Are Japanese more hypocritical with foreigners ?

[Maciamo]

An example is the word Kan that I hear many times, referring to that elusive "intuition" that is so prevalent in J-society...take two Japanese and if one of them is a bit out of sorts, without really expressing an explanation on how they are feeling, they can "nantonaku" figure out that something is up...even though the reason for their condition or situation or feelings are not verbally expressed in any way that be explainable in a word or two in English...

I agree with everything JT has commented on this. Again, I feel very much that your point of view is basically an "American vs Japanese", which doesn't take into consideration all the cultures of Europe.

Many North Europeans have as difficult, and I'd say sometimes more difficult, than the Japanese to express their feelings. Personally, there are several people in my family who will never say how they feel, and one really needs to be a fine psychologist or have a lot of intuition to understand their feelings. Sometimes I am like that too (but much less than, say, my father), and my wife, with all her "cultural training" from the Japanese society and in spite of the fact that women are more intuitive, usually has a very hard time to figure out how I feel or what I think. I, on the contrary, can read her mind like a book and often tell her how she feels better than she can herself (she is often surprised by my intuition), thanks to the cultural environment in which I grew up, which I think requires much more "mind-reading" than in Japan.

As I said earlier, when my family came to Japan, they first impression was that the Japanese were very extroverted people, which they likened to the Italians. I think it says a lot about how much more reserved than the Japanese Northern Europeans (British, Dutch, Belgians, Scandinavians, and even Germans) can be. But it is also a fact that the Americans, Australians or Italians are even more extroverted than the Japanese. I think the main difference is that the Japanese are not very concerned about exactitude. They often express in words how they feel (kaze hiita kamo! guai ga warui! atsui! samui! tsukareta! kirei! sugoi! kawaii! uso! shinjirarenai!), but rarely bother to analyse carefully the causes of their feelings, as I would do. Rather than saying "onaka ga itai" (very vague), I'd say "i ga itai" or "chou ga itai" or "chinzou ga itai" or "kihou ga itai" depending on where it actually aches. But there is some truth that the Japanes language also lacks accuracy. There is no difference between "ache" and "hurt", or even between "leg" and "foot" in Japanese. For a person like me who would rather complain of a pain in the quadriceps (in the thigh) or in the calf or shin or ankle rather than just the "leg", one may understand that I find the Japanese unbelievably inaccurate in everyday life. I somewhat pity Japanese doctors, who have to hear their patients say "onaka itai" rather than tell them directly which part of their abdomen aches.

[jt_]

Maciamo, I agree with many of the things you say here, but I was just curious about this one point about the vagueness of the Japanese language:

Rather than saying "onaka ga itai" (very vague), I'd say "i ga itai" or "chou ga itai" or "chinzou ga itai" or "kihou ga itai" depending on where it actually aches. But there is some truth that the Japanes language also lacks accuracy. There is no difference between "ache" and "hurt", or even between "leg" and "foot" in Japanese. For a person like me who would rather complain of a pain in the quadriceps (in the thigh) or in the calf or shin or ankle rather than just the "leg", one may understand that I find the Japanese unbelievably inaccurate in everyday life. I somewhat pity Japanese doctors, who have to hear their patients say "onaka itai" rather than tell them directly which part of their abdomen aches.

I find this really interesting. I can't speak for any the European languages you may speak, but at least in American English (the only language I'm qualified to comment on), nobody makes the distinction between "i" and "chou" when talking about a stomachache. Of course, the words exist, and one can talk about e.g. one's intestines if one so chooses, but a typical English speaker is just going to say "I have a stomachache" or "My stomach hurts". (And again, I'm not sure that the typical English speaker will make a distinction between "ache" and "hurt" there... At least in this case, I would consider them synonymous. "Cramp" might be different, though)

In fact, it was only after going to Japan that I learned to distinguish the two in my speech, when I would mention offhand to my fiancee that my stomach hurts and she would ask me to clarify so she would know what type of medicine to give me (I had never really taken medicine for stomach aches before, anyway, but...). I always found this to be an example where the Japanese language and speakers of it were much more precise about something than native speakers of my own language. I mean, you can point to a word like "ashi" covering both the leg and the foot, but then you can just as easily point to something else like all the seasonal words for rain that exist in Japanese. To an English speaker, rain is just rain and a (rain)storm is just a rain(storm), but in Japanese you get words like 'yuudachi' that refer to specific types of rain that come during specific times of the year. It just seems to me that it goes both ways.

