JavierR said: Hoppy said: JavierR said: In japan do people really get sick that easily? I haven't gotten a cold since i was in like 6th grade (im 18 now) It's not as bad as anime makes it, the masks are just because they are polite, clean, and don't want you to have their cold, that "deadly Japanese cold" really is bad anime/manga/LN writing or lazy plot devices. ohh I see thanks they smoke so they get colds easily |
| ~"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands." (Pirsig) |
| Pointing your chopsticks at someone is considered rude. |
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| I heard they eat the flesh of sacrificed babies once every full moon. |
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Scud said: I thought that happened in Europe.I heard they eat the flesh of sacrificed babies once every full moon. |
Paraph said: but the exotic white boy will have a much easier time. lol. That's only if you're Euro-centric and believe all female there are submissive or easy targets. My friend told me that while she's in Japan and many Caucasian tourists were thinking this way and acting like pimps which brought bad name to foreigners in Japan. |
BluntZ said: When eating out a rice bowl, never stick your chopsticks into the bowl and leave them. This resembles a funeral practice and will leave Japanese people you're eating with with an awkward feeling. That's not just for Japanese. It applies to Chinese and Korean as well. |
| Our guide in Japan told us that gifts are a big deal in Japan, including the wrappings. Part of the enjoyment of the gift comes from savouring the unwrapping process. Apparently, it's rude to violently rip apart the gift wrappings like kids do with the Xbox they got for Christmas. |
| Speculations, speculations. |
| I'm just going to say that Japanese people aren't as racist as this thread seems to be making them out to be. Sure there is some institutional stuff that kinda sucks, but it's not like they are awful. Also just a personal opinion, but people aren't quite as polite as they are typically made out to be. Sure if you're a tourist it would seem that way b/c service industry people are extremely polite, but just my feeling personally is that American's are a bit better with just general day to day politeness. Also public transportation stops at night so between roughly midnight and 5:00am there won't be buses, subways or trains running and taxes are crazy expensive so be aware of that when staying out late. |
| Their so-called xenophobia is mainly due to them being shy and nervous too, especially if you approach them in English on the street. The xenophobic impression is quite an outdated one. |
BluntZ said: When eating out a rice bowl, never stick your chopsticks into the bowl and leave them. This resembles a funeral practice and will leave Japanese people you're eating with with an awkward feeling. I think the Chinese dislike this as well, for pretty much the same reason. itsvero said: Bow. A lot. And most Japanese people, in my experience, have extremely good manners and are very friendly. Just went to Okinawa and Fukuoka and there was no awkward foreigner feeling at all. Everybody I met was extremely welcoming. Depends on how welcome gaijin are in the area, which can decrease/increase for urban areas and/or rural areas. BluntZ said: Angel_Beats said: Regicide said: JavierR said: BluntZ said: When eating out a rice bowl, never stick your chopsticks into the bowl and leave them. This resembles a funeral practice and will leave Japanese people you're eating with with an awkward feeling. That's actually good to know why would you do that tho? won't the chopsticks fall out if you don't put them on the bowl? unless the bowl is tall of enough that is. You do it because you simply think nothing of it. Nearly every foreigner I've met in Japan has done it at some point. You're supposed to place the chopsticks on the bowl not inside the rice. If the place is high on etiquette like some high roller classy place, then this might even signify end of the meal, which might be bad. Mogtaki said: Their so-called xenophobia is mainly due to them being shy and nervous too, especially if you approach them in English on the street. The xenophobic impression is quite an outdated one. I think part of it comes from language barrier as well. Conversing well in Japanese should stem the anti-gaijin feeling. I'd compare this to English-French relations, especially when it was more pronounced in the past(Well, years and years of warring with stuff like Hundred Years War and all kinds of things aren't great for bilateral ties) vault-dweller said: Possibly in more rural areas, but probably impossible in cities which never sleep.I'm just going to say that Japanese people aren't as racist as this thread seems to be making them out to be. Sure there is some institutional stuff that kinda sucks, but it's not like they are awful. Also just a personal opinion, but people aren't quite as polite as they are typically made out to be. Sure if you're a tourist it would seem that way b/c service industry people are extremely