Pink Ninja Strikes!

So I got the chance to hand out my "Omiyage" or souvenirs to my host family. I'm way past due on giving them out, I realize I should have taken care of it the night I moved in... but had a small complication.

I had brought with me about 2 dozen bandanas with the classic Texas embroidery design on them. I figured since Japanese people use hankerchiefs all the time, along with them loving cowboys and this being an historical cowboy item... that it would be a great present. But what I didn't know is that the same exact print of bandana was sold it just about every clothing shop in this country that hankerchiefs can be found in. Go figure, I really should have guessed when they have more people here that wear cowboy boots then in Texas. So in efforts of not seeming overly cheap and uncreative by giving them heavily mass produced items as a gift the first day here... I waited 2 weeks when they already know I'm overly cheap and uncreative and presented the gifts tonight.

In that 2 week time though I learned something about the Japanese culture. They love free crap. Whatever it is, if you give it to them, they'll love you for it. This was no exception. They jumped on them faster then I could react. And I have to give a shout out for Obaachan in demanding the best colors for herself. If you know what you want, go for it right? Unfortunately this also had a kick-back effect with Nami, the host family sister who I presented two nicely colored bandanas that matched her clothing... as her's were quickly nabbed by other family members.

After I let everyone pick/demand a few colored bandanas that they wanted, I was left with a pretty slim selection of bright pink ones that no one wanted.

Whats a guy gonna do with a bundle of pink bandanas? If you guessed dress up in stupid disguises and start demeaning the history of the country your in... then you guessed right cause that's exactly what I did.

With that, I give you the birth of the Pink Ninja.

Daijoubu!

Instead of getting offended, which probably was well within their rights at the time, they instead joined in with "kowai" (scary). I even had the chance to jump out and scare Obaachan who had stepped out of the house in the time that I crafted my clever disguise.

Bearing my now legendary Chicken Ramen (world famous instant ramen~) emblem on the for head, no one knows quite what to think of the Pink Ninja. Could he be serving up a nice cup of noodles, or a can of whoop ass? Should you be afraid of him because of his way of the forbidden martial arts, or scared of him for his way of the San Francisco parade marcher. No one knows, and that's what adds to the mystery of the Pink Ninja.

Unfortunately for me though, I didn't know the repercussions of my actions as the Pink Ninja. It seems that now that I have equipped myself with an available costume, I'm now obligated to dress up like this for some costume march coming up next month. I have to actually go outside, in the day, and walk through the street.... dressed up as a pink ninja. My life just seriously took a turn for worse.