Common Japanese misconceptions regarding foreigners

[mad pierrot]

but I think it was more like 20%).

20%!??

That seems high to me, I'd like to see the data backing it up. I've never met anyone who made that mistake, but hey, maybe I just naturally gravitate towards intelligent people.


Regardless, I think the question at hand here is not Japan's level of ignorance about foreign culture. (Or anyother nations ignorance about any other place, for that matter.) Instead, I think it has to do with Japan's level of ignorance about its own culture. Not knowing something outside of one's culture/experience is nothing special. (As it has been demonstrated in the thread.) But why should those particular things (four seasons, etc) be unique to Japan? What has lead them to think so? That's what I'd like to know. I would say it might be Japan's isolation, but it has had more than ample time to grow accustomed foreign culture. Why does it still persist? I don't know. After being in the education business for a few years now, I have suspicions. Teachers are perpetuating many of these myths, that's for sure. (I was giving a presentation on American not too long ago, and heard my teacher announce to the class "America isn't humid.")

[Maciamo]

I would say it might be Japan's isolation, but it has had more than ample time to grow accustomed foreign culture.

Especially that countries like Norway, Finland, Ireland or New Zealand are not less isolated, and probably all (but NZ) have less foreigners than Japan.

Why does it still persist? I don't know. After being in the education business for a few years now, I have suspicions. Teachers are perpetuating many of these myths, that's for sure. (I was giving a presentation on American not too long ago, and heard my teacher announce to the class "America isn't humid.")

Education certainly has a lot to do with it. Especially that it is controlled very closely by the government, which wants to make all their citizens feel that Japan is (superiorly) unique in the world. That's indoctrination. Japan and China aren't that different regarding government and education. The way they proceed is the same. The difference is the content (communist propaganda in China vs "unique culture and country" in Japan).