polite, but just my feeling personally is that American's are a bit better with just general day to day politeness. Also public transportation stops at night so between roughly midnight and 5:00am there won't be buses, subways or trains running and taxes are crazy expensive so be aware of that when staying out late. EDIT: HATUL300 said: I see that people on this thread are pointing out negative aspects about Japan that may or may not be true. However, there's one simple fact that is important to remember about Japan from a western point of view, because people tend to forget it: they were NOT the big victims in WW2, despite what their movies say (like Grave of the fireflies and Barefoot Gen which are great emotional movies, but they show only half truths) and despite what your most likely (not) taught about in school, unfortunately. To make a big claim like 'not victim of WW2' is not very nice, especially without justification. You could even take the time to link every single letter to sources. It's also like saying USA wasn't a big victim of WW2 since it developed the atom bomb. Paraph said: anyway the responses are hilarious, and definitely not to be depended on for a good understanding of Japan's society. hell, even if you live there your own experience will never cover everything. i think it's been stated already but an international student told me that communication is typically formal, without many expressions or bodily language to get a point across. it's more subtle, not as direct. i also hear non-asian chicks have the hardest time with men from japan (this applies to most asian countries), but the exotic white boy will have a much easier time. lol. of course in america the only hot foreigner is the one with a sexy accent. you are otherwise just another american. I believe communication is fairly formal because Japanese as a second language should be taught with high formality. This is to facilitate stranger-to-stranger communication which is required for any goods/service purchase. Not understanding, for example, お手伝いしましょうか？ would be pretty bad. I don't think it's quite polite to answer in a funny ancient form(sarcasm?) or casual form which would be impolite to the person helping you. Unless you want to feel like a boss with 'ん' for answers rather than 'はい' or 'いいえ' to show clarity and a level of respect, learning about formal communication is a must. It's the same in Korea. I wouldn't expect to start lessons with conversational Korean. |
ZmffkskemAug 6, 2012 4:46 AM
 「みんながいるからだ。」 － 棗鈴 |
Zmffkskem said: vault-dweller said: Possibly in more rural areas, but probably impossible in cities which never sleep.I'm just going to say that Japanese people aren't as racist as this thread seems to be making them out to be. Sure there is some institutional stuff that kinda sucks, but it's not like they are awful. Also just a personal opinion, but people aren't quite as polite as they are typically made out to be. Sure if you're a tourist it would seem that way b/c service industry people are extremely polite, but just my feeling personally is that American's are a bit better with just general day to day politeness. Also public transportation stops at night so between roughly midnight and 5:00am there won't be buses, subways or trains running and taxes are crazy expensive so be aware of that when staying out late. No, that's the case in major cities like Tokyo and Yokohama and everywhere else in the country. Everything still manages to function alright. I believe that perhaps New Years Eve there is a special schedule and they will run all night. |
vault-dweller said: No, that's the case in major cities like Tokyo and Yokohama and everywhere else in the country. Everything still manages to function alright. I believe that perhaps New Years Eve there is a special schedule and they will run all night. Well, did a little bit more research. It's a bit like my local area. Basically I think people party over night and pay exorbitant taxis OR party over night and ride first train. But unless you're willing to spend I don't think people should be out on such ungodly hours. |
「みんながいるからだ。」 － 棗鈴 |
Zmffkskem said: vault-dweller said: No, that's the case in major cities like Tokyo and Yokohama and everywhere else in the country. Everything still manages to function alright. I believe that perhaps New Years Eve there is a special schedule and they will run all night. Well, did a little bit more research. It's a bit like my local area. Basically I think people party over night and pay exorbitant taxis OR party over night and ride first train. But unless you're willing to spend I don't think people should be out on such ungodly hours. Well yeah. I said that they stop, didn't know I should of gone into reasons. A lot of stuff also closes late at night which kind of stinks. So either sleep on a park bench until about 5:00 for first train, take a super expensive taxi, if you're young find one of the open places and party, or rush to that train station before last train. |
