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matador
Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 281
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:56 am Post subject: Is Japan changing and becoming open to more foreigners? |
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Q. Are there many non-Japanese (such as Chinese) working in convenience stores like 7/11 in Tokyo? Is it very rare or normal? Thanks. |
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Pitarou
Joined: 16 Nov 2009 Posts: 1116 Location: Narita, Japan
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 3:35 am Post subject: Re: Is Japan changing and becoming open to more foreigners? |
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matador wrote: |
Q. Are there many non-Japanese (such as Chinese) working in convenience stores like 7/11 in Tokyo? Is it very rare or normal? Thanks. |
What the hell has Chinese workers on the graveyard shift got to do with Japan changing and opening up to foreigners? |
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hagiwaramai
Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 119 Location: Marines Stadium
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 5:06 am Post subject: |
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Apparently there's a guy called Lawson working at one Tokyo Lawsons. Big news! |
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matador
Joined: 07 Mar 2003 Posts: 281
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:14 am Post subject: |
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Just pondering whether anyone had noticed a trend over the past 3 or so years of more non-Japanese in the workforce particularly in the retail sector. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:29 am Post subject: |
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I see non-Japanese (Koreans, Chinese, Indians mostly) working at convenience stores, chain coffee shops like Doutor and fast food places (McDonald's in particular) a lot these days in Tokyo. I've seen Americans working at Starbucks too.
Yes, I'd say it's a trend of the last 4-5 years or so. Whether it means Japan is opening up a lot to foreigners I'm not sure! |
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jmatt
Joined: 29 Apr 2012 Posts: 122
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:49 am Post subject: |
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Apsara wrote: |
I see non-Japanese (Koreans, Chinese, Indians mostly) working at convenience stores, chain coffee shops like Doutor and fast food places (McDonald's in particular) a lot these days in Tokyo. I've seen Americans working at Starbucks too.
Yes, I'd say it's a trend of the last 4-5 years or so. Whether it means Japan is opening up a lot to foreigners I'm not sure! |
Considering that most convenience store transactions only involve a limited number of set phrases (not to say that non-Japanese workers can't speak the language) and very little, if any, chit-chat with customers (at least in Tokyo), makes sense that foreign workers would be in those jobs. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:37 am Post subject: |
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jmatt,
I'd have to disagree. There are plenty of things that could be confusing for a clerk to learn. It's not just, "Here's your change. Thank you".
They deal with vendors and questions about paying bills through the mail. They would have to READ a lot, too, especially those forms for paying bills.
Re: Chinese
Be aware that many might not be immigrants. They might have been born here like the zainichi Koreans. |
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jmatt
Joined: 29 Apr 2012 Posts: 122
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 7:44 am Post subject: |
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Glenski wrote: |
jmatt,
I'd have to disagree. There are plenty of things that could be confusing for a clerk to learn. It's not just, "Here's your change. Thank you".
They deal with vendors and questions about paying bills through the mail. They would have to READ a lot, too, especially those forms for paying bills.
Re: Chinese
Be aware that many might not be immigrants. They might have been born here like the zainichi Koreans. |
You're right, and that's what I was getting at----though, would the average foreigner be able to tell if the clerk wasn't native born Japanese, but Chinese or Korean raised in Japan?
Along those lines, just sort of compared it to the convenience stores near my house here---lots of social back and forth I'd never experienced in stores in Japan, where things were more formalized. |
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GambateBingBangBOOM
Joined: 04 Nov 2003 Posts: 2021 Location: Japan
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 12:50 pm Post subject: |
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jmatt wrote: |
Glenski wrote: |
jmatt,
I'd have to disagree. There are plenty of things that could be confusing for a clerk to learn. It's not just, "Here's your change. Thank you".
They deal with vendors and questions about paying bills through the mail. They would have to READ a lot, too, especially those forms for paying bills.
Re: Chinese
Be aware that many might not be immigrants. They might have been born here like the zainichi Koreans. |
You're right, and that's what I was getting at----though, would the average foreigner be able to tell if the clerk wasn't native born Japanese, but Chinese or Korean raised in Japan?
Along those lines, just sort of compared it to the convenience stores near my house here---lots of social back and forth I'd never experienced in stores in Japan, where things were more formalized. |
If someone were raised in Japan, how would a Japanese-born Japanese person know they were Chinese or Korean, but raised in Japan either? That would be like walking into a store in Canada and being able to tell that the caucasian guy behind the counter was born in Poland or wherever but had grown up in Canada (and therefore had a Canadian accent when he was speaking etc). Or even that the guy's parents had immigrated, but he, himself, had been born and raised in Canada and may or may not even speak Polish, and yet someone would just somehow know.
