Gaijin Spotting
 

Hey everyone. You may remember me from my My Japan Syndrome thread a while back. Well, I'm now actually in Tokyo again. I was starting to get over things, but someone went and got things fired up again just before I left. So, like last time, I'm going to be counting every gaijin I see.
However, this time I thought it would be a good idea to post my results here... who knows, someone may find them interesting or helpful. Of course I encourage you all to discuss things in this thread about the results, and anything you want.
I hope to make this the most detailed and in-depth thread about this particular topic around... not that I have any competition. :)

To the mods: If it's okay, I'd like to make a new post for each day's results so the thread doesn't die out too quickly. If this is a problem, then please let me know and I'll edit it all into one post.

So this is how it'll work:
I'll give results for 'individuals,' which will be the number of each and every soul. Along with this, if possible, I'll mention any confirmed nationalities.

I'll also give results for 'groups.' This means that I'll still count single travelers as '1,' but I'll also count people walking round together who know each other, e.g. 2 people, 3 people etc, as '1.'

I'll also include any random facts I picked up while counting!

Day 1
Asakusa Area, and Akihabara
Between 1pm and 10pm

Individuals: 104, no confirmed nationalities

Groups: 62

Notes:
- None of the people I counted looked younger than about 20/25, which I found surprising.
- About 80% of them were... well... very overweight.

You're in Tokyo man; you're going to have an extremely long gaijin log each day.

i dont understand the point of doing it, but i guess we all have our own way of killing time till death lol.

Whatever floats your boat - I suppose.
I agree that being in Tokyo, you`re going to have a lot to count. Most foreigners in Japan never leave Tokyo - and those who do tend mostly just take a trip to Kyoto.

I can`t say that I find the idea of going about counting foreigners a fun one - but just to offer my "Not in Tokyo" view, I`ll join in. (And because I know that as I am not in Tokyo or Kyoto, it will be incredibly easy for me. :D )

I spent my entire day out and about today as the weather was wonderfully and amazingly nice and cool. I saw one (1) possible foreigner. A woman who looked very Southeast Asian all the way to her clothes and hairstyle. :P

I guess you're not seeing Tokyo because you're too busy counting gaijin there.... what a waste of time and money.... so sad.... uh-oh, I think you missed one at your 5 o'clock!!!!

I didn't see any foreigners that I know of the day I went to Nagahama in Shiba-ken.... They looked at me a lot too....

It's okay, I don't stand on a street corner all day counting hehe
I can do it while I'm walking around and doing other things, I just keep a mental note, then when I have 5 mins I just quickly jot down what I have so far.
I know it seems odd and pointless, but I do have my reasons for doing it. I know that maybe hardly anyone here will really care about the numbers as I'm the only one who really does this sorta thing, but I just figured that putting them on here may be interesting to someone, and may help if someone ever asks how many foreigners you see in Tokyo. :D

Heh, yeah. But it could be worse. Last year I was counting up until at least the 200 mark, and was seeing foreigners about every minute. At least this time it's not escalating to those numbers! :L

I don't know, last year I counted an awful lot around the Kanagawa area. Then again, there and Nikko are advertised quite a lot in the travel guides.

Yeah, I know its seems a really weird thing to be doing, but it doesn't interfere with my day to day activities too much so it's not too bad. :D

It's nice and cool here in Tokyo too, a nice change :p

Thanks for the input, and that is a lot easier! :L
How far are you from Tokyo or Kyoto?

Nahh it's cool. Like I said to the others, I just make a mental note while going about my daily activities. I don't stand on a street corner all day, that would be a waste! lol
I don't think too much of my time or money is being wasted, I'm still having fun ^^

I see, thanks for sharing! :D
Is Shiba-ken up North or down South? Can't say I've heard of that one :/

Actually.... it's Shiga-ken.... It was a typo. Nagahama is on the eastern side of Biwa-ko, just north of Maibara on the Tokaido main line....

Well I think it could be useful. I mean,there was one time in the hotel,I suppose it does sound funny but I had a panic attack simply because everyone was Japanese and I just wanted to get in the lift on my own. And it was kind of kickstarted because I wanted to buy a drink and they didn't really have anything so that didn't help.

For me,I want to know when there's white people but for different reasons. The trouble I'm having with the world,you can't find Japanese in England[you don't get much of anything in Cornwall] and you can't find English in Japan.

I supposed it's better to catalog one's sociopathic tendencies instead of acting on them. Good luck!

And as stated in previous threads on this topic: Get help.

Aha, I got it now, thanks :)

Thanks for the support. :D
Yeah I get you, I used to hate lifts too
Well if it's any consolation, in Yokohama one time, I saw a HUGE British flag hanging down from one of the buildings.

I don't understand... how can I act on it? It's not really something to act on. I'm not going to go around on a murderous rampage! What I'm doing is simply what I said: counting.
Thanks for the luck wish! :cool:

I`m right by Nagoya - the place everyone goes through on their way to Kyoto or Osaka from Tokyo... But never get off the train in.

