Source: Gokayajin (@gokayajin) - used with permission

Manga about a macho man with an unusual habit

You meet all kinds of people living as an ex-pat in Japan. Perhaps this is typical of minority communities, but there seems to be a ready-made network for foreign nationals. Just smile, shake a few hands, and you're in like flint. Before the pandemic, it was also easy to acquaint yourself with tourists or traveling business people. I've met touring musicians, artists, and other performers by merely being a fellow English speaker in the right place. "Sure, I can show you around."

Manga artist Gokayajin 五箇野人 (@gokayajin) also enjoys these fly-by-night encounters. He is a world traveler who illustrates his international experiences and foreign rendezvous in his manga. In this installation, a man he met a standing restaurant does something peculiar.

Reproduced with permission from Gokayajin (@gokayajin)

Get your leftovers to go. Although the man’s behavior was startling at first, it was all for a noble cause.

Online readers got a kick out of the piece:

  • “This made me smile. So cute.”
  • “I can’t believe those people weren’t suspicious when a stranger asked them to give him their leftovers.”
  • “Just goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover. Anyone who likes animals is a good person.”

You can see more manga by Gokayajin on his Twitter account. Also, be sure to check out his blog. There, the artist posts a diary chronicling his travels and adventures.

By - Luke Mahoney.

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