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Thread: Japan's bad half : the puerile, the irresponsible, the perverted, and the handicapped

  1. #1
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
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    Unhappy Japan's bad half : the puerile, the irresponsible, the perverted, and the handicapped

    The longer one stays in Japan and the more evident it becomes that Japan is full of physically or mentally unhealthy people. Obviously, we could say the same or the obese, junk-food addicted USA. But it is not about food. Japanese people probably eat healthier food than in any Western country, I must admit. Japan's problems are partly due to cultural predispositions (such as avoiding medical treatment), partly to Japan's lack of developement regarding psychological care, partly to the education sytem and partly to deep-rooted cultural issues.

    1. The handicapped

    Malformed & delirious people

    I live in Tokyo's shitamachi - a traditional district with lots of temples, but also lots of elderly people. As I went to my local supermarket today, I saw, as I so often see, that about 1 person out of 4 had some sort of handicap. There were dozens of old women bent in two in L-shape or walking with the feet in a 90-degree angle and legs 'wide open', or some younger people with severe limps.

    I occasionally see some odd (but not necessarily old) men with some sort of mental disorder prompting them to lift their arm suddenly a few times or make strange gestures. Some even stranger looking ones talk to themselves, typically angrily as if possessed by some oni (Japanese term for evil spirit). Tokyo's numerous (mostly middle-aged or edlerly) homeless naturally also suffer from such deliriums.

    When I first came to Japan, I was wondering how it was possible that most of the women over 70 years old I encountered either walked completely bent forward or needed, not a simple stick, but a full wheeled walking frame to walk. This baffled me as I had hardly ever seen elderly women walking with such a frame in Europe (and never ever bent over or with the leg open and feet at a 90-degree angle). I imagined that it could be due to their having to carry heavy burden on their backs (like in old times) during most of their lives. But was Japan really so poor 40 or 60 years ago ? Maybe it was poorer than Western countries, but I had never thought it would still be like in the Middle Ages, with people carrying heavy loads on their back rather than using even a barrow or cart. This was all the more shocking that it was in the very centre of Tokyo, by far the richest city in the country (salaries are 2 to 3x higher than anywhere else).

    After some research it was suggested that the high incidence of malformed elderly Japanese is due to the lack of treatment of osteoporosis, and most certainly also cultural reasons - the Japanese didn't drink animal milk until the Meiji Era (=> see Meiji: not just a political change, but a real cultural revolution) and still drink little of it and very few dairy products compared to Westerners. This is particularily true of old people, who usually dislike cheese or yoghurt, while younger Japanese are slowly getting to like them. Cereals with milk is also rare for breakfast in Japan. Most people eat the traditional breakfast (fried fish, miso soup, rice, natto...) or toasts. This accounts a lot for the extremly high rates of osteoporosis among today's elderly. Note that low body weight also increases the risks of osteoporosis (and rare of the old Japanese women weighting over 40kg or exceeding 1m40 in height). The question that remains is "why don't they try more to treat osteoporosis ?". There is surely a cultural factor there too.

    A great deal of those elderly also seem to suffer from dementia (e.g. people talking to themselves in public), a disease also related to osteoporsis.

    Distorted dentition

    In the same line, a shocking number of young women have what the Japanese call "yaeba", which basically look like Dracula teeth (two big canines coming forth from the teeth alignment), when it is not the whole alignment that need to be fixed. Why is that so ? The first reason is that dental braces are very expensive in Japan because not covered by the health insurance like in Europe. The second reason is that many (but not all) Japanese people still find such monstruosities "cute" (they also find creeping elderly people "cute"). In Western countries, most people would have their teeth straightened, but in Japan it is still considered a mostly unnecessary luxury.

    2. The perverted

    You can take almost any train at any time of the day in Tokyo and you are bound to find some men reading porn in at least one of the carriages (several per carriage during the rush hours). Just enter a convenience store, and 90% of the men's magazines will have porn inside, even the newspapers and news magazines. There are hundreds of magazines published in Japan, but most of those ending up in the ubiquitous "combini" are always those with porn, not the ones related to computers, sports, travel, history, real estate or whatever. And mind you, it is not just any porn. Japanese porn is notorious for its emphasis on rape simulation, sado-masochism and pseudo-pedophilia (girls should look as young as possible, especially in manga where they typically look pre-pubescent).

