Fried Chicken and Sushi 359 Karl and Mai's first real date

If you haven't figured it out by now, Mai is based on my wife.  The Cat's out of the bag!  This comic strip is pretty much exactly what we did on our first date together.  It was fun to think back on how nervous I was that evening but also how much fun we had together.  We could relate on so many things, even though we grew up in different countries.  There was also something there that we couldn't explain.  A pretty strong connection that we still have to this day.  The final panel of our Purikura picture is actually taken from the real one that we still have.  We laugh over the phrase "Good Surprise!" every time we look at it.  What were we thinking when writing that?  Perhaps, it was how we felt about finding each other. ;)  There will be a few more comics coming up of our first date so stay tuned.     

Khalid and Karl by Carlos Jackson and Khalid Birdsong

This was a fun project that I worked on with my friend and professional photographer, Carlos Jackson.  He took some great pictures of me and then I drew in Karl in Photoshop around me.  Eat your heart out Roger Rabbit!  Carlos went in and added more light and shadow on Karl to match things up.  You can check out more of Carlos Jackson's photography on his FLICKR PAGE HERE or you can just click on the photo above.  

Fried Chicken and Sushi 358 Will working late pay off?

Way to go, J!  Let's hope this will help his boss realize that J is not a lazy foreigner.  I'm sure there will be some of you out there that will think that a Japanese person couldn't be as blatantly racist as J's boss.  Think again.  Remember, Japanese people are in the majority in Japan so being careful with how you talk to or about foreigners isn't the same as in other countries.  Of course, J's boss is a special breed of jerk as we can all see.

Fried Chicken and Sushi 357 J hopes Japan will get easier

Culture shock never ends.  Probably because livin' in Japan ain't easy!  See what I did there?  I feel like you can never become fully adjusted to living in Japan.  Do you agree?

Fried Chicken and Sushi 356 Working too late for Ryan

If you've lived in Japan, you know this happens quite often.  Especially, the part about seeing a co-worker sleeping at their desk.  Nothing's wrong with a little "power nap" if it helps you stay in the office as late as your boss.  Do you have any working late stories to share in the comments section?

Fried Chicken and Sushi 355 The battle for modesty

It is true.  Japanese people are very good at putting themselves down.  It's amazing how well they can deny their talents.  It works well on us overconfident foreigners though because we start to feel like Japanese people are not as talented as the rest of the world.  Then, they suddenly do something to show you how amazing they really are!  I'll have to do more comics about this subject in the future.  As for this one, looks like J lost the modesty battle.

Fried Chicken and Sushi 354 Are they shocked I can speak their language?

Japanese people seem shocked when you can speak their language.  They feel like it's incredibly difficult so when a foreigner says even one word to them they feel the need to give compliments on how well the foreigner spoke.  This sounds very polite and can feel good in the beginning.  After you're pretty good with speaking Japanese and have lived there awhile, it can get a bit annoying.  At least, people working retail and service jobs in Japan are forced to treat everyone equally so they'll usually assume you can speak the language well until you show signs of confusion.   

Fried Chicken and Sushi 353 J goes to a Manga shop

It really is exciting to walk into a bookstore in Japan and see so much manga!  There's a lot of good manga in Japan but it can be difficult to find because there's SO much there!  You need to spend ages going through titles to find something that is really a powerful combination of story and art.  I guess this is another disappointing reality that J has to face now that he's in Osaka.  Everything isn't perfect in Japan.  I'm not sure how much Japanese J can read so maybe he's just judging the manga by the artistic storytelling.  Friends would tell me about good manga to read and it would save me time at the bookstores.  Did you have a good experience the first time you went to buy manga in Japan? 

Fried Chicken and Sushi 352 Ryan is proud of the Gay-cen

When someone told me about a Gay-cen for the first time in Japan I actually got pretty upset.  I thought they were making fun of gay people or hating on them.  Especially when it sounds like Gay and Sin are put together.  Shortening the words Game Center make sense to me now but it still feels a little strange to say.  As for how Ryan chooses to spend his evenings, I think J said it all.  Of course, Ryan seems pretty proud of himself so all is good.  Have you been to a game center, or Gay-cen before?  Tell us your story!