But I think most importantly is to distinguish between what people can say and what they do. Just simply having more unique nouns to refer to certain things, for example, doesn't mean that a language is inherently "more precise" because there are other ways to be specific about what you're saying. Likewise, what people choose to say (itai! omoshiroi! sugoi! kawaii!) does not reflect all that they're capable of saying. If a Japanese speaker says "Kawaii!" about something that you don't find cute at all, you can go ahead and ask them "Doko ga?" without having to worry about them exploding from a lack of linguistic ability to express the specific characteristics of cuteness.

The way I see it, it's very possible to be vague and evasive in English and to be precise and blunt in Japanese -- all it takes is an individual speaker choosing to do so.

[PopCulturePooka]

This may be due to the fact that you are from the States. I went back home this January and met about 20 relatives and friends I hadn't seen for 4 or 5 years (before I came to Japan), and not a single one of them, not even the children or the elderly, asked me a stupid question. They asked how was life in Japan, what I did there, or asked me to explain about the writing system, etc. But no questions related to samurai, geisha, sleeping on the floor, and not even a single question about food I think (and certainly no stupid questions to my wife about her ability to eat European food).

You're lucky.
Been back home 5 days, barely met anyone again yet but already the idiotic questions have started.

'Did you eat raw fish?'
'Did you buy schoolgirls panties?'
'Did you see Godzilla?'

[Maciamo]

You're lucky.
Been back home 5 days, barely met anyone again yet but already the idiotic questions have started.

'Did you eat raw fish?'
'Did you buy schoolgirls panties?'
'Did you see Godzilla?'

I don't think I am "lucky". My family and friends are like everybody else in the Benelux, France or England. I think it's just a cultural difference. The people I met last month were not particularily interested in Japan and so had little knowledge about it, but didn't show it or tried to learn by asking explanations rather than start from an erroneous statement or absurd question. It's not just in the culture to ask stupid questions or display one's ignorance or prejudices. I have few direct experiences with American people, but when I was in Australia, I was confronted to the same kind of dumb questions ("Is Belgium a part of Denmark ?", instead of a more appropriate "Where exactly is Belgium located ?"), or especially prejudiced remarks (like "all the Germans are nazi", or "French people are good at making perfume because they stink") as in Japan. From what I read on this forum, I think the "average" Americans are pretty much like the "average" Australians, that is as ignorant as the Japanese but without the naiveness, respect and desire to learn about "foreign countries".

[Gaijin 06]

On the other hand, I've been asked by plenty of Westerners what raw fish tastes like.

[den4]

the problems become when the borders between the yards become merged or confused....

[PopCulturePooka]

Heh we could go tit for tat.
I could post a list of incredibly idiotic questions asked by Europeans about Australia.
There was an email circualted a few years ago about the very subject in fact.

Lets look at some choice ones:

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia? I have never seen it rain
on TV, so how do the plants grow? (UK)


Q: Which direction should I drive - Perth to Darwin or Darwin to
Perth - to avoid driving with the sun in my eyes? (Germany)


Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the
railroad tracks? (Sweden)


Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Australia? (Sweden)


Q: It is imperative that I find the names and addresses of places
to contact for a stuffed porpoise. (Italy)


Q: Do you have perfume in Australia? (France)


Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia? (UK)


Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia? (France)


Q: Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all
year round? (Germany)


These are some questions asked by tourists planning to come to Australia to see the Sydney olympics 5 years ago.

[Pachipro]

After all, by whom are they being taught ? By other Japanese, by tens of thousands of school teachers, by their parents or by society as a whole.

The answer is yes, and yes, and yes. As is agreed, the Japanese are a very naieve people and believe, without question, everything that is told to them by their parents, teachers, and the media/government who start the whole process. We all agree that, with the group mentality thinking, no one dare question authority, even if he/she knows otherwise, lest the "protruding nail get hammered down.

Let's take one example of this mindset from the mid '70's that I often use because it is so absurd. European Rossingnoll(sp?), a manufactuer of very high quality skis, I think wanted Japan to lower the tariff or increase imports or something like that. Anyway the Japanese government refused saying that, get ready for this, the snow in Japan was different than the snow in other countries and Japanese ski companies use special materials in their skis to account for this which foreign companies do not. Thus no competition and Japanese ski manufacturers could collude and set high prices for their skis because the materials were superior.

