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Originally Posted by jasonbvr
First let me say that the only thing I find lacking is the way you have to go out of your way to eat vegetables and how expensive food is. Plus, I have a few problems with the education system, but it's not my say how they torture their kids. Other than these two, I think Japan is pretty cool.
Gaijin just means foreigner, it is not some sort of racist slur. I often get kakoi gaijin (cool foreigner) or the guys at the bar call me the genki guy (friendly) because I will sit and hang out even though we don't understand half of what the other one is saying. (I should really study more.)
Now for my response to some of has been said of Japan's negative aspects. As far as sincerity in Japanese culture they do lack the openess and honest that you find elsewhere because of social customs. Social norms in Japan dictate that you act in a different way around your family and friends than in public and business relations. There are Nihongo words for which mean public face and private face. Their politicians often blatantly lie to them and everyone knows they're lying but they still go, "Oh, what a nice thing to say or that sounds like a good idea." Another example of how this works, the teachers at school all act like they love each other and get along fabulously. Outside of school, they will go home and bitch and complain about their coworkers to their families. Why do they act this way? They say it is to make society run more smoothly. Yes, they give little gifts to one another to give the impression that they like everyone but in reality they (some of them) do it because its expected of them. But hey, it is their culture and they can do with it whatever they like.
Racism in Japan does exist but it rarely manifests in to action unlike say a lynching in the US. When you go to any country where you are not easily blending in with the majority, you are going to attract attention anyways in both directions good and bad. Half Japanese kids in Japan do have problems in some schools, but the schools have a larger overall problem with bullying anyways. Maybe I just don't notice dirty looks any more or rudeness, but I learned a long time ago how to ignore the ignorant from the racist people in the US. "Huh, huh, jason gonna come back all slant eyed with ching, chong talking girlfriend." Yeah, racism is everywhere so you just learn to brush it off.
Anyways, I gotta go to class. There certainly is a lot of naivete on JF about the reality in Japan, but you can't say it is totally opposite from these perceptions and all bad. Ja ne...
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not to diss you off. or inflict a racist slur. you're white. expect good things about you not being insulted.
almost all countries love white folks. why? because they think they have money. seriously. i went to this bar. and when with other foreigners, they're treated well. but when it's our turn. it's like we were ghost.
i don't know how old are you, but this is reality.
even my country loves white people. it's like when they see you, you're gods. did you know that no american had ever been imprisoned in my country, to pay for rape crimes? sad to say. here in this world, if you're skin is white, you're favored, regardless of what country it is.