Fried Chicken and Sushi 351 Ryan goes out on the town!

I guess going out to an arcade is one way to spend a night out in Osaka.  As long as Ryan is having fun.  He is a lover of video games.  Maybe he loves them too much?

Fried Chicken and Sushi 350 J meets Tanuki

Tanukis are known for tricking people with their magical powers but I have a feeling that our Tanuki isn't very talented.  Or, he wants J to get mad at Karl to screw up their friendship.  Either way, it doesn't look like he's ready to fully show himself to J.  Perhaps, Tanuki isn't real after all and he's just a figment of Karl's imagination.  One day we might find out.  What do you think?

Fried Chicken and Sushi 349 Tanuki is ready to meet J?

Not sure what the donuts are made of?  I can tell you that Tanuki are known for tricking people by turning poop into food.  I think Tanuki needs a spanking!  Stay tuned for the next FC&S comic and see if Tanuki actually shows himself to J. 

Fried Chicken and Sushi 348 Livin' in Japan as a black man

I remember feeling as frustrated with Japanese people as J seems to be.  It's easy to think that all people there are racist because of the way they treat foreigners.  One minute, you're treated extra special, the next minute you're treated like an alien from another planet.  Never as an equal.  It's really only because they have very little experience with foreigners and only know what they've seen in movies and heard on TV.  I never felt that Japanese people were trying to make me feel bad or hated me, but they just didn't know much about my culture.  Add to that, the fact that you're in the minority as a non-Japanese, they feel pretty comfortable pointing out differences between you and them.  I guess J calling it racism is one way to look at it, from his experiences as a black man in America, but it's not fueled by hate.  More of a lack of understanding and a curiosity most Japanese people have about foreigners.

Fried Chicken and Sushi 347 What is going on with your hair?!

Miki really looks like she's very comfortable with J to be running over to touch his hair like that!  Or, Miki just thinks she can do whatever she wants, anytime she wants.  Karl is right though, J is going to have a lot of Japanse people interested in his hair and asking to touch it.  It will be like some sort of magic that they don't understand and must touch to figure out.  

Fried Chicken and Sushi 346 J meets Miki

Aaaaaaaand, stereotype!  All black people look the same.  Didn't you know that Karl?  Of course he did.  Probably didn't expect for he and J to get mixed up by Japanese people.  They look nothing alike...right?

Fried Chicken and Sushi 345 J visits Shimamoto

I remember seeing my students EVERYWHERE I went in Shimamoto!  There were times that it was nice, and times when I hated it.  Either way, being the only foreigner in a small town means you don't have much privacy.  Everyone knows when you're out and about.  Put two foreigners together in a small town and you're sure to get some attention.  It's also frustrating when students are trying their best to speak to you in English and you have no idea what they really mean...

Fried Chicken and Sushi 344 Japanese people are so quiet. Most of the time!

I know that people everywhere are usually quiet on the subway but they seem quieter to me in Japan.  Going to the movies there would shock me because people would sit so stiff and wouldn't react to anything going on on screen!  Anytime Japanese people had to express "emotions" it would always be through shouting out at the top of their lungs!  Does anyone out there know why? 

Fried Chicken and Sushi 343 Ariake tells the truth about Fukushima

There it is.  Even Mr. Fukushima's employees know he's racist.  At least someone is on J's side at the Japanese office. 

Fried Chicken and Sushi 342 Meeting Mr. Fukushima

I'm not exactly sure what Mr. Fukushima meant by that comment but I know it ain't good.  Remember, J almost didn't make it to Japan because "somebody" decided it was better to have Ryan.  I think that somebody is Mr. Fukushima.  I'm not sure why he's so turned off by a black man in Japan but we'll probably find out in the future! 

Fried Chicken and Sushi 341 Office jet-lagged?

Wake up, Americans!  You don't want your boss to catch you sleeping on the job!  Anyone that's been through jet-lag can appreciate this!  I'm usually pretty good at staying awake when I'm sleepy but jet-lag is a mix of physical exhaustion from travel and the effects of a time change.  Together they force people to fall asleep at the worst moments!