    There are more soaplands, peep-shows or "massage parlours" in Tokyo (or other Japanese cities) than anywhere else in the developed world. Bangkok come to mind as a comparison, but even in Bangkok they might not be so conspicuous. They don't need adult shops - they have the combinis every 50m. And this is without mentioning the "SM bars" (sado-maso bars), a Japanese speciality where ordinary people go to relax. You may not see them as a tourist because, contrarily to the soaplands, etc., they tend to be well hidden. Just check Google to have an idea of how numerous they are (59,000 results for SMƒo[@“Œ‹ž - here is for example a SM bar search engine with top 20).

    This is not all. Even the murders in Japan are perverted, although not always in the sexual way. Take for example this woman who poisoned the curry at a festival in Wakayama, which killed 4 people and injured 63 moreread article. The news in Japan ar full of such horrific stories. Teenagers killing their parents, school children killing each others, someone shooting all a neighbour's family because they were too noisy, etc.

    This is not just crime-related. There are plenty more of perverted stories, like the mothers who give their sons blow jobs to motivate them to study read article. Just have a look at the hundreds of such stories here. Not only are the people perverted in their actions, but they also like to read perverted stories, which fill the weekly magazines from which the Mainichi Daily News' articles have been translated.

    3. Childish people

    It's no big news that Japan is a nation of childish people. The girls especially try hard to look "cute", and in Japan that means baby-talk, high-pitched voice, wearing lots of pink and getting all excited by anything cute, from a Kitty-chan doll to a little dog. It would be reasonably liveable if it stopped there - but it doesn't.

    Most of the annoucements or advertisment in shops, department stores, supermarket, on TV or even in the street, are vocalised by little girls or grown-up women speaking like little girls. Today at the supermarket, as I was passing in front of the meat section, I was wondering if I had landed in an asylum for mentally retarded as the loudspeakers continually blared in 6-year old girl's voice "niku suki, niku suki, onaka suki, onaka suki, niku suki, niku suki, onaka suki, onaka suki, niku suki......" (I like meat, I like meat , I am hungry, I am hungry, I like meat, I like meat, I am hungry....). I mean, that wasn't a kindergarden or a children programme on TV, but a supermarket where most of the customers were adults, maybe 1/3 of whom over 60 years old ! What I saw and heard seriously conflicted with each other. One the one hand old baba bent over with osteoporosis in clothes they hadn't changed for 15 years, and on the other hand 6-year old girls guiding them through the meat section saying that they like meat and and hungry. What's that circus !?

    4. Careless and irresponsible people

    Then you have the normal adults in the street. It is incredible how half of them seem to be living in their own world completely cut of what is happening around them. They walk looking at their shoes, or with their head burried in their mobile, or day-dreaming, and in any case bumping into you if you don't slalom around them. Yesterday there was a 40-year woman with a hat, adjusting her make up while zigzagging up the stairs in the metro station. She also bumped into me, although I tried to avoid her. This is daily occurence in Tokyo, even hourly if you pass through big stations. People just can't watch in front of them and can't walk straight !

    Add to this foolhardy mothers riding a bicycle like if they were Schumacher (without the talent) with a baby in a front seat and another child in a back seat. I don't even count how many of them I see everyday. They are just the norm in Tokyo.

    Japanese people really lack maturity when it comes to responsibilities. Many Japanese have pets, especially dogs. But many are selfish enough to leave them all day in their tiny flat and walk them only once a week on Sunday (if they feel like it). I can't understand how people working full time and without a garden at home (like 99% of the houses in Tokyo) can decide to buy a cat or dog and lock them in for the day all by themselves.