DesolateOne said: mechaisntweeaboo said: Tikeio said: Then you're redundant, because you're obviously the biggest weeb for living in Japan.mechaisntweeaboo said: They fucking hate us, so never go there. Weeaboos? Yeah, we're not very fond of you guys. Sorry. :/ :P How would you know if she's living there for reasons other than just anime? SMH.  |
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| The Japanese love the white American, except they also hate us because of lolbomb |
| tfw no gf tfw i keep getting the banhammer on here tfw Koleare keeps banning me every other day tfw I'm misunderstood by le mod |
| So every other american is just fruitcake? :\ |
| "In the end the World really doesn't need a Superman. Just a Brave one" |
Silverstorm said: So every other american is just fruitcake? :/ wot. |
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icamehere said: This is confusing to they love or hate us?The Japanese love the white American, except they also hate us because of lolbomb |
No matter where you go, everyone's connected.  |
Ruusaka said: icamehere said: This is confusing to they love or hate us?The Japanese love the white American, except they also hate us because of lolbomb Both. |
| tfw no gf tfw i keep getting the banhammer on here tfw Koleare keeps banning me every other day tfw I'm misunderstood by le mod |
icamehere said: Ruusaka said: icamehere said: This is confusing to they love or hate us?The Japanese love the white American, except they also hate us because of lolbomb Both. People need to calm down about this whole Japan hates everyone who is different and loves everyone who is different garbage. Seriously how about we bring both of those two things more towards each other in the middle and not make it out that all Japanese are these awful or weird extremes. You know like perhaps there are extremes on either ends, but the majority of people just think regularly about this. It's strange, but the topic question is so general that it's hard to even think of something. How about garbage in Japan is super specific. You have to have certain garbage bags, everyday is some kind of different garbage, the amount of separation is crazy. Also despite them trying to reuse and recycle everything when you buy something it will get wrapped and put in like two bags so it's weird how they care about conserving yet items are needlessly wrapped and excessive number of times. Ummm... most people don't have dryers. They just aren't really used. And many washing machines use only cold water. Schools do have culture and sports festivals and they are actually kind of close to what you see in anime. In the vast majority of schools students aren't allowed and pretty much can't get on the roof. Students do just one club and practice it all year round. The school year is long, but the conception it's the horrible, unending grind is a bit of a myth I'd say. For grocery shopping people tend to buy food for only 1 to 3 days and buy fresh stuff, unlike, say America where you'll go grocery shopping once a week and buy a ton of food. Food and drinks are very seasonal and limited time offers. You'll only see a very few drink, snack, candy items that are actually available all year round. Fruit is really expensive. Many grocery stores are on the bottom floor of department stores. It's a cash based society with very little use of credit / debit cards. AKB48 is about the biggest thing in Japan. Honestly it's hard to describe how huge they are. Side note I think Japanese TV and pop music (specifically boy bands) are pretty awful. That's just opinion though, but wow it's pretty bad. Comedy is a lot different. Like you don't really get stand up style comedians or scripted comedy sitcoms like a Sinfeld or The Office. Being a comedian is a lot more gimick / gag based and if you don't keep having a fresh new stupid gimic every couple months you'll fad away unless you're one of the iconic people or someone who is generally considered talented. Also Japanese comedy is bad, but American's aren't considered funny. Someone will say "Oh American Joke" if they try and make a joke that doesn't work b/c than they can laugh if off as, "oh I was trying to make a bad joke". Wedding presents is money, not actual presents. KFC and cake is actually a big deal on Christmas. There is probably just a more general sense of taking care of ones health. Examples being wearing the masks. Yet despite this Japanese over the counter medicine is extremely weak compared to America. You'll have to see a doctor to get anything really worth using. Like anything that's "PM" type medicine in America has to be prescription in Japan, as well as stuff like Claratin. NHK is like PBS in America and once you buy a TV you'll start getting bills that you're suppose to pay and if you don't than the NHK man will pay you a visit and basically ask for a one months payment and (I actually am not 100% sure), but I believe you have to pay. Roads are really narrow and driving in Japan is freaking scary! There are two lane roads in Japan that wouldn't even be considered a small side trail in America. It's crazy. |