This was said by the government, reported in the media, which in turn the teachers probably taught their students and no one questioned it except the foreign media. Thus, some unlucky foreigner in Japan probably was told this by one of his students or friends and came to the conclusion that the Japanese are ignorant rather than naieve.

Something like this was even said about their rice to stave off foreign imports and protect the rice farmers. Thus, the Japanese pay more for their rice than any country in the world. There are numerous other examples.

So how do you distinguish the person who is taught and the one who teaches others ?

You can't. Unless the government stops setting the rules, and the Japanese people, as a whole, start questioning authority and stop swallowing hook, line and sinker everything that they are taught or hear in the media, foreigners will always be asked absurd questions about their countries by them.

[Pachipro]

FirstHousePooka: Excellent post. This shows that people from all countries are ignorant, to some extent, about other countries and cultures not just Americans, Australians, or Japanese, to name a few. My wife's best friend, who is married to a British gentlemen, came across the same absurd questions from some of her inlaws and her husbands friends. I don't care where one goes in the world, someone intelligent will ask an absurd question about a foreigners country, neh?

[ArmandV]

FirstHousePooka: Excellent post. This shows that people from all countries are ignorant, to some extent, about other countries and cultures not just Americans, Australians, or Japanese, to name a few. My wife's best friend, who is married to a British gentlemen, came across the same absurd questions from some of her inlaws and her husbands friends. I don't care where one goes in the world, someone intelligent will ask an absurd question about a foreigners country, neh?

Exactly!

I would categorize the questions/questioners three ways:

1. Influenced by stereotypes.
2. Totally ignorant.
3. Inquiring minds want to know.

[Maciamo]

Heh we could go tit for tat.
I could post a list of incredibly idiotic questions asked by Europeans about Australia.

That's a "best of" gathered by some organization, right ? I was talking about most people (at least one out of three) I have encountered in 5 months in Australia.

What's more some of the questions you cited are not that stupid :

Q: I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the
railroad tracks? (Sweden)

The question was "Is that safe to do that ?" or "Is it better to walk along the road" or even "Do I risk being stung by scorpions and spiders on this 4000km journey ?".

Q: Is it safe to run around in the bushes in Australia? (Sweden)

Same here. Australia has more deadly creatures that almost any other country on earth. It has 4 of the top 10 most venemous snakes, 2 deadly spiders and lots of pretty bad others too, deadly scorpions, octopus, jalley fish, sea snakes, sharks, sea-water crocodiles, and even boxing red kangaroo that can crush you under their heavy body while making 10m long bounds.
I think under such circumstances, and when you come from a country where the most dangerous animal you'd encounter is a dog or a wasp, it is imperative to get informed before walking (alone) in the bush/outback.

Q: Do you have perfume in Australia? (France)

As a French speaker, I know that the intended question was "Is there perfumes made in Australia?" (i.e. Australian brands)

Q: Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia? (France)

That also struck me as strange that there should be people wearing Santa (Claus) clothes with the beard and hat when it's 40'C. But the question was maybe simply "Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia?", because maybe people don't in France, Belgium, etc. due to its blatant association with evil Christianity.

[PopCulturePooka]

How about the British girl that I was chatting to one night that didn't believe I was Australian as there aren't computers in Australia?

Or myBritish room-mate at NOVA who was astounded that Australians drove cars?

That's a "best of" gathered by some organization, right ? I was talking about most people (at least one out of three) I have encountered in 5 months in Australia.

I'll agree that AUstralia has its share of uncultured idiots if you agree Europe does.

What's more some of the questions you cited are not that stupid :

I'd beg to differ.

The question was "Is that safe to do that ?" or "Is it better to walk along the road" or even "Do I risk being stung by scorpions and spiders on this 4000km journey ?".

I doubt that. Very much. Iread it that the idgit that asked had no idea about Australias size and geography and expected the walk to be an easy few dayer. You know, geographic idiocy?

Same here. Australia has more deadly creatures that almost any other country on earth. It has 4 of the top 10 most venemous snakes, 2 deadly spiders and lots of pretty bad others too, deadly scorpions, octopus, jalley fish, sea snakes, sharks, sea-water crocodiles, and even boxing red kangaroo that can crush you under their heavy body while making 10m long bounds.