    When it comes to children it is hardly better. Fathers are typically absent from home everyday but Sunday, and hardly care about their offspring's education. Mothers who do not ride bicycle like demented suicidal murderers are usually better. But there is an increasing number of non-working mums lazy and irresponsible enough to buy fastfood for the kids rather than cooking. I have heard a few stories of babies dying from heat inside the car while their mother was playing pachinko all day. This is the sad but real situation of many families in Japan today.

    Pachinkos are so numerous in Japan (several of them around most train or metro stations) that it is impossible to underestimate the number of daily customers - mostly non-working mothers or retired people. Unmarried young people have better things to do, like dating, playing video games, hanging out together or studying. In fact, pachinko is Japan's biggest industry, earning 30 trillion yen a year - almost twice as much as the car industry. In other words, each of Japan's 126 million inhabitant would have to spend 238,000 yen per year on pachinko. But as children, young people and most working people rarely play, it means that maybe 1/5 of the Japanese play pachinko so regularily that they spend over 1 million yen (10,000 US$) a year in this form of gambling. Quite pathetic and irresponsible if you ask me - all the more when we know that mothers that should be taking care of their house and children make the biggest chunk of pachinko-addicts.

    On top of that, irresponsibility is also prevalent in the Japanese attitude to be both promiscuous and refuse to use condoms (=> see Promiscous youth and AIDS . Irresponsibility is strongly connected to childishness, one of the key constituent of the Japanese character and "cute culture".


    Disclaimer : the comments in this artcile do not apply to the whole Japanese population. Let us call it the "bad half". Each country probably has its bad half. This is how Japan's looks like.
    Last edited by Maciamo; Jul 16, 2005 at 17:05.

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  2. #2
    I jump to conclusions mad pierrot's Avatar
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    Wow, Maciamo!

    An interesting post. This is bound to stir up something! I agree with you on much of what you said, and I have plenty of my own opinions too. I'll be back shortly with more to say.


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    Villain Iron Chef's Avatar
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    Don't forget the pressures to conform in relation to binge drinking in a social setting. Apparently the words "know your limit" aren't part of a lot of people's vocabulary... Can't count the number of times i've seen some businessman/woman burst forth from a late-night train just as the doors opened so they could hurl the chunk they were holding in for the last three stops (much to the chagrin of boarding passengers).

    Or how many times i've seen some hapless office worker (both men and women) curled up/sprawled out on the sidewalk somewhere as their friends and colleagues pat them affectionately on the head asking "Daijobu desu ka?" Heh, I remember walking downtown in the heart of Nagoya one night when I saw this young man in a rather expensive suit curled up and sleeping peacefully in a pool of his own vomit... Of course, passerbys just stared in disgust as they walked by and not a single person even broke their stride to see if he was ok.

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    Disclaimer : the comments in this artcile do not apply to the whole Japanese population. Let us call it the "bad half". Each country probably has its bad half. This is how Japan's looks like.
    i like it.

  5. #5
    Your Goddess is here Ma Cherie's Avatar
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    This is a good thread, but what country doesn't have a bad half? I'm glad you pointed out how Japan doesn't seem to acknowledge certain psycological problems that people may have. I'm not saying this because I'm from a shrink nation. But how many therapists are over in Japan? What theories do they have about why some people behave the way they do? Yes, social issues play a role in this, but how often are social issues acknowledge. In all honesty Mac, judging from most of your threads it seems alot of problems are ignored. That's only if they are problems in japanese society. Then I could be wrong.
    "Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot."
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  6. #6
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ma Cherie
    I'm glad you pointed out how Japan doesn't seem to acknowledge certain psycological problems that people may have. I'm not saying this because I'm from a shrink nation. But how many therapists are over in Japan?
    I couldn't find comparative statistics, but judging from this website, there are 7.08 per 100,000 people in Japan. It also says :

    Attempts by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to introduce a licensing system for clinical psychologists and psychiatric social workers have been unsuccessful. Since the 1920s, the primary treatment for mentally ill patients in Japan has been long-term institutionalization. The Law of Mental Health of 1950 abolished private confinement of mentally ill persons. In 1989, the average length of stay in a Japanese mental hospital was 496 days, 41 times the average length of stay of patients in the U.S. The Mental Health Law of 1988 encouraged community integration, but progress has been slow. The major goal of law in mental health has been to avoid human rights abuses, by a series of periodic reports, requests for discharge, and notification of patients of their legal rights to have their case heard by a patient review board.
    However, Japan already has less doctors per person than any other developed country, and even compared to Eastern Europe, according to Nationmaster.