Zmffkskem said: To make a big claim like 'not victim of WW2' is not very nice, especially without justification. You could even take the time to link every single letter to sources. It's also like saying USA wasn't a big victim of WW2 since it developed the atom bomb. It might not be nice for some people to hear, and I have nothing against Japanese people as they are today, but it does have justification. The Hirohito regime in Japan was a racist and genocidal regime that most Japanese people supported fanatically. Japan wasn't willing to stop the massacres in China and weren't willing to surrender that they went as far as to train women and children to use sharpened bamboo sticks as a weapon. Saying that Japan was a "victim" is not very nice either (especially for Chinese and other Asian ears), it's pretty much like saying that Germany was a victim.. |
Paraph said: i also hear non-asian chicks have the hardest time with men from japan (this applies to most asian countries), but the exotic white boy will have a much easier time. lol. Not sure how you mean this, but my friend who went there (and currently still lives there) told me that when she first got there, she got hit on...like a lot. |
| "If you love someone Follow your heart Cause love comes once If you’re lucky enough" |
| Offtopic already: vault-dweller said: How is it a myth? Japan still has its Entrance Examinations, which seem to have decreased in terms of intensity(See: Korean Suicide Rate), they aren't very low.Schools do have culture and sports festivals and they are actually kind of close to what you see in anime. In the vast majority of schools students aren't allowed and pretty much can't get on the roof. Students do just one club and practice it all year round. The school year is long, but the conception it's the horrible, unending grind is a bit of a myth I'd say. vault-dweller said: Not meaning to nitpick but any measurements for comparison? Well, nothing really beats Science.Roads are really narrow and driving in Japan is freaking scary! There are two lane roads in Japan that wouldn't even be considered a small side trail in America. It's crazy. By the way, are you a local, or someone who moved into Japan? |
「みんながいるからだ。」 － 棗鈴 |
| Perhaps my perception is wrong, but in America I always got the idea that American's felt Japanese students went to school 365 days a year, 24 hours a day and had this insane schedule where it was just always an unending grind of school non stop. And as I was saying from my personal opinion I'd call that perception probably a bit of a myth. There school year and schedule isn't this horrible grind. That's what I'd disagree with a bit if people asked me. Ummm... no I don't have any measurements of random roads in Japan. Roads can be crazy small and scary. I'm American, but I've lived in Japan for over 7 years now. |
vault-dweller said: Snip about education Considering how South Korea is going that direction, well... Then there's the fact that South Korea has(also, had) greater U.S. influence than Japan... I wonder if there is an Asian who is a non-Japanese who can write English and has went to/lives in Japan on MAL. EDIT: traed said: Homophobic Xenophobic racist Afraid of people with AIDs Dislikes drug users commots suicide more than most countries Doesnt like emotionally unstable people Not proud of themselves Ahh, statistics... how reliable!. |
「みんながいるからだ。」 － 棗鈴 |
Zmffkskem said: Ahh, statistics... how reliable!. Agreed, statistics would be nice; however, there's nothing wrong with first hand experiences as long as they aren't wide generalizations like the ones you quoted. It'd be nice to have some more input from native Japanese or people who have lived there. |
| not many fat/obese people |
| No matter where you go, everyone's connected. |
Ventian said: I don't know if this is true or not but the CHINESE really hates the JAPANESE. I thought it was because of the Japanese invasion on China in WWII but I was wrong. That aside. That is so true! My stepmother is Chinese and she has a strong dislike of the Japanese. Though she always mentioned the war and the "rape of Nanking"... I have two friends who speak Japanese fluently, one of which lives in Japan as an English teacher, and both of them told me how Japanese people are incredibly polite to foreigners. (Random people were always asking them where they were from) They've only been in the cities, so I don't know if it's different in the rural areas... They did say it helps to be fluent in the language, as they both took and passed all the JLPT exams. |
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| They support gov't staff to be fired if they are found to have tattoo. They support death penalty on certain crimes. They dislike Korean, to a slightly less extent, Chinese too. |
bottleAug 7, 2012 7:02 PM
traed said: Homophobic Xenophobic racist Afraid of people with AIDs Dislikes drug users commots suicide more than most countries Doesnt like emotionally unstable people Not proud of themselves Thank you for these statistics. I'm proud to see my country - the United Kingdom - isn't in the top 15 of any of those lists (apart from the "Not proud of their nationality" list, which is ironic). Anyway, to add to this discussion, foreigners to Japan will supposedly instantly fit in and be beloved if they enjoy Japanese cartoons. |
