Common Japanese misconceptions regarding foreigners

[Jungle Boy]

As I mentioned before, North America is NOT every country, but an exception. Most Europeans are not as ignorant about Japan as Japanese are about any other countries, even their own neighbours. Do you realise that most Japanese know very little about Korea and China, a 2h flight away (nearer than the other end of Japan, wherever they live). Allmost all the Japanese people I told that Korea and China had cherry, ume or peach blossom, and that these countries had 4 seasons were surprised. It's like saying that most US citizens would be surprised to learn that it snows in winter in Canada, or for Canadians to be surprised that it could be hot in summer in Arizona. Are you telling me that the North Americans you know are so ignorant ??

Actually I am... Some Americans actually think all Canadians live in igloos with polar bears and all the police are on horseback.... Alot of Canadians (who are ignorant because of the education system much like in Japan) have no clue about countries like the US and Mexico that are on the same continent. Not everyone mind you but a good percentage don't know alot about them and don't care. Like I said before, it's a problem everywhere.

[Brooker]

Some Americans actually think all Canadians live in igloos with polar bears and all the police are on horseback....

Igloos? I think that might be going a little far. I think some Canadians often imagine the misconceptions about them. A twelve year old might have some misconceptions, but I think most Americans think Canada is very similar to America (which probably makes Canadians angrier than wild misconceptions ).

But I agree that stupid people are everywhere and ridiculous misconceptions happen everywhere.

[Sensuikan San]

A twelve year old might have some misconceptions, but I think most Americans think Canada is very similar to America (which probably makes Canadians angrier than wild misconceptions )

You're right on the button, bud ! It does.

I can only asume that the reverse is true !

Regards

(Don't blame me - I'm British !) ジョン

[Brooker]

Yeah, I worked with a lot of Canadians while in Japan and I learned that most of them are desperate to prove that Canada is very unique and has nothing in common with America. Wanna piss off your Canadian friends? Say something like this, "You know, I've been to Canada and America, and really I can't see any difference." On second thought, don't do it. They'll probably run you out of town.

[Brooker]

The four seasons thing was always a mystery to me. I was asked that a few times and I was never sure what they were asking me. I didn't know about their misconception at the time. To me that's like saying, "Did you know that in America, when you drop something, it falls down, instead of up."

[mad pierrot]

I've seen a Scottish man almost kill a Japanese person for introducing him as "from England."

People beware......

[mad pierrot]

Just something random to add:

Tonight someone asked me if we have toothpicks in America.

[Mike Cash]

The four seasons thing was always a mystery to me. I was asked that a few times and I was never sure what they were asking me. I didn't know about their misconception at the time. To me that's like saying, "Did you know that in America, when you drop something, it falls down, instead of up."

It has always been a mystery to me how something like climate/weather can become such a matter or national pride. After all, if we took the entire populations of, for example, Japan and Greenland and swapped them en masse their respective climates wouldn't make the move with them. In other words, while climate may arguably play a role in shaping the character of a nation and it's people, the people can lay no claim to shaping the character of the climate.

I'll never forget one Japanese fellow who was bragging on how hot, humid and miserable summers are in "Japan" (actually: "Japan" = "our corner of Gunma"). He asked me about the summers where I am from. Basically he wanted me to acknowledge that summers in "Japan" were more intolerable (and that the fact that wareware Nihonjin were tolerating them made them something special, I guess).

I informed him that summers in my home area, West Tennessee, are every bit as hot, humid and miserable as summers in East Gunma. He insisted this couldn't be true. I told him it was. This went back and forth several times, with the guy getting more and more irate. I seriously thought he was going to attack me. He was that pissed off about it. If I hadn't been twice his size, I suspect I would have had a fight on my hands.....and all over something as asinine and unattributable to the virtues of the people of a nation as what sort of weather they have.

[mad pierrot]

Funny story, mike.

It reminds me of something I heard my girlfriend say last fall. We were talking a stroll down the philosophers path in Kyoto. Looking at all the fall colors, she commented, "This makes me proud to be Japanese."

Needless to say, I kept my mouth shut.
(at least for that time being)

[Maciamo]

But I agree that stupid people are everywhere and ridiculous misconceptions happen everywhere.

What titillates my interest is the constancy and homogeneity of Japanese misconceptions. It always seem to be the same erroneous ideas that come back again and again, regardless of the person's socio-economic background or region of origin within Japan.

[zeroyon]

Igloos? I think that might be going a little far. I think some Canadians often imagine the misconceptions about them. A twelve year old might have some misconceptions, but I think most Americans think Canada is very similar to America (which probably makes Canadians angrier than wild misconceptions ).

But I agree that stupid people are everywhere and ridiculous misconceptions happen everywhere.

I am an american, was born in colorado, moved to canada when i was six years old, and then moved back to the usa when i was 18. I kind of consider myself more of a canadian than an american since I grew up and went through grades 2-12 there, and I hold both USA and Canadian citizenship. When people ask me what nationality I am... i usually reply that I am canadian. Once I explain how I was born in colorado, and moved to canada etc... I have been asked by many people in the USA if "it was hard living with no roads, traffic lights, etc", or "if its good to be back in civilized america"... i was dumbfounded by the idiocy of many of the questions. Now, I am in NO WAY saying that all americans think like this... just that it does happen more often than some would expect.

There are many problems with ignorance in Canada too though. Many people when they knew I was an american in canada, hated me outright for being an american, no matter who I was or what I liked. I was hated MUCH more for being an american in canada than i am for being "mostly" a canadian in the USA now. I recieved comments in Canada like "goddamn george bush lover", without them knowing if I even support him or not... and "stop attacking other countries you evil *****", while I obviously don't have control over the US military, and without them knowing if i support the USA's current foreign policy or not. But not everyone is like this there obviously, im just saying that this happens more in canada than the usa.

That said though... there probably aren't as close to as many ignorant canadians about the USA as ignorant americans about canada, mostly due to american culture being totally rampant in canada (for example. tons of the channels on cable TV in canada are american channels, and channels which aren't american have mostly american programs on them anyways). I sometimes consider Canada the "51st state" (in a joking way), since they are similar in so many ways.

please note that im using the term "american" as reffering to the USA.