    This website has the stats of psychiatrits for some other countries :

    USA : 14.1 per 100,000
    Canada 12.5 per 100,000
    Italy : 9.8 per 100,000
    UK : 5.4 per 100,000

    This site has similar data :

    USA : 14
    Canada : 12
    Netherlands : 12
    Australia 10.6
    UK : 4

    So only the UK seem to have less psychiatrists per capita than Japan. The UK was also 2nd last after Japan for doctors per capita.

  7. #7
    Regular Member bossel's Avatar
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    Nice post, but I think a bit exaggerated & culturally biased.

    Quote Originally Posted by Maciamo
    Some even stranger looking ones talk to themselves, typically angrily as if possessed by some oni (Japanese term for evil spirit). Tokyo's numerous (mostly middle-aged or edlerly) homeless naturally also suffer from such deliriums.
    Can't really talk about the incidence, but this is quite common (well, common, you see these people once in a while) in Germany, too. As long as they talk to themselves, no problem, it gets annoying when they try to drag you into their (internal) monologue. Happened to me just yesterday, brrr.

    This baffled me as I had hardly ever seen elderly women walking with such a frame in Europe
    This may be different nowadays. I didn't see very many of those a few years ago, but recently these frames have become rather common, too. But this is perhaps a problem of perception. Maybe I simply didn't notice these frames before. Only now that my grandma needs one, I have become a bit more observant.

    the Japanese didn't drink animal milk until the Meiji Era [...] and still drink little of it and very few dairy products compared to Westerners.
    I don't think you can blame them for that. AFAIK, most Japanese lack a certain enzyme to properly digest milk & dairy products.

    The second reason is that many (but not all) Japanese people still find such monstruosities "cute" (they also find creeping elderly people "cute"). In Western countries, most people would have their teeth straightened, but in Japan it is still considered a mostly unnecessary luxury.
    Monstrosities? This is a bit over the top. Whether you like that or not is a matter of personal taste. Only if it's a health issue, I'd understand any concern.

    You can take almost any train at any time of the day in Tokyo and you are bound to find some men reading porn in at least one of the carriages (several per carriage during the rush hours).
    Perverted? Quite a strong word for this. Morals are relative & very much dependent on the culture you live in. Maybe you could call this perverse in the US, but in Japan? Anyway, reading porn is relatively harmless or would you really consider this more dangerous to mental health than some kids playing shooters on their PSPs?

    Japanese porn is notorious for its emphasis on rape simulation, sado-masochism and pseudo-pedophilia
    Now this is something you really could be worried about (except for the SM stuff). Although I would only go as far in the case of reading such stuff in public, for there may be some kids in the trains who might get the wrong impressions.

    Take for example this woman who poisoned the curry at a festival in Wakayama, which killed 4 people and injured 63 more[...]Teenagers killing their parents, school children killing each others, someone shooting all a neighbour's family because they were too noisy, etc.
    Again I'm not sure about the incidence, but this stuff does also occur in other countries. Eg. in China it seems a somewhat regular occurrence that someone poisons a whole group of people (just from my memory now).

    This is not just crime-related. There are plenty more of perverted stories, like the mothers who give their sons blow jobs to motivate them to study
    Interesting to say the least, but again not necessarily perverted, but perhaps merely a cultural difference.