Ah a stereotype! Fact is someone dying by snake, shark, spider etc is enough to make a news article. A bite is.
A question like this is the child of believing stereotype stories.

I think under such circumstances, and when you come from a country where the most dangerous animal you'd encounter is a dog or a wasp, it is imperative to get informed before walking (alone) in the bush/outback.

Most dangerous animal I've ever encountered is a Jellyfish.
I've seen redback spiders, they met my shoe.

OH this DOES remind me of a tale of Europeans acting idiotically.
A group of European tourists where holidaying in the Northern Territory, where there ARE crocs (never been there). A bunch of the bright sparks decided to go for a midnight swim. Without a guide. They get too a river that was heavily signed in multiple languages that it was dangerous because of craocodiles.
So what do they do?
Get naked and start swimming.
In the moonlight in the waters theres floating people, some with plae skin that stands out in moonlight.

A croc had a good meal that night.

Because they thought they were too good to take notice of signs, warnings and hotel policy.

Reminder: They were European. Not Japanese or American. I know there were defiantely Brits and Germans in the group.

As a French speaker, I know that the intended question was "Is there perfumes made in Australia?" (i.e. Australian brands)

So if you defend this question as a translation issue, can people therefore defend some of the idiotic Japanese questions as a translation issue?

Plus even if she was asking if theres perfumes made in Australia isn't that showing culutral ignorance, believing that Australia CANT make perfume for some reason? It was Australian wine after all that made the French nervous.

That also struck me as strange that there should be people wearing Santa (Claus) clothes with the beard and hat when it's 40'C.

Hey look, now YOU are showing the cultural and geographic ignorance. Most Australians dont live in the areas that hit 40 degrees, even in Summer.

Even where I am, the Average Summer temp is 33. Tokyo got worse in Summer.

But the question was maybe simply "Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia?", because maybe people don't in France, Belgium, etc. due to its blatant association with evil Christianity.

Still, how is 'Do you have 7/11 in Australia?' any worse?

[Maciamo]

Ah a stereotype! Fact is someone dying by snake, shark, spider etc is enough to make a news article. A bite is.
A question like this is the child of believing stereotype stories.

Alright, there are antivenoms readily available at the local doctor's, but what if you are walking through the desert or rainforest alone ?

Plus even if she was asking if theres perfumes made in Australia isn't that showing culutral ignorance, believing that Australia CANT make perfume for some reason? It was Australian wine after all that made the French nervous.

Alright, but are there any famous brand of Aussie perfume ?

Hey look, now YOU are showing the cultural and geographic ignorance. Most Australians dont live in the areas that hit 40 degrees, even in Summer.

I went all around Australia in 1998 (January to June). I was told that summer was one of the hottest and dryest in a long time (no rain for about 3 months in the Victoria and NSW and severe water shortage). But I can clearly remeber that the temperature reached 40'C several times. I some parts of Australia (between Adelaine and Alice Springs, forgot the name), the temperature reach over 50'C in summer, making it one of the hottest place in the world.

[PopCulturePooka]

Alright, there are antivenoms readily available at the local doctor's, but what if you are walking through the desert or rainforest alone ?

If you're walking through areas of desert or rainforest alone, beyond parks set out for easy day hikes, then frankly you are a fudging idiot and deserve to be tron to shreads by rabid dropbears.
Especially the desert. What kind of nincinpoop walks through a desert alone?

Alright, but are there any famous brand of Aussie perfume ?

Within Australia yes.

But again, I disagree with your interpretation of the question.
My interpretation is that the asker was an idiot with the perception that Australia is a backwater.

I went all around Australia in 1998 (January to June). I was told that summer was one of the hottest and dryest in a long time (no rain for about 3 months in the Victoria and NSW and severe water shortage).

Rural. The drought.

Most of Australia, and most its population (more than 60%) are urban, living within 3 hours of a coastline, which wasn't as badly affected if at all. But of course you already know that I hope. Youd also know that 80% of Australians live within 3 hours of EASTERN or Southern coast coast between RockHampton and Adelaide. You know that though.

But I can clearly remeber that the temperature reached 40'C several times.

Where exactly. What was the population density of the area? Was it a remote country town? Or a city?

I some parts of Australia (between Adelaine and Alice Springs, forgot the name), the temperature reach over 50'C in summer, making it one of the hottest place in the world.

Yeah its called the desert. Very remote area. Gurantee that most Australians have never ever set foot anywhere near there. But you're enlightened enough about Australia to also know that right?

