[MMM]

Originally Posted by chiuchimu

It's your loss. You kept the same clothes for several years intead of going with the style around you? You diligently got a "Fantastic Sams" hair cut rather than let those Japanese experts do their thing? Japans people like to stick together. I bit you stood out like a soar thumb.

Your superior attitude is not allowing you to read what I am actually saying, only what you want to read.

I didn't say I never got my haircut in Japan or never bought clothes in Japan. (But yes, I kept the same clothes for several years, and still wear some of the clothes I wore in Japan 15 years ago. Can you believe it?)

I said I didn't change my style in order to imitate the Japanese people around me. Trust me, the way many Japanese men wear their hair would NOT look good on non-Japanese. I would have stuck out more like a sore thumb if I had tried to imitate the fashion and hairstyles of the males around me.

Originally Posted by chiuchimu

I don't throw things away, I'm not wasteful. But I buy cloths at least once a year. I buy my clothes like everyone else here: Old Navy, Walmart, The Gap etc.. People aren't like you. They want to fit into the society they live in.

And when I was in Japan I bought my clothes in Japan. At the same time, I didn't toss out the clothes I brought from the US. The difference between a Uniqlo polo shirt and an Old Navy polo shirt is hardly distinctive.

When I taught international students in the US everyone used to love seeing the fashion senses from people from other countries. Especially the Japanese girls received a lot of praise from other girls for their fashion sense. I am sure those Japanese students are happy they didn't leave their clothes at home to to go Walmart for clothes. It wouldn't have been the same.

People aren't like you. They want to fit into the society they live in.

Really, where does this attitude come from? It is extremely rude. I fit in just fine during my years in Japan. I dressed conservatively at work, and relaxed on my time off. Nothing I wore was offensive, my hair was kept at a reasonable length. Who are you to tell me whether I fit in or not, or whether I had a good experience or not? Seriously.

Originally Posted by chiuchimu

I live in SoCal. I've been to Col, Texas, Florida, NY. They are all the Same. All have RedBox, Starbucks and 7-Elevens. All dress the same. All have same haircuts. All have illegal Mexicans(illegals start to look like Latinos as they assimilate also). Now, punk rockers look punk rock, Bikers look biker. Gang bangers have their look. That's a different thing. Those are niches. They deliberately dress apart to have an Identity.

I wouldn't be surprised if Portland Oregon was different from the rest of the states. Maybe you guess need some nation wide retail stores? Old Navy anyone?

You are quite the corporate shill. Yes, I have been to many parts of the US, as well. If you want to see everyone as dressing the same in Old Navy and the Gap, I am sure you will have no trouble. If all those places and all those people really were the same, why would anyone travel in the US? Do people wear cowboy boots in New York? 10-gallon hats in Colorado? No, people do not all dress the same after about the age of 17. But I am glad you are able to grasp that things in Portland might be different than So Cal. We have Old Navy, thank you. We reject Walmart, though. Always vote it down.

Originally Posted by chiuchimu

How many Americans here?
Do you think Asians in America dress differently than anyone else? Or do you think everyone in America pretty much shops at the same malls and retails stores? I'm not talking individual tastes, I'm talking a noticeable clothing style deference among the different ethnic groups in America so you can tell without seeing face or skin color what race a person is by looking at his clothes.

In Little Tokyo I can tell the FOBs from Japan Vs the Nisei living in the states. The Nisei dress like anyone else in the U.S. and usually have a bit of a tan. The FOBs are still wearing the clothing from Japan, are much paler and have Japanese hair cuts.

You talk like being new to America is a bad thing. (And some people take FOB as a derogatory term, so maybe it isn't the best word to use). It sounds to me like it is very important for you to fit in and not be noticed now that you live in the US (assuming you are actually from Japan), but don't project that attitude onto everyone else in the world. It sounds very strange.

Here's what I am getting: New arrivals from Japan wear Japanese fashion and have Japanese haircuts. So what? That makes them look like a new arrival (or as you would say, "FOB"). So what? That means they don't look like everyone else. So what? That means they don't fit into society. By what standards? Certainly not my standards. Certainly not the standards on most of the posters on Japan Forum.

If YOU do not accept new arrivals into your social circle or into society because of they way they dress or the way they cut their hair, that is YOUR hang-up. If YOU feel more comfortable in the US in Old Navy clothes, then that's fine for you. Just because I felt just fine and had no problems in Japan in Old Navy clothes doesn't mean I didn't fit in or I had any less of an experience there.