Shinjinkai, The Japanese Martial Arts Society

Buckhead resident here (39M - married). It’s a good question, and one that I see getting asked more frequently in big cities like NYC and Chicago, as well as smaller regional centers with 100-500k populations. I think the challenge of meeting new people has less to do with the city/town itself and more to do with our society’s recent inability to wander into a “third place” and just shoot the shit with a stranger to the point that you may ask him/her if they wanted to hang out on the weekend. With that said, some places lend themselves more to these types of social interactions than others. source, 2025 ↗

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Filipino-American, 44 years old, Chicago, 5'7 163lbs, athletic build, considered "good-looking". Just got married 2 weeks ago, after dating my last gf (Latina) for 6 years. I grew up a shy sporty skater-boy (tennis, martial arts, b-ball, weight-training) edgy fashion sense, slightly on the fringe, but still accepted by the popular crowd. I was always a free-spirit and did want I want. I dated a lot in HS, college, and there after. Most Asian races (Filipina, Korean, Chinese, Thai, Cambodian, Japanese) and also white and Latina females (Polish, Swedish, German, Irish, Arabic, etc.) My confid source, 2024 ↗

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Yeah well, just like how Vikings first braided their hair before Africans, country music evolved to what it is today a predominately white red neck genre. It’s also funny to watch minorities get drunk and celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day. Chicago even dyes their lake green, and they’re like 30% black people. There’s also a rise and black skaters, and I just love it when Brazilians wear Jujitsu Gi when they teach their “Brazilian Jiu Jitsu”, appropriated from the Japanese. source, 2024 ↗

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Here are some. In the U.S I’m really thinking only of NYC and to a lesser extent Chicago: 1. Not needing to drive, I will always prefer walking but especially so after drinking 2. Being surrounded by beautiful architecture and a sense of history 3. Communities for every interest. Want to learn Jiu-Jitsu? There’s probably a legendary practitioner teaching classes. Want to play chess? You can join a club with lots of strong players. Want to learn Japanese? Many classes available and native speakers around 4. Food. source, 2024 ↗

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