And come on. Your Santa suit argument is weak anyway. What off Airconditioned chopping centres? Or the places where even a Summer day is a comfortable high 20's?

For someone so enlightened about the world, arguing that Euro's know more than anyone else, you seem quite ignorant of the fact that a place as large as all of Europe (or larger) can have an enourmous range of temperatures across it on the same day.

[nurizeko]

my g/f once asked me what language they speak in finland *she seemed she wanted to move there lol* and i said "finnish".....poor dear she got confused (i wonder why?).


heh, hopefulyl with more foreigners entering japan, japan will slowly come out its shell, i have to say theres definatly more japanese who arnt like typical japanese as there once was in my opinion.

[den4]

now it seems the dialogue has turned to Are Europeans more hostile towards Aussies?

from my standpoint, looks like people are people, making the same faulty judgments about others while keeping their own position pristine...

some great observations, but I don't see the hypocrisy towards foreigners...more like a disagreement on value judgments...

[Bramicus]

Hey, not all Westerners like sushi -- I don't.

One important thing to remember when considering this entire subject is that Japan is a country that is almost completely unicultural -- that is, the vast, vast majority of Japanese citizens are ethnic Japanese who share a common culture.

So it really should come as no surprise that their reaction to "gaijin" is going to be very different to those of us who come from Western countries, most of which comprise a number of different cultures living together. In America, or instance, we are really an amalgam of over a hundred different cultures, all mixed together and living with one another. Of course we're going to be more comfortable speaking and dealing with different cultures -- wer'e much more used to it in our daily lives.

[Maciamo]

One important thing to remember when considering this entire subject is that Japan is a country that is almost completely unicultural -- that is, the vast, vast majority of Japanese citizens are ethnic Japanese who share a common culture.

So it really should come as no surprise that their reaction to "gaijin" is going to be very different to those of us who come from Western countries, most of which comprise a number of different cultures living together. In America, or instance, we are really an amalgam of over a hundred different cultures, all mixed together and living with one another. Of course we're going to be more comfortable speaking and dealing with different cultures -- wer'e much more used to it in our daily lives.

Typical American reaction. However, I am not American. I am not used to living in an ethnically diverse country. I come from the European countryside where 99.9% of the people are white and speak the local language as native speakers, where traditions are even more deeply rooted than in Japan, a place where one is new to the region if their family arrived less than 100 years ago.

Compare this with central Tokyo (where 1 to 5% of the people are foreigners, depending on the area) where I have encountered these odd behaviours of the locals. Again, when my wife went to visit my family in this "ethnically pure and traditional" countryside, where many people have probably never talked to a Japanese, nobody made any fuss or treated her as a strange thing, or was less polite or overly polite, or asked her if she ate raw fish or if she could eat snails and rabbit, or whatever of the "special treatment for foreigner" thing so common in Japan. My complaint is quite simple: "Why can't Japanese treat all foreigners just as human beings instead of labelling them as "gaijin" and acting different from their usual behaviour between themselves ?

[deadhippo]

well well im new to this forum but i can see that maciamo, you have many issues
and i dont mean just regarding japan
ive also read your statement explaining youre not just negative about japan
but from your posts i can tell that you are angry
ive been living here for 3.5 years or so and to be honest i havent had so may issues as you
of course i live in yokohama not tokyo but i actually feel they are friendler in tokyo then in yokohama
what i mean by friendlier is that they smile more and occasionally try to speak english to me because im a foreigner
misguided as that may be i still appreciate it
i cant say i havent had ant bad experiences but i definitely havent had enough to rant on for many pages about it
of course im still praised for my chopstick ability which is very amusing but i always thought that it was a conversation filler
and when someone doesnt reply i always imagine they are struggling for an answer in english which often they are, sometimes not maybe, because they are trying to be friendly,
to be honest the only people who have been really rude to me are the customs officers at the airport but that has been true for me pretty much anywhere ive been apart from nz

perhaps its not because you are a foreigner and im not trying to offend you or anyone by saying this but maybe its because you are you that these things happen
maybe, just maybe you have a strong odor
or maybe your facial expression, gestures or posture scares or offends them
maybe they picked up on your air of superiority and thought too themselves 気持ち悪い

regarding some things i feel many japanese people are very sensitive, so maybe you possess some characteristics that they fine discomforting

disclaimer: this is not really my opinion about you as i wouldnt think to imagine that i could know you after reading just a few posts

[Bramicus]

I've wondered the same types of things as you, deadhippo.