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| wouldn't they kill you instantly my folks would definitely |
| ~"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands." (Pirsig) |
Regicide said: wouldn't they kill you instantly my folks would definitely Is that in reply to me, brother? |
|
spyrocoot said: Regicide said: wouldn't they kill you instantly my folks would definitely Is that in reply to me, brother? they hate otakus |
| ~"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands." (Pirsig) |
Regicide said: spyrocoot said: Regicide said: wouldn't they kill you instantly my folks would definitely Is that in reply to me, brother? they hate otakus I know, it was my idea of a joke. Watch this video, it's where I got the idea: |
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they hate otakus That's a tad extreme considering Taro Aso, Japan's former prime minister said he was an otaku himself. Also "otaku" doesn't neccessarily have to be a foreign person. I do remember that there was a scare or fear of otakus back in the late '80s due to the "otaku murderer". Who coincidentally was also Japanese. Starting to see pattern here? (I know that many criticised this fear of otakus and blamed the media for spreading it) If there wasn't "otakus" in Japan the anime/manga industry wouldn't exist. I just think your'e being a Debra downer, Negative Nancy, etc... |
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| i never said otakus had to be foreigners i just said they hated them |
| ~"The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands." (Pirsig) |
Regicide said: i never said otakus had to be foreigners i just said they hated them For a country that hates otakus so much, they sure do feature alot of them in anime\manga. Not that I'm saying there isn't negative connotations with the term "otaku", but that they don't hate them... (much like being a geek, trekkie, or gamer though I find nothing wrong with that either. This isn't unlike American culture where the stereotypical "gamer" culture is frowned upon.) It was the Japanese manga authors who coined the term and began using it, many to describe themselves. Now aside from the past negativity brought about by the media, being an otaku can be something to take pride in. A good article to read is Lawrence Eng's "The Politics of Otaku" http://www.cjas.org/~leng/otaku-p.htm He really gives a nice backstory to otaku culture and how the negativity surrounds the Japanese youths becoming lazy and isolated, much like in the U.S. |
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For some reason, anime/manga sure do appear as beacons of tolerance, espousing liberal and progressive values, then. |
FaiyezAug 7, 2012 11:37 PM
Junryo_Otaku said: Regicide said: i never said otakus had to be foreigners i just said they hated them For a country that hates otakus so much, they sure do feature alot of them in animemanga. Not that I'm saying there isn't negative connotations with the term "otaku", but that they don't hate them... (much like being a geek, trekkie, or gamer though I find nothing wrong with that either. This isn't unlike American culture where the stereotypical "gamer" culture is frowned upon.) It was the Japanese manga authors who coined the term and began using it, many to describe themselves. Now aside from the past negativity brought about by the media, being an otaku can be something to take pride in. A good article to read is Lawrence Eng's "The Politics of Otaku" http://www.cjas.org/~leng/otaku-p.htm He really gives a nice backstory to otaku culture and how the negativity surrounds the Japanese youths becoming lazy and isolated, much like in the U.S. You're pretty much right. Otakus have become somewhat fashionable in major cities. Fashionable probably isn't the right word, but the whole otaku meme is celebrated as part of "Cool Japan" (anime, video games, pokemon, yadda yadda). It may mostly be a representation exported for foreigners and massive Akihabara tourist campaigns but it is not hated by any means. When I studied at a Japanese university, Japanese female students (many of them quite attractive) dressed up as various sub cultures for foreign students, one being otaku (tucked in plad shirt, jeans, glasses). I think the notion that Japan as a whole hates otakus is out of date, and for the most part was never true. |
Movie of the Week Humanity and Paper Balloons ( Sadao Yamanaka, 1937 ) If you are a fan of (or simply interested in) Japanese films then please join the Cinema of Japan club! Thank you (: |
traed said: Homophobic Xenophobic racist Afraid of people with AIDs Dislikes drug users commots suicide more than most countries Doesnt like emotionally unstable people Not proud of themselves So what I see here are some lists of the same 16 countries using data from the 1990's? That's sure some, umm.... compelling info there. |
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