You know you're living the crazy gaijin stereotype when...

You find yourself standing beside a busy motorway on a freezing March night waiting to cross to the other side to get sushi, throwing shapes at the speeding cars while your friend belts out numbers from Fiddler on the Roof. 'Nuff said.

Today is White Day, the counterpart to Valentine's Day a month ago, where boys give chocolates (traditionally white chocolates and almonds) to girls. Oddly, in contrast to the enormous hype leading up to Valentine's Day, there wasn't a single tie-in or promo display to be seen. I managed to buy some chocolates before setting out with friends on the sushi escapade, but in doing my bit for the stereotype of useless men managed to leave them back at the dorms. I'd nip back to get them, but the icy turn the weather has taken in the past few days has led to snow swirling past the CIE windows. Braving Arctic conditions to get chocolate is a bit much - if I'm going to end up dead in a ditch trying to impress girls, it had better be for something really spectacular.