There seems to be a common thread running through some of my travels; if I've visited a place enough times there's a good chance that I'll end up living there for a bit. I lived in San Diego for almost four years after having visited there four times before.

It's that knee-knocking fear some Japanese people get in the presence of a foreigner. Estimates from the 2005 Census show that there are at about 2.5 million of us gaijin running around the place, so chances are your average Japanese person has run into at least a couple in their lifetime.