed in knee-length grey pleated skirts, white blouses, black school blazers, knee-high socks and black shoes. It was like a bad otaku fantasy come to life. Some of them wore grey vests; others wore black V-necked sweaters with white trim. And they were all accessorized: mostly the bags, from Gucci, Urban Outfitters, and American Eagle. Some big and gaudy, some small and elegant.
Later, Omaha and I went over to See's Candies, where while Omaha was ordering I took a step back from the line and ran into one of them, along with two of her friends. I didn't see who I'd stepped into at first so I turned and said, "Excuse me. Ah, sumimasen."
She nodded, looking embarrassed. I said, "Ano, Eigo ga wakarimasu ka??" (Um, do you speak English?)
Her eyes widened. "A... a little."
"Skoshi?"
"Yes." She laughed.
"Gakuen wa, doko desu ka?" (Where is your school?)
"Saito International, near Tokyo."
"Thanks," I said. I don't know what impression I made. She smiled nicely and wandered off. Rather ordinary kid. In fact, that was the main vibe I got, just how ordinary they all were. Giggly high school girls, playing one-up games as to their findings and their gossip. I later learned from the woman behind the counter at See's that there were 400 of these girls set loose on Seattle: the entire upper class of a private high school. They'd been coming through Westlake every day for the past week.
And they're going home tomorrow.
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Date: 2009-09-30 05:15 am (UTC)