If there was a dialogue balloon over Matthew's head it would say, "How do I get myself into these things?" Or maybe, "How do I get myself out of this?"

The "this" in question is the once yearly Sayounara Sale held at the US Embassy housing compound. I had had it on my calender for weeks and Matthew came with me so that I wouldn't get lost so early in the morning.

Matthew is not, to put it gently, fond of tag sales of any kind. I myself am an avid fan, largely due to the "I never know what I'll come home with" factor. Precisely one of the factors responsible for Matthew's aversion. Last summer's three-legged birthing stool comes to mind. Well it LOOKED like an old high-backed milking stool.

When we arrived to find the line of buyers stretching farther than the eye could see I thought I would lose my compadre for sure but he hung in there with me to the bitter end.

At one point I glanced up from my browsings to see him see him being buffeted from all sides by frenzied, stroller-wielding bargain-hunters. He had a quiet kind of panic behind his eyes and I thought that if I cared one iota about this man I'd better expedite my acquisitions and get him out of there soon.

I've never had to go through a metal detector to go to a yard sale before!

The newspaper has a very robust "Sayonara Sale" section due to the constant turnover of soon to be ex-expats. The typical method of exchange is not a garage or yard sale, due to the lack of either a garage or a yard. Instead it is: "I will be at the such-and-such station at this time on this date." Or they post to a blog, or craigslist.

Japanese people themselves are horrified at the thought of displaying one's personal effects for sale in this manner. But as we witnessed at the Embassy sale, they are not reluctant to purchase used items.

With the prices in Tokyo being what they are, it's easy to understand why.