Japanophile - and other open discussion

[godwine]

Like James said, its not a one sided thing, I am not trying to say that Japan is only bad either, I mean I still think the good overweight the bad. When we had our honeymoon in Kyushu, we spent the first night hopping between Yatai trying different food. At one of the "shop" we were joined by a group of Highschool teachers that just got off work (it was actually pretty late already, around 9:00 PM). We started chatting and I explained to them that it is our honeymoon. One of them, got up and paid for our meal as a welcome/congratulation gift... to a total stranger! And they even ordered a bottle of Asahi to do a loud "kanpai" with us. Darn friendly!

on the note of the exchage student thing, I think Evanny's friend was just unlucky, most of the people I spoke with had a great time doing exchange in Japan.

My uncle (in Saitama) took in a Exchange student many years ago, the guy's name is David, he had such a good time staying with them (and the overall experieince), he went and open up his own IT consultation business in Japan, and he still visit my uncle every now and then..

[RealJames]

Originally Posted by JohnBraden

I guess I'm not the approachable kind of guy. Or maybe I do stink! LOL I'm sure I smell different than they do, since I don't buy their hygiene products-I use my American-brought. Well, I'd still love to have such encounters next March.

I do remember another incident on the Yamanote. It was the first time I had gone to Japan as a tourist and I found myself separated from my friend. I took the train from Shinjuku towards Ikebukuro. I'm used to standing by the doors on the trains in Chicago since the trains are much shorter and narrower than the Japanese. I was standing next to a young couple, early to mid-20s and the guy couldn't stop sniffling. After a while I did what I was always taught to do. (Can you see where this is going and how un-Japanese it is?) I went into my backpack and grabbed one of the dozen of so packs of tissues those girls kept handing me on the street and handed it to him. He was visibly surprised and took it. He didn't blow his nose though, though now I know why. After a few stops, they got off and the girl actually turned around to face me and bowed. The look on both of their faces when I handed him the tissues was priceless. I wonder if I insulted them, even though I was just being civil and not expressing my displeasure at the sound of him sniffling. Any comments on that one? II now know my error and that blowing your nose in public is considered rude, but, dude, the guy was just hurting bad!

For those who don't know, blowing your nose is embarrassing for Japanese people because it draws attention to them themselves which is humiliating etc etc, but somehow snorting it in over and over isn't embarrassing lol,
it doesn't make much sense to me

[Kayci]

Well, I now know to make sure I dont stink...lol

I am a very hyper person by nature, but I know I have to hold that back.

Also, I am considered a Japanophile. I hate it when people assume that *I* assume that all of Japan is only good happy life happily ever after shit. I know its not. I just loved it since childhood. My bad.

[RealJames]

I don't feel that loving Japan is any worse than loving cars or computers or red headed girls or autumn.
It's when loving it causes you to see other things negatively that it's dangerous.

[Kayci]

Originally Posted by RealJames

I don't feel that loving Japan is any worse than loving cars or computers or red headed girls or autumn.
It's when loving it causes you to see other things negatively that it's dangerous.

I dont, though...I love being from a diverse country like America, as well. I have always loved Asia though. I never wanted to live here, even at age four I was telling my dad, "I AM MOVING!"

[godwine]

Originally Posted by RealJames

I don't feel that loving Japan is any worse than loving cars or computers or red headed girls or autumn.
It's when loving it causes you to see other things negatively that it's dangerous.

Agree nohing wrong with being obsessed with anything, but still has to maintain realistic.

Like with my obsession with european cars, they are good and nice, but there are definitely negative aspect to it. Just need to realize it and learn to live with it

What worries me are the people that have never been to Japan and thinks that it's all good. They are going to show up with hightower expectation. As soon as something negative occur, they either goes into denial or will just hate it for life

[BobbyCooper]

Originally Posted by godwine

Instead of a thread sticking to just one theme, I wanted to open up an opportunity where people won't get flamed for "stay on the topic!!!" It is perfectly fine if you decide to steer off course if your answer to a post is off topic

So I will start something spawing from a different thread I was on. Was in a recent discussion (See the marriage thread). Some users on this site have some interesting generalization or "steretype" about the Japanese (or Asian as a whole) culture and its People. Ideas which I consider to be "Narrow" and "bias" that stem from an obsession of (yeah Japanese Otaku) of the Japanese culture.

