Fluent Foreigners Now Accepted In Japan!

**Damicci** · Apr 1, 2005, 04:19

Can't wait til I can eaves drop on trains.

I would have to agree that I have not come across many older Japanese when I was there but the younger ones about my age and under pointed and stared and it wasn't a big deal to me. I had a lil boy get on the bus from the airplane to the terminal when we first arrived and the father asked the boy to sit next to oniisan (big brother) talkign about me and the kid kinda just kept walking maybe he didn't hear him maybe he didn't want to. but there has been times where i had people bump into me and instead ah eeee ah i sorry or some other jacked up english phrase they quickly responded with gomenne or mostly sumimasen and when I would respond with a daijoubu or a ii yo kinishinai they kinda gave this look like thumbs up you speak japanese. even with older women i would get this response mayb late 30's 40's So I am gonna say that Maciamo is probably right about the older generation being the problem with ignorance torwards foreigners in japan. The younger generation either don't care or are interested and want to try to speak with you (only in clubs this happened but none the less it happened).

At first that kinda cramped my style being in japan no one seemed friendly not smile or nod of acknowledgement. But later in the week I notice dmore people smiling and being nice. But mostly younger crowds. As foreigner in Japan I would say a nice smile will go a long way.

**mad pierrot** · Apr 4, 2005, 22:22

as I am a human like everybody else and not some kind of retarded creature called "gaijijn".

I liked that sentence so much I wanted to post it again. I feel similar frustrations quite abit. As Maciamo noted, it's particularly disturbing when that treatment comes from people who know you well or have known you for a long time. Teachers I have worked with for near two years now are still shocked when I can do menial tasks or carry on conversations about certain subjects. Remember, criticizing this kind of behavior does not mean I hate Japan. That's all it is; criticism.