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To celebrate Halloween in Japan, I decided to disguise myself as a Blue Man. This choice was made almost naturally to symbolize the place of a Gaijin in Japan. Here is my article about my choice and my first Halloween party on this Friday, October 28, 2011. 

It’s been almost 6 months since I’m in Japan, almost 6 months that I am a Gaijin in Japan (or Gaikokujin). Tonight is my first Halloween party in Japan and to do that I decided to become a Blue Man travelling in the country of the rising sun. 

This article is a part of a series of 3 articles dedicated to my Halloween in Japan in 2011. You can discover the 2 other ones here:

Halloween in Japan: A Blue Maid in Roppongi –Tokyo

Halloween in Japan: A Blue AKB 48 in Shinjuku –Tokyo

Blue Man & Schoolgirl

Why I became a Blue Man for my Halloween in Japan?

Since I’m in Japan, I learned that I was an Alien. I had to live, like all foreigners, with the fact that we are assimilated to Gaijin. This can sometimes cause quite original situations.

It happened to me many times to see Japanese speaking English, thinking I was American or even that I was unable to speak a word of Japanese. Sometimes even when I asked a question in Japanese they answered in English. 

At other times, it is the discreet glances that I cast. How many times the Japanese were looking at me on the train, on a more or less discreet way. I made myself staring very regularly. As I was a strange object that came from nowhere.

Ultimately, these situations have led me to tell to myself that some Japanese people think that foreigners are unable to speak Japanese, are American, Alien (or Gaijin) and that they are strange, and they hardly dare to approach them.

Hence the idea to disguise myself as a Blue Man. Indeed, they represent exactly what the Japanese can sometimes think of  Gaijin. The blue Men:

• Do not speak at all
• Are American
• Are some sort of Alien
• Are strange
• Are blue like Alien

Blue Man

Moreover, to make a dedication to my friends Chris and Lara from Not a Honey Moon, and Anthony and his Road Photos Blog, with whom I went to see the show of Blue Men in Las Vegas in April 2011, I decided to disguise myself as a Blue Man.

The party full of fun and surprising reactions:

 My costume was chooses. After doing my shopping (blue paint for my face, a mask to hide my hair, black clothes), I could go to my first Halloween party in Japan. It took place at my place of work at Mickey House Takadanobaba, on this Friday, October 28, 2011.

To do so, Aki helped me a lot, especially with the face painting, and I thank her enormously.

Once I was ready, I left from Roppongi to Takadanobaba using public transports and wearing my Blue Man costume. As a nod I walked past the Blue Men Theater in Roppongi –Tokyo.

The reactions in the street, when I passed by people, were fun. Cries of surprises, smiles, laughter, “blue man, blue man” calls, people who pointed finger at me. For the first time in six months, an interaction with the Japanese was made.

The most surprising was all the girls who came to me to take photos with them. Some were shy and did not dare to ask, others were more enterprising and some simply trying to “steal” photos of me. By cons no boy took photos of me. Would they be too shy or disinterested?

Blue Man & Doraimon

Once at Mickey House Takadanobaba, I could finally become a costume among many others. No more surprised look. Just people who praised me for my costume. Moreover, during this party I won the price, tied with another participant, for the best costume. I was entitled to 5 free drinks. I also had fun, especially when some people could not recognize me. 

Now I have to move to the second stage of my project for my Halloween in Japan: A Blue Man travelling in Japan. This will be the subject of my other two Halloween costumes for Saturday, October 29 andMonday, October 31, 2011.