(and I'm not sure it would be easy to get a visa to work at 7/11. It's not like they need to import people to do that job. That means that the number of people who actually immigrated to Japan [as opposed to they, themselves being born here], who are working at a retail job is likely very low- probably mostly people on spousal visas or permanent residents). |
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Cool Teacher
Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:12 pm Post subject: |
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jmatt wrote: |
Glenski wrote: |
jmatt,
I'd have to disagree. There are plenty of things that could be confusing for a clerk to learn. It's not just, "Here's your change. Thank you".
They deal with vendors and questions about paying bills through the mail. They would have to READ a lot, too, especially those forms for paying bills.
Re: Chinese
Be aware that many might not be immigrants. They might have been born here like the zainichi Koreans. |
You're right, and that's what I was getting at----though, would the average foreigner be able to tell if the clerk wasn't native born Japanese, but Chinese or Korean raised in Japan?
Along those lines, just sort of compared it to the convenience stores near my house here---lots of social back and forth I'd never experienced in stores in Japan, where things were more formalized. |
I'M an average foreigner and I know when a Chinese person hasn't been born in Japan by the accent. |
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hagiwaramai
Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 119 Location: Marines Stadium
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:19 pm Post subject: |
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Glenski wrote: |
jmatt,
I'd have to disagree. There are plenty of things that could be confusing for a clerk to learn. It's not just, "Here's your change. Thank you".
They deal with vendors and questions about paying bills through the mail. They would have to READ a lot, too, especially those forms for paying bills.
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Ha. Potentially true but they would only have to react like the average Japanese clerk to a question ("doing something different, asking a question??!! Huh?? I'll get the supervisor") and they'd be fine.
I have noticed more foreigners in convenience stores recently though, mainly Chinese and South American Japanese, compared to 10/15 years ago. |
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Cool Teacher
Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 930 Location: Here, There and Everywhere! :D
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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hagiwaramai wrote: |
Glenski wrote: |
jmatt,
I'd have to disagree. There are plenty of things that could be confusing for a clerk to learn. It's not just, "Here's your change. Thank you".
They deal with vendors and questions about paying bills through the mail. They would have to READ a lot, too, especially those forms for paying bills.
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Ha. Potentially true but they would only have to react like the average Japanese clerk to a question ("doing something different, asking a question??!! Huh?? I'll get the supervisor") and they'd be fine.
I have noticed more foreigners in convenience stores recently though, mainly Chinese and South American Japanese, compared to 10/15 years ago. |
It's good for diversity. But will it trouble the wa? |
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hagiwaramai
Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 119 Location: Marines Stadium
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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Cool Teacher wrote: |
hagiwaramai wrote: |
Glenski wrote: |
jmatt,
I'd have to disagree. There are plenty of things that could be confusing for a clerk to learn. It's not just, "Here's your change. Thank you".
They deal with vendors and questions about paying bills through the mail. They would have to READ a lot, too, especially those forms for paying bills.
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Ha. Potentially true but they would only have to react like the average Japanese clerk to a question ("doing something different, asking a question??!! Huh?? I'll get the supervisor") and they'd be fine.
I have noticed more foreigners in convenience stores recently though, mainly Chinese and South American Japanese, compared to 10/15 years ago. |
It's good for diversity. But will it trouble the wa? |
Oh, undoubtedly. Which should be a good thing. |
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steki47
Joined: 20 Apr 2008 Posts: 1029 Location: BFE Inaka
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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hagiwaramai wrote: |
I have noticed more foreigners in convenience stores recently though, mainly Chinese and South American Japanese, compared to 10/15 years ago. |
Wow! Moving around the world to work at 7-11. That sounds really depressing. Is it better than the factory work they usually get? |
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OneJoelFifty
Joined: 06 Oct 2009 Posts: 463
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Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:25 pm Post subject: |
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GambateBingBangBOOM wrote: |
jmatt wrote: |
Glenski wrote: |
jmatt,
I'd have to disagree. There are plenty of things that could be confusing for a clerk to learn. It's not just, "Here's your change. Thank you".
They deal with vendors and questions about paying bills through the mail. They would have to READ a lot, too, especially those forms for paying bills.
Re: Chinese
Be aware that many might not be immigrants. They might have been born here like the zainichi Koreans. |
You're right, and that's what I was getting at----though, would the average foreigner be able to tell if the clerk wasn't native born Japanese, but Chinese or Korean raised in Japan?
Along those lines, just sort of compared it to the convenience stores near my house here---lots of social back and forth I'd never experienced in stores in Japan, where things were more formalized. |
If someone were raised in Japan, how would a Japanese-born Japanese person know they were Chinese or Korean, but raised in Japan either? |
My girlfriend mentioned the other day that she could tell the people working at a restaurant were Chinese...from the way they handed the menus to us with one hand. Perhaps they were just less well-trained Japanese, but there are things that distinguish one group from another. |
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