What are your thoughts? I mean, I LOVE Japan, and its people, but as much as me being called a Japanophile by my sensei, friends and family, I don't consider "All things Japanese are good". There will always be good and bad in all things (To me thats common sense). For example, someone told me once that "Everyone in Japan really polite and friendly to tourist". But trust me, I've seen some really dirty looks and experieinced some serious pushing on the Yamanote during rush hour, some people are just not as willing to help.

So thoughts??

If you do not appreciate the difference between the Asian community and the Western society.. then how can I help you?

You are trying to pick out some bad spots in the Japanese society instead of realizing on how much more Love they spread around this World.


These are the most lovely people we have on this planet. Far superiro then what we have in the Western society. Here, you get beat down at night several times.. murderer and all the bad is located where we live!
I don't see this in Japan.

When was the last time sombody got beaten to death on a train station in Tokyo? 35 million people live there!!


Also for your other question..

Just take a quick look at the divorce rate between the Western society and the Asian.

[godwine]

Originally Posted by BobbyCooper

If you do not appreciate the difference between the Asian community and the Western society.. then how can I help you?

You are trying to pick out some bad spots in the Japanese society instead of realizing on how much more Love they spread around this World.


These are the most lovely people we have on this planet. Far superiro then what we have in the Western society. Here, you get beat down at night several times.. murderer and all the bad is located where we live!
I don't see this in Japan.

When was the last time sombody got beaten to death on a train station in Tokyo? 35 million people live there!!


Also for your other question..

Just take a quick look at the divorce rate between the Western society and the Asian.

Do a google search for akihabara random stabbing. There was also a handful of school girl molestation, school girl killing, government and hospital official corruptions....... I am not saying these thing makes it bad, I am just saying, it has the same problems other countries and culture has. If you have problems finding or believing what you will find, then that's too bad

You are not reading the post correctly, it's not just a few points and I reiterate I am not saying that it's all bad, there are a lot more things that I appreciate about Japan than I don't. I definitely love the country, it's people and culture more than that of other nation. But that doesn't mean I have to praise all things Japan


Just so you know I am Asian and I live in Japan when I was a kid. That doesn't make me a pro with the Asian culture, but I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable

For the last time, I am just saying that it's not all good. It maybe better than where you are from, it only means that you are in a screw up place that cannot represent " the west " as a whole

[BobbyCooper]

Originally Posted by godwine

Do a google search for akihabara random stabbing. There was also a handful of school girl molestation, school girl killing, government and hospital official corruptions....... I am not saying these thing makes it bad, I am just saying, it has the same problems other countries and culture has. If you have problems finding or believing what you will find, then that's too bad

You are not reading the post correctly, it's not just a few points and I reiterate I am not saying that it's all bad, there are a lot more things that I appreciate about Japan than I don't. I definitely love the country, it's people and culture more than that of other nation. But that doesn't mean I have to praise all things Japan


Just so you know I am Asian and I live in Japan when I was a kid. That doesn't make me a pro with the Asian culture, but I consider myself to be pretty knowledgeable

For the last time, I am just saying that it's not all good. It maybe better than where you are from, it only means that you are in a screw up place that cannot represent " the west " as a whole

I'm from Germany and I think Germany represents the Western Society in a good way still.

Every Country has its flaws no doupt. But please realize that Japan is vastly superiro to every other nation out there because of the people and how people treat each other in your home.

You can not walk at night in most American cities and I certainly would be worried walking alone at night in Berlin, Frankfurt..

In Japan you can walk alone, even as a girl at night!



This country is something special. I just want you to appreciate the people and their behaviour a little more then you do so far.

[JohnBraden]

Yes, there are no random shootings in Japan because the weather is hot and people don't know anything better to do with their time than take it out on others. That happens quite a bit here in one of the murder capitals of the US. Severe gun control in Japan aids that.

When I showed people at work the buttons at each station that, when pressed, stop the trains in the area, they were surprised they existed. They're used to having people vandalize or mess with things here. If there were buttons such as those here, the trains wouldn't run very often due to the hundreds of times juveniles and drunks would be hitting them. Social conformity in Japan probably has something to do with that.

And yes, we've talked about the police and some civil rights in other threads, so not everything is good in Japan. But even then, if you don't commit a crime, you're not involved in that aspect of their society....