    People just can't watch in front of them and can't walk straight !
    Not just in Japan. Quite annoying problem for me here in Germany, too. Perhaps because I'm kind of a straight walker (if you can say so in English). If I want to go somewhere I try to take the fastest & shortest route, while most people more or less stroll around.

    there is an increasing number of non-working mums lazy and irresponsible enough to buy fastfood for the kids rather than cooking.
    Sounds again quite Western to me. Well, Western, make that modern. Seems to be a common problem in industrialised nations (even in China nowadays).

    the comments in this artcile do not apply to the whole Japanese population. Let us call it the "bad half". Each country probably has its bad half.
    Only too true, although I have some problems with "good" & "bad." This is all rather relative.

  8. #8
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bossel
    I don't think you can blame them for that. AFAIK, most Japanese lack a certain enzyme to properly digest milk & dairy products.
    Well, my wife is an unusual Japanese in that she loves milk and dairy products like cheese and yoghurt (her mother and grandmother tend to make fun of it). She drinks a cup of milk everyday before sleeping for instance. I don't think she has ever had some digestion problem. But is she any different genetically from the other Japanese, if, as you imply, it is a genetical problem ? Nowadays, more and more young Japanese, especially those who have studied/lived in Europe, tend to like cheese and yoghurts and drink milk frequently. Are you saying that they are getting more resistent to lactose intolerance or producing the enzymes they previously lacked ? I doubt so. Or maybe the enzyme is only lacking in people who do not, or rarely, consume dairy products, but is then produced one one starts consuming then regularily ? In that case too, it would only be a cultural problem.

  9. #9
    Regular Member bossel's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maciamo
    But is she any different genetically from the other Japanese, if, as you imply, it is a genetical problem ?
    Actually, AFAIK lactose intolerance is quite common all over the world, but most common in mongoloids. The amount of milk or dairy products you can consume varies, though. Most of my Chinese friends have no problems as long as they keep the consumption on a low level. Some of them have initial problems finding that level when they 1st come to Europe, though. (Which can lead to lengthy toilet sessions.)

    Here is a quite good explanation of lactose intolerance.

    Quotes:
    "Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest significant amounts of lactose, the predominant sugar of milk. This inability results from a shortage of the enzyme lactase, which is normally produced by the cells that line the small intestine. Lactase breaks down milk sugar into simpler forms that can then be absorbed into the bloodstream.
    [...]
    Certain ethnic and racial populations are more widely affected than others. As many as 75 percent of all African Americans and American Indians and 90 percent of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant. The condition is least common among persons of northern European descent.
    Researchers have identified a genetic variation associated with lactose intolerance; this discovery may be useful in developing a diagnostic test to identify people with this condition.
    [...]
    Most older children and adults need not avoid lactose completely, but people differ in the amounts and types of foods they can handle. For example, one person may have symptoms after drinking a small glass of milk, while another can drink one glass but not two. Others may be able to manage ice cream and aged cheeses, such as cheddar and Swiss, but not other dairy products.
    [...]
    People who have trouble digesting lactose can learn which dairy products and other foods they can eat without discomfort and which ones they should avoid. Many will be able to enjoy milk, ice cream, and other such products if they take them in small amounts or eat other food at the same time. Others can use lactase liquid or tablets to help digest the lactose. Even older women at risk for osteoporosis and growing children who must avoid milk and foods made with milk can meet most of their special dietary needs by eating greens, fish, and other calcium-rich foods that are free of lactose."

  10. #10
    You SPAM/We BAN !
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    You Should Visit Portland, Maine !!

    Our city has the best programs to help the "needy" of all types for most of New England. We have many cases of Judges (in other cities & states) giving "strange" people bus tickets to get to Portland so they can be helped.
    SOOO, now we have not only many different cultures coming to Portland to live , but also many many VERY interesting people; kinda like having a 24 hour circus to watch where ever you go in town. Keeps our local police very active. I guess you can say it's "our tax dollars at work" ?

    Frank

    TAKE WHAT I SAY WITH A GRAIN OF SUGAR !!
    I USED TO BE FUNNY, BUT MY WIFE HAD ME NEUTERED!

  11. #11
    Yuyurungul
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    thanks, maciamo! I really always enjoy reading your comments on Japanese society. The "onaka suki" part in particular made me laugh.

