La vida loca

Proving again that our expat life is la-la land, Blaine and I went to a black-tie "casino night" benefit last (Friday) night, the first time Blaine has worn a tuxedo since our 2002 wedding. The photo could be better, but, hey, it's evidence!

We were guests of some Tokyo-Seattle friends whose company paid for the table at the Westin Tokyo in Ebisu. After supper, I had a superfun spin at the benefit blackjack tables, especially after Blaine arrived to end a long streak of losing hands. I'm the second pile of orange chips from the right - worth about $7.


I've never gambled for real, and I'm clueless about the odds of this or any other game. Fortunately, there was a very bossy, busty American party guest at the table who claimed that she'd been a dealer in Louisiana. (Alas, no photo.) Somewhat drunkenly, but not irrationally, she repeatedly overruled me and everyone else about when to "hit" or not - and she was right most of the time. I more than tripled my $30 in chips by 10:30pm, when we flaked out and bet it all on a losing hand before hopping in a taxi to go home.

Economic troubles

As I wrote the previous post, about our upcoming vaca in Bali, I considered how out-of-touch we are, as expats in Tokyo, with the US financial crisis.

Unlike most Americans in the US, where costs for food, gas, and other commodities have risen and where many people are losing their homes, we pretty much live on a fixed budget with fixed costs, thanks to subsidies for housing, utilities and education from the Washington Post.

We don't have a car (though I often consider buying one), so we're unaffected by gas prices, and I've figured out how to buy groceries here without breaking the bank on $5 Japanese apples or pricey Japanese beef. Also, we've taken a pay-as-you-go approach to credit cards and have zero debt other than our Seattle mortgage. And we almost never buy expensive stuff, clothes, purses, shoes, or trinkets - even though that definitely puts me on the least-well-dressed list among expat wives.

So other than a shocking decline in our 401ks or other investment accounts, which we hopefully won't need for several years, I'm feeling fortunate that we can be cautious about our spending and ride out the next few years.

The weak dollar

I should add... It doesn't help American expats in Tokyo that the dollar has fallen to record lows against the Japanese yen. On our scouting trip here last May/June, $1 was worth about 120 yen; today, it's down to 95 yen/dollar. Ugh.

Wall St. and Tokyo

Daily news reports from US often don't affect the lives of expat families in Tokyo, but the recent economic crisis and particularly the failure of Bear Stearns has some families wondering if they could be tossed out of the expat life unexpectedly.

Goldman Sachs and Lehman Brothers have huge offices in Roppongi Hills, an office and shopping complex near our house, which is also near Lucinda's and Arno's schools - which means that many Goldman and Lehman families live nearby and send their kids to Nishimachi and Willowbrook. I've also met parents (mainly dads) who work for JP Morgan and various other banks.

Some columns and news reports today and yesterday say that Lehman could follow Bear Stearns into trouble; this WashPost report says the markets will watch closely when Goldman and Lehman report their earnings in the coming days/weeks. I'm sure the families will be watching, too.

These financial hiccups also make international-school administrators a little nervous. The headmaster of Nishimachi held an info session last week and told parents that the school's building improvements and expansion plans are of course partly dependent on tuition payments from companies that foot the bill for employees' children. (including, say, the Washington Post.) Massive bank layoffs = fewer students.

Littleton vs. Moses Lake

Today Blaine and I tried out our brand-new membership at the Tokyo American Club. We rode our bikes to TAC, as it's called, for a midday workout in the gym.

When you live in the expat bubble of international schools and investment bankers, as we do, TAC is part of everyday conversation. Most moms in my world belong to TAC because their husbands' banking, hedge fund, legal, manufacturing, tech, etc. companies pay for membership in the corporate "package."

(Hey, I'm not crying in my soup here because the Washington Post makes our lives very pleasant - thanks, WaPo!)

To some who don't join, though, TAC is a symbol of close-mindedness, a place where lame Americans flee Japan and Japanese culture to dine in mediocre restaurants. And (some say) where unhappy expat wives go to drink the day away.

I did my reporting, and asked members and non-members what they think of it and what they use it for. And I decided we should join.

Why? 1) The gym; 2) Childcare while we're at the gym; 3) The big outdoor swimming pool; 4) Makes our lives easier; And 5) did I mention the pool and Tokyo's sweltering summer heat?

So Blaine and I had a big debate about TAC and, like many of our discussions involving luxury vs. practicality, this boiled down to advice from an ex-therapist about managing coupledom: It helps to recognize that each person comes from a different "country," that is, a different family, a different way of seeing the world.

Our "countries" are Littleton, Colorado (my suburban hometown) and Moses Lake (the rural Washington State town where Blaine grew up).

Moses Lake sees the 1 million-yen pricetag and the masters-of-universe membership and thinks, Are you kidding?

But, but, but - Littleton can rationalize all of that away. We are nanny-free. Our life here is heavily subsidized. A basic gym membership for both of us would cost $250/month - without anything for the kids. And wouldn't it be great for me to take the kids swimming when I'm solo parenting on weekends?

In the end, Littleton wore down Moses Lake - or maybe I just drank the expat wife Kool-Aid?

I plan to make the most of our expensive investment - without running up the bill. Blaine still isn't sure we've done the right thing, though he did seemed to enjoy the gym today...