Up to a point, I can imagine it wouldn`t be too hard as one does notice foreigners (at least I know I do) without outright looking for them... But once it gets up into the double or triple digits, I imagine I would not remember.
I think the last time I saw that many non-Japanese was on a trip to the immigration office early last year. If I just ran into them wandering around I`d seriously wonder what was going on.

I know you really don't, but it sure sounds like you live in the often clichéd off the beaten track.

I wanted to go to Yokohama when I was there but it wasn't 'interesting' enough for mum! Is there more likely to be non-Japanese there?

It is Japan's second largest city, so my guess is yes....

I live directly ON the well beaten track. :mtongue:

It`s just that everyone goes down the path from point A to point B, without stopping along the way. So while everyone passes through here, no one ever stops.


ETA:
Oh, and I forgot - I spent the day out today at the Tsushima Tennou Festival (尾張津島天王祭) and saw 6 foreigners. One guy there with a wife or girlfriend wearing a jinbei (that looked quite good on him - a rarity), another guy who looked very *English teacher*, and a group of 4 SE Asian exchange students.

That`s it - and it`s a really big festival too. But it seems like the only festival in the area that foreigners bother with is the penis one...

I know, I know.... I'm guilty of doing that four times....

With all the time you've spent there already, seeing so few gaijin doesn't affect you much, does it? It probably makes you feel perhaps more comfortable?

I will stop there Nyororin ;)

Don't understand why people just by pass this city when it's on the way really.

I know you will.... After all, you do need to get on her good side!:mtongue:

You should get off the train and stay a few days. :P Nagoya is a big city, but for some reason it has gotten a bad rap as far as tourism goes. I think it`s probably the best city to actually live in. Remarkably green, huge but not so crowded, clean, etc.

I`m curious how it would affect me, really. :) It doesn`t really matter all that much - I am not particularly interested in surrounding myself with foreigners for comfort as I don`t really have trouble with the language or culture. The only reason I can imagine it concerning me would be if there was a huge influx of foreigners being stupid and making me look bad by association.

But I'm sure if there were rotten apples showing up in Nagoya, the people who know you or of you wouldn't associate you with them, would they? Of course there are people who would generalize, like everywhere in the world, but I can't fathom most Japanese being so closed-minded to think all gaijin are the same....

Because it`s not a huge tourist spot.
Tokyo is, well, Tokyo - with everything centered there as it`s the capital.
Kyoto was a capital in the past and somehow managed to keep most of it`s important cultural stuff from being destroyed during the US bombing of Japan during the war.

Nagoya is a huge manufacturing and commercial center... But it`s not the capital, and most of the historical parts of the city were destroyed by heavy bombing. The city was rebuilt as a place to live and work, so it has a great design with wide roads, tons of parks, etc... But normal and comfortable life isn`t what people visiting Japan want to see. They want the incredible crowdedness of Tokyo or the historical stuff of Kyoto.

It`s kind of sad as there is a lot of history in this area - most of the big figures in Japanese history (founders of Tokyo, etc) were from this area. Oda Nobunaga, Tokugawa Ieyasu, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and so on. Atsuta Jingu, where the Kusanagi is held is also in Nagoya.

But it`s just not a huge tourist spot for foreign visitors to Japan.

Of course people who know me wouldn`t associate me with them. The thing is, if there were a bunch of problems caused by foreigners in this area, chances are the foreigners would all be associated with the same thing.
The best example would be to bring up the military bases in Japan. The areas around them tend to have a poor view of foreigners because the number of foreigners they encounter who cause problems is a lot higher than those they encounter who don`t. Even if people don`t come out and judge you vocally, there is indeed going to be some level of association in their minds.

Really though, it`s just the only big example I can think of where the number of foreigners in the area would have some effect on me. Chances are, nothing would change at all. Nagoya is a huge city, so there would have to be quite a few bad apples running about to make any dents.

Exactly the kind of place I would have settled down as well.

But fortunetly entire Japan is still like that, especially now!

I just want to report in that I saw 3 Chinese, 1 Vietnamese, and one Laos, and zero Japanese working at the local Japanese Restaurant.

I think if we all chip in and work together...we can do it! (whatever it is we're trying to do!)

Also, I don't think you can't win as a Gaijin...we're either all alike (and not in a good way) or if you assimilate successfully into the country you're a Japan-o-phile, a wee-a-boo, a watanabe, or some other kind of outcast freak.

Thank God i'm Japanese and I don't have to worry about this kind of crap.

That must have been the only Restaurant in entire Japan :D


Also, if you want to behave like a Japanese (which means to be kind and polite to your fellow) makes you a good human being and a better human being.

And if you want to bow and bow even a little further then the JApanese, it makes you a wonderful human being.

If you live in a bowing culture, you gotta have to aclimate yourself to the culture no matter what other disrespectufl Western might call you if you do so.

Everybody should be willing to learn as much as possible from the Asian Japanese culture to make this world a better place all around.