    I guess I've always been interested in #'s 2, 3, and 4 on your list. Have there been any sociological/psychological studies that cover these topics (preferably from a periodical/journal, although I suppose it'd be hard to talk about #4 in more diplomatic ways...)? I'm interested in how and what factors influence these behaviors in the first place, aside from just saying cultural differences.

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    I jump to conclusions mad pierrot's Avatar
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    One thing in Japan that annoys me to no end:

    the lack of privacy.

    Example:

    I'm sitting at my desk in the teacher's room at school, writing something on my computer. Students wander right up to my desk, stick their nose in front of me, point at the computer screen, and blurt stupid things like, "What this? Is it English? Ha ha, I don't know English!"

    I used to think this was just because they're young students who don't know how to behave around foreigners yet. So I cut them alot of slack, even taking time to explain things and be polite when I'm very busy.

    BUT,

    I was wrong. Again, one day I'm writing as usual, the principal is looking over my shoulder. He then proceeds to stick his nose in front of me, without ever asking me if I was busy or if it's ok if he can read it. Then he acts surprised that I'm writing in English. "Eeeeeeeeeeh? Eigo da!"


    Me: "Yes, it's English. I'm writing today's lesson plan."*
    Principal: (Speaking to everyone in the vicinity.) "It's English! Ha Ha, I can't understand English at all."*

    (Tries to read outloud what I'm writing, fails.)

    Principal: "Ha ha, English is difficult."*

    *In Japanese.

    All my principals do this. Whatever I'm doing at my desk, they love to come up to me, examine and play with whatever I'm doing without asking permission or even being polite about it. They seem to think that whatever I'm doing is incredibly funny, and that everyone in the room should know what I'm doing.



    Cultural differences rears its ugly head again.

  13. #13
    Regular Member cicatriz esp's Avatar
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    I have OCD, and I have yet to meet a Japanese person who knew what that was, really. When I've explained it to them, almost invariably i've gotten "Why don't you just think positively, forget about those problems, and only look on the bright side?"

    There is nothing that gets me closer to a murderous rampage than hearing that crap. Oh ok, i'll just change my serotonin and l-dopamine levels on my own and be on my merry way.

    But here is progress in the form of an informative website: http://www.ocd-net.jp

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    Where I'm Supposed to Be kirei_na_me's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cicatriz esp
    I have OCD, and I have yet to meet a Japanese person who knew what that was, really. When I've explained it to them, almost invariably i've gotten "Why don't you just think positively, forget about those problems, and only look on the bright side?"

    There is nothing that gets me closer to a murderous rampage than hearing that crap. Oh ok, i'll just change my serotonin and l-dopamine levels on my own and be on my merry way.

    But here is progress in the form of an informative website: http://www.ocd-net.jp
    I get SO tired of that "think positive" crap I could scream!

    For a time after my second son was born, I really battled with an anxiety disorder(and I'm still not completely over it, but much better). I had panic attacks and it was really bad. My husband could not even begin to try to understand why this was happening to me. I got absolutely no sympathy at all. His solution? "Calm down"..."just relax"..."just think positive"...or sometimes, even "don't act so crazy"..."you just have probrem"(yes, that 'r' was intentional).

    I have had to handle a lot of emotional problems on my own because of his nonchalant attitude about everything. Infuriating.

    And don't even get me started on the childish aspects. I've got so many stories...
    i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)

  15. #15
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mad pierrot
    the lack of privacy.
    ...
    Me: "Yes, it's English. I'm writing today's lesson plan."*
    Principal: (Speaking to everyone in the vicinity.) "It's English! Ha Ha, I can't understand English at all."*

    (Tries to read outloud what I'm writing, fails.)

    Principal: "Ha ha, English is difficult."*
    Yes. This has happened to many many times too. Not just at the computer but when I wa reading books or documents, sometime in public spaces.