Reading this entire thread makes me wonder how much of this apparent animosity toward foreigners (especially among older Japanese) is actually related to the offended person's age, dress, looks, or attitude, rather than the fact that he's a foreigner. I would think that a great many older Japanese are likely to be traditional and conservative, and may not like speaking to those whom their conservative values make them think of as punksters, ruffians, impolite youths, or just plain slobs, because of their looks. Or, perhaps because they are younger than the shopkeepers they're speaking to and are not speaking with the proper deferential attitude.

Is there any older Westerner who has spent some time in Japan, is fluent in Japanese, and can tell us his or her experiences as to how the Japanese treat him or her when he or she appears as a well-dressed, conservative, polite businessman or businesswoman? Then we may have a better idea of how real this supposed "hypocrisy" is.

[Maciamo]

Reading this entire thread makes me wonder how much of this apparent animosity toward foreigners (especially among older Japanese) is actually related to the offended person's age, dress, looks, or attitude, rather than the fact that he's a foreigner. I would think that a great many older Japanese are likely to be traditional and conservative, and may not like speaking to those whom their conservative values make them think of as punksters, ruffians, impolite youths, or just plain slobs, because of their looks. Or, perhaps because they are younger than the shopkeepers they're speaking to and are not speaking with the proper deferential attitude.

I understand your point, and would have said the same if I had to reply to a similar argument to mine without having experienced these things myself. However my looks or attitude probably have nothing to do with that (except if they don't like tall, blue-eyed people wearing suits and behaving more courteously than many older Japanese). Many foreigners think that the Japanese are all polite, respectful and well-mannred people. In my case, I find that many Japanese over the age of 50 to be rude, noisy and disrespectful. Again this may be due to 1) my socio-economic background, and 2) the fact that I am more sensitive than most people, whatever the country.

Is there any older Westerner who has spent some time in Japan, is fluent in Japanese, and can tell us his or her experiences as to how the Japanese treat him or her when he or she appears as a well-dressed, conservative, polite businessman or businesswoman? Then we may have a better idea of how real this supposed "hypocrisy" is.

My way of dressing is quite conservative (more than some American politicians), I look older than my age, I am fluent in japanese and have now been for almost 4 years in Japan. In fact, I am usually well treated in companies, airports, government offices, etc. The problem that I have is almost exclusively with the lower classes and old people (old, lower-class women being the worst, as there is the cultural difference, gender difference, age gap and socio-economic gap).

But as I said here, 20% of the people in Japan are over 60, and my shitamachi neighbourhood has a much higher proportion than average. That is probably the root of the problem. The funny thing is that I tend to have a good contact with elderly people in my country. But the old Japanese around here are really the worst you could find.

[Bramicus]

Very interesting, Maciamo! (What country are you from, anyway?) I don't doubt what you say. It's a very diverse world, and I suppose different cultures have many different attitudes that will be difficult and uncomfortable for visitors are not familiar with that attitude. Interesting, really. On the other hand,one shouldn't expect all individuals and society to share the same basic characteristics, and conversely, shouldn't let the bad manners or strange behavior that one sometimes -- or even frequently -- encounters in a society color your opinion of everyone in that society. (Not that I'm saying you are -- you're just giving your observations of some people, I understand that.)

I suppose the only thing to do about those situations, if you want to stay in that country, is learn to live with them, learn to not let them get you mad or upset, and develop coping situations, preferably incorporating humor into one's reaction.

You are correct in discerning that I have not yet visited Japan. It will be very interesting to see and experience all these things myself, and I'm sure I will find it very helpful to have read all these observations by people like you, beforehand. Thank you!

[Yasha631]

Do you think that with younger generations, the prejiduce towards foreigners will decrease? In studying American history and etc, I've noticed that trend. People get more and more used to diversity for many reasons. Perhaps that's just the direction of society, and sometimes it's because kids stop listening to the stereo types their crazy grandparents spout out. Especially with the teenage fads involving English words interjected randomly places, it seems that with upcoming generations, the questions about the foods you can't eat would be less frequent... at least a little, right?

[lexico]

Do you think that with younger generations, the prejiduce towards foreigners will decrease?

In studying American history and etc, I've noticed that trend. People get more and more used to diversity for many reasons.

