Strangers in the Tokyo wifi

How to meet random nerds in Tokyo? I was trying to find free wifi at 7am on a Saturday in a Tokyo suburb. The streets were empty so I was free to follow signal strength where it might lead.


It lead down an alley of small shops with roll down doors locking away their contents. A crowd of young men were huddled against one wall. Most were smoking cigs, a few were playing cards, and all had their portable electronics out.

I sidled up to their huddle. The signal grew. That small curb was a wifi hotspot.

As a foreigner in Japan I stick out. And I often attract second glances from the curious. It makes me feel on display like some kind of specimen from the land of gaijin.

Here I was accepted in the wash of wifi that we all sought in that chilly morning alleyway.

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