    Worst of all, my "step-father-in-law" once came behind me when I was writing a mail to my family in French. He reacted the same way "ah, what language is that"
    Me : French"
    Him : "ahh, I can't read French, aahhahah"
    then he asked me "Oh can you write in French, sugoi desu ne !".
    I was stunned and thought "What, it's one year I am married to your don't your step-daughter and you still don't know my my mother-tongue is French !"

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by pipokun
    i like it.
    But...
    I was a bit sad to hear that you can call patients with the deceases mentioned above as the handicapped in your country, somewhere in Europe.

    About the dairy products, I've never heard of your theory except the Meiji part, not Meiji people living now. It'd be great if you tell your wife not to infringe our milk drinking right!

    Pachinko,
    Really hope you would investigate more about it.

  17. #17
    Regular Member cicatriz esp's Avatar
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    I genuinely enjoy reading Maciamo's observations about Japan and the Japanese, but i'd just make one observation: he does live in Tokyo, and i wonder if that colors his perceptions at all.

    It might be like living in New York City and thinking that all Americans are like that. New Yorkers are famous for being hard to hang out with, and experience has proven that true for me at least. That city and its people dont reflect the rest of my country at all.

  18. #18
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cicatriz esp
    I genuinely enjoy reading Maciamo's observations about Japan and the Japanese, but i'd just make one observation: he does live in Tokyo, and i wonder if that colors his perceptions at all.
    I have travelled a bit around Japan, and all I can say is that I have never seen such a homogenous country, be it for the people, architecture, shops, or whatever. Frankly, being in any big Japanese city does not feel very different. If taken to a round of cities blindfolded, you'd be forgiven to think it's always yet another part of Tokyo.

    What's more, 1/4 of the Japanese live in Greater Tokyo, and about half of them were not born and raised there, but in any other parts of Japan. So it is very easy to check the national average from Tokyo. Remember that contrarily to New York which has a unique ethnical composition (lots of Italians, Irish, Jews and Latinos), Japan is made up of 99% of ethnic Japanese. It's not the US. It doesn't have the diversity of the US (not just ethnically, but also geographically and religiously).

  19. #19
    Go to shopping PopCulturePooka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maciamo
    I have travelled a bit around Japan, and all I can say is that I have never seen such a homogenous country, be it for the people, architecture, shops, or whatever. Frankly, being in any big Japanese city does not feel very different. If taken to a round of cities blindfolded, you'd be forgiven to think it's always yet another part of Tokyo.
    I endorse this product or statement.
    As bad as Stereotypes can be, its honestly so easy and generally correct to stereotype Japanese groups. In such a conformist society, even the majority of non-coformists try and fit the stereotype of what their non-cofmrity should be.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Maciamo
    a shocking number of young women have what the Japanese call "yaeba"
    i knew one girl like this and to tell you the truth i think it pushed her across the line from cute to beautiful
    i dont think you can call them malformed...they formed rather well imo, and i wasnt the only one with that opinion
    i dont believe that perfect straight teeth equals beauty

    although i do agree that their dental care is inadequate here
    and from my experience with dentists thay are also inadequate

    click here to read about my experience with dentists in japan

    .

  21. #21
    tsuyaku o tsukete kudasai nurizeko's Avatar
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    This is not just crime-related. There are plenty more of perverted stories, like the mothers who give their sons blow jobs to motivate them to study read article. Just have a look at the hundreds of such stories here. Not only are the people perverted in their actions, but they also like to read perverted stories, which fill the weekly magazines from which the Mainichi Daily News' articles have been translated.
    in regard to the links in that....


    OH...MY...F*****G...GOD! o_O

    i dont even want to ask how seriously screwed up japan must be to allow that behaviour i mean, i cant think, i dunno what to say, their own mums!!?? i mean WTF???.....japan is seriously screwed up.....i'm just glad i aint gonna see my japanese g/f today i mean, i just know i would say something to her about it, X_+

    man...i knew japan was wierd but....jesus, thats just....wrong.