Perhaps that's just the direction of society, and sometimes it's because kids stop listening to the stereo types their crazy grandparents spout out.

Good observation that I totally agree with.
As for kids stopping listenting to grandparents; there seem to be two factors.
Nuclear families don't get to see much of grandparents except for the holidays, and kids just don't have the time or patience for 'crazy' family lectures calling for racial discrimination.
This btw seems to be a global trend !
But what about the 'sane' calls for 'racial tolerance and acceptance' ?
What if these grandparents' calls go neglected ?
I remember someone saying, "It all starts from within the family."
Here's to more power to the enlighetened grandparents, and to the equally tolerant grandchildren !

[SenkoGC017]

Well I stumbled onto this forum while I was looking for sources for my paper. I wanted to write about the Japanese language and how it shows the Japanese mindset. I read quite alot of comments already and so I suppose I can assume my experience is different. I only spent one year in Japan and now am back in America. I was an exchange student, lived under three host families, and attended a private school.

Yet I just wanted to give my two cents in since I've felt alot of the things everyone here has felt. Plus I lived in the same city as two other Europeans and often we've discussed *cough* (complained ) about the Japanese people.Sometimes our complaints were immature and other times they were valid.

I noticed they were more irritated about stupid questions than I was. This is probably because I am not a native born American, but instead was born in Philippines and went to America when I was 6 years old. I understand the stupid questions foreigners can ask. I could understand the traditions and the the mindset of Asians. Afterall I was raised under a filipino household. However there is no denying that I was still American at heart and there were times that I couldn't just accept all the differences and I just found the comments annoying and patronizing. Compliments too lightly given are rather demeaning. When I got complimented on something so simple, I couldn't help but start thinking of some of them as children. Despite the fact that I am a foreigner, I am still a minor and as adults I expected more maturity out of them. I don't really know how to explain. And really these complaints are only one side of the story because we all have a certain affection for the country.

But there are things that should change. The school system for one. The place I went to already specialized in high school. Alot of my classmates knew what they were going to be yet they either hated, sucked at, or were indifferent to the subject they are specializing in. A middle school student is too young to already have her path narrowed. Japan needs a more liberal education. I can't believe so many students hated to learn. As a student, I understand school can be torture, but to hate learning itself is just wrong. How could so many of my fellow classmates have been deprived of the desire to learn? My classmates went to school for so long even on Saturdays and afterschool on Tuesdays and then cram school, but they still had difficulty knowing the material. The Japanese education system and perhaps the whole economy has a problem with making efficient use of hardwork. Instead of just hamering things into the students brains, maybe they should try a better and more enjoyable method to learning.

Oh and yes my friend also got stopped by the police though me and the other guy just laughed at him. He looked japanese so we doubted it was because of the whole being foreigner thing.

Coming to Japan made me realize why the Aztecs thought the Spaniards were gods. The degree of strangeness of akwardness that a japanese person will exhibit does depend on how foreign you look. I was neither white nor did I have asian features. From the back of my head I looked japanese hehe. That made it easier for alot of people to come up to me and talk normally. For my other friend with his pale skin and SHOCK curly light hair, he received plenty of stares even from old ladies which was funny, but the japanese people were more distant with him. Though he did have the advantage in some cases cause of the shock factor. (Ofcourse we did not take advantage of that )Technically since he was the white guy in the group, me and my friend understood, that in japan, he is cooler. In that respects we can joke about it but there are times where it is disturbing like their potrayal of black people. My own home country- Philippines is just as guilty of such ignorant potrayals. That can only change with better communication and representation of certain groups to another.

I believe Japan, Philippines, America, and any other country can only progress and become more humane and understanding to oneanother. My host sister once said that Japan is like America from before in terms of mindset. Every country was at one point just as naive about other cultures. But Japan will get used to the diverse world we live in. Ultimately we will all learn to just be normal to one another.

And in the end I really thought Japanese people were so funny and at times cute in their naive ways. To find myself more mature than college students or adults was both disappointing and humorous. Questions or stares on a bad day ticked me off at times but usually they were pretty funny. Maybe it was because we were young and we found it amusing to observe or to complain about it. Afterall we all found certain flaws in all our cultures from European to America and as friends were frank in our criticism. Yet all our flaws and that of Japan is what makes the world both interesting and irritating and ultimately just the place I've laughed, cried, and simply lived in.