Being a Regular Redux

Yukari just wrote a bit about being a regular in Japan.

The day after we had the experience she describes, I went to our favorite tempura restaurant to make a reservation (my cello lesson is in the same neighborhood). The guy at the front desk, who I had never met before, asked me for all the pertinent details, except my name. Afraid that he might have forgotten, I asked him if he needed my name. “Arimasu” — I’ve got it — was his reply.

What can I say — being a weird foreigner has its advantages.