    ...refuse to use condoms...
    Never had that problem :S


    allround an interesting insight into japan, and each day it makes me question, what really is acceptable cultural difference, and what is just institutionally nationally endorsed deviant and negative behaviour.

    suffice to say i feel japan has a lot of social issues to address, and, i think we can agree japan has made it a cultural habit to never question the status quo, but, japan has had to face modernization pretty quickly and, its going to need to pull its national head out the sand, and start tackling real issues.....and no...i dont think its a christian nut thing, i really do think that mums giving their sons daily blow-jobs so they study well is distasteful, and no, i dont feel it is just cultural difference, just because a culture is different, doesnt mean it cant have negative parts of that culture, some things are universal, like not killing and what-not, and i think, neglecting children is universal, and sucking their sons off?....thats just a downright dereliction of duty, i aint got issues with people free to do what they want with their sexuality with other consenting legal individuals but, sucking your 12 year old son off is just wrong.

    *shakes head*

    well, cheers for the article anyway macimo, your threads do get one thinking.

    i knew one girl like this and to tell you the truth i think it pushed her across the line from cute to beautiful
    i dont think you can call them malformed...they formed rather well imo, and i wasnt the only one with that opinion
    i dont believe that perfect straight teeth equals beauty

    although i do agree that their dental care is inadequate here
    and from my experience with dentists thay are also inadequate
    if "Yaeba" means more fang like canines then im guilty as charged O_o
    there's nothing deformed about it, its just that my canines are in their natural form, i believe aslong as teeth are looked after and clean, then you cant blame someone for having natural teeth, we all cant look like dental adverts.

  22. #22
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nurizeko
    OH...MY...F*****G...GOD! o_O

    i dont even want to ask how seriously screwed up japan must be to allow that behaviour i mean, i cant think, i dunno what to say, their own mums!!?? i mean WTF???.....japan is seriously screwed up.....i'm just glad i aint gonna see my japanese g/f today i mean, i just know i would say something to her about it, X_+
    This is just one example among many. If you want to know more, you can browse through the Daily Mainichi News' archives. For example, have you heard of housewives who sell their body to make some pocket money because they are bored ? Have you heard of "no-pants shabu-shabu", restaurants were waitresses don't wear panties and customers can inspect their genitals with a torch/flashlight ?

    if "Yaeba" means more fang like canines then im guilty as charged O_o
    there's nothing deformed about it, its just that my canines are in their natural form, i believe aslong as teeth are looked after and clean, then you cant blame someone for having natural teeth, we all cant look like dental adverts.
    I suggest you have a look at those pictures, just from a simple Google search for "yaeba" (written in kanji). Check the next pages too. Can you call that 'natural', 'attractive' or even 'not malformed' ?

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    tell me shes not a honey


  24. #24
    Twirling dragon Maciamo's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by deadhippo
    tell me shes not a honey
    I am not sure whether you understand what "yaeba" means. This girl does not have "yaeba", or very very slightly. I was talking about things like that :





    The 2nd pic come from a Japanese dental clinic's website .

  25. #25
    Danshaku Elizabeth's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Maciamo
    Yes. This has happened to many many times too. Not just at the computer but when I wa reading books or documents, sometime in public spaces.

    Worst of all, my "step-father-in-law" once came behind me when I was writing a mail to my family in French. He reacted the same way "ah, what language is that"
    Me : French"
    Him : "ahh, I can't read French, aahhahah"
    then he asked me "Oh can you write in French, sugoi desu ne !".
    I was stunned and thought "What, it's one year I am married to your don't your step-daughter and you still don't know my my mother-tongue is French !"
    Yeah, it happens a lot this way...they either don't hear very well or take a person's whole situation (only the surface behavior) into account. Like arriving last month into Narita, the first thing after calling the friends I'd be staying with I mentioned being tired (after a 12 hour flight, imagine such at thing ! ). A while after getting to their apartment I mentioned it again. This time he was surprised "Oh, really....you're tired ??" Naturally I was equally startled.

    I could just a cultural difference in how privacy or personal space is respected and nothing to take personally But what would have been intuitive to most American families (You must be exhausted....can I do anything to help ? no need to stay up talking when you could be in bed....etc) seems for some reason not to be so much there.

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