Job Discussion Forums

[Maitoshi]

It takes you four bites or less to polish off a conbini onigiri, but you feel stuffed after eating only two.

[Maitoshi]

No matter how much you drink, you can find your way home by subway, bus, or by foot, if necessary.

[Maitoshi]

You can post to Dave's after most people would have curled up around the toilet, praying that the porcelain gods would let you return to bed.

[nicenicegaijin]

You think it is reasonable to pay 3,000 yen for a taxi rather than walk 30 minutes to go back home after the last train.

You buy local sweets/food to bring them home as omiyage, even though your weekend trip was just 100 km from home.

You can fall asleep on the train and wake up at your stop.

You notice improvement in your Nihongo when you start ordering "hotto doggu" instead of "atsui inu"!

You go back to your home country and are surprised to see so many "gaijin".

You start saying "eeeh" and "oooh" in front of the TV, just to do like everybody.

You check which dog is popular at the moment before buying one.

The very thought of taking a bath without showering first makes you feel dirty

You still call non-Japanese “Gaijin” even when you’re outside Japan.
You see a gaijin get on the train and think “Wow, it’s a Gaijin!”

[RM1983]

You panic if another white person makes eye contact with you on the street

You could class Trolling (other) ALTs as a hobby

You think your job teaching 10 hours at a University/High School a week is crucial to the future of Japan

You start flame wars about your salary on Dave's

You become a stock-market wizard

You think paying ¥1200 for a 3/4 pint of something that tastes "hoppy" makes you less of an alcoholic somehow

[Maitoshi]

You start a "You know you've been in Japan awhile when..." thread.

[Maitoshi]

You reply to one.

[nightsintodreams]

...the act of someone treating you like a human is cherished and brightens up your day.

[Shonai Ben]

You notice yourself bowing when you say goodbye on your phone.

[kzjohn]

You know the Japanese names of a lot of fish, but have no idea what they're called in English.

[nightsintodreams]

^^Ha ha! So true. The students from my eikaiwa lesson often name fish in English and I have to ask them what it is in Japanese so I know what they're talking about.

[Didah]

Greetings,

I think I knew that I had been in Japan a while (or too long) is that the longer I was there, the less I understood about the people, culture and country. Back in the 1980s and 90s, there was no shortage of books on doing business in Japan, culture and language. I went there armed with the knowledge from many of those books, courses and seminars and yet, the longer I was there, I had more questions than answers.

Another indication that I had been in Japan a while or too long is when the goofy English sayings on various types of clothing began to make sense. I always thougtht that there was a fortune to be made in editiing Japanese apparel and signs for English content.

Kind of an introspecitive thread.

[nicenicegaijin]

You get trolled by ALTs pretending to be high net worth individuals.

[nicenicegaijin]

You work at a uni, but everyone thinks you are an ALT and faking it.

[Maitoshi]

It becomes harder and harder to take anything too seriously without hurting yourself.