LOL -- I had a lot of ideas in responding to THIS one but basically BobbyCooper I can understand and see you admire the Eastern lifestyle (and there is a lot to learn in the Eastern way-of-life and I admire it as well) and wish you the best.

:vsign:

I am glad you have chosen this one and very surprised too. :)

Because normally people especially on here which is weird because we are on a Japan Forum just don't want to see and appreciate the kindness and love a country like Japan and its people spread around this World.

It's really sad.. but it gives us a great indication on why we live in the world we live in.

I've looked into Nagoya a bit. I'd sure like to make a stop to see the castle. I could do it as a day trip from Tokyo as it's only a couple of hours each way. What do you recommend? I'm not there for shopping, as I can buy anything there elsewhere, really.

Do you recommend the Arimatsu area? How about the Osu area? Is it possible for you to name a few interesting points? Perhaps you can change my mind about it just being a stop on the Tokaido Shinkansen!:D

Would you recommend the day bus pass or the bus/train pass? Which mode of transport would be more useful? Also, is the TIC at JR Nagoya Eki?

I'll be in country for the Tagata Shrine Hounen Matsuri, which is the festival you mentioned, but I'll be in Osaka that day and I'll be headed west, not east. I don't think I'd want to be around for that either!

Actual *Nagoya* castle is a disappointment, in my opinion. At least from a historic view. It`s great to take pictures of from the outside, but it was destroyed in the war... They rebuilt it, but the only "castle" bit is the outside shell. The inside is a concrete and steel building.
For the Nagoya area, Inuyama castle takes the cake.

Arimatsu has suffered the fate of "I used to live right by it", so I can`t really say whether it would be a good thing for a tourist. When there is a festival going on, it is great for getting Japanese tie-dye. :)

Think a slightly smaller version of Akiba when it comes to shopping, but they have some really neat festivals.

I think the big problems with foreign tourism in Nagoya is that the "famous" spots - like those you listed - aren`t really all that spectacular.
Things I would suggest seeing;

Atsuta Jingu
The area around Yagoto (with it`s museums, temples, and the massive cemetary parks)
Tokugawa En
The Aquarium (One of, if not the best in Japan)

If you`re interested in that sort of thing - the Nagoya TV tower is the oldest TV tower in Japan, built before Tokyo Tower.
Oh, and of course the Toyota museum.

There are tons of smaller things - I could go on and on - but it really depends on what you`re interested in. The whole area has a massive amount of history, but if you don`t know who the historical figures something is associated with are... they would be less than exciting, I`m sure.

The biggest problem is that things aren`t packed into a very small area, so you can`t just hop off at a station, walk for a bit and see a lot in one go.

JR is pretty useless in Nagoya - the subway and Meitetsu is the way to go. I have no clue about buses as I never use them - with Meitetsu and the subway you can usually get almost everywhere without a bus.
I`d recommend getting a Manaca pass for travel.

I`ve never gone to it, but in every picture it seems like at least half the people attending are foreigners there to point and giggle. I`ll pass.

I thought about that one as well. As I'd have a full day there, a 30-45min train ride isn't too bad....

I thought about the Osaka aquarium, but this one could do as well...

I'd heard that JR was useless there. The JR station was just a means to get there. Some other cities have a Tourist Information Center in the main train station, so that's why I asked. There seems to be a day pass for the subway for 740yen and I remember Kyoto TIC sold their version of it. I gather the Manaca is like Pasmo in Tokyo, but for one day, I don't know if I need it.

Heh, yeah. When the numbers get too big though, I quickly jot them down on paper and then reset to 0. My short term memory isn't the greatest in the world. :/

Wow, the festival looks good! I have yet to go to a large scale one yet...
I see, thanks for making the effort to remember that. Whether it was subconscious anyway or not, thanks :D
I always thought Nagoya was more popular. I'm not sure where I saw it, but I could have sworn 'Nagoya' was going around quite a lot between travelers. Maybe it was just for a transfer :o

And I have day 2 results! I must say, this time was a LOT harder. I went to Harajuku... and lets just say this was the first time my counting actually distracted me quite a bit. Safe to say, there were lots. And I mean lots.

Oh, I'll put my notes before the results this time, because they're the things that people may be interested in and discuss :)

Notes:
- A lot of people I counted, at least over half, had a Japanese/Asian boyfriend/girlfriend with them, or were being accompanied by a Japanese/Asian person. Is this more common than I thought... do a lot of people only come to Japan because their Japanese partner wants to, and has heritage here?
- There was a cult there... something like a 'Krishna' thing lol
The guy who came up to me seemed extremely weird (not denying I may be to lol), saying 'if you chant what's written on this card every night, good fortune will come to you' and 'he has many names, he is the almighty Krishna!' They had a band playing African instruments and everything too.

Day 2
Harajuku
Between 3pm and 10pm

Individuals: 320, 6 confirmed Americans

Groups: 207

Woah, when I see the overall number it seems a lot smaller than I thought it would be. It seemed a lot more at the time.