Job Discussion Forums

Eleckid · Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Posts: 102 Location: Aichi, Japan

This was taken out from a textbook. I was teaching this lesson & found this quite interesting, so I'm just curious about other's opinions from their experience(s). If you have other ideas, feel free to state them here.

If you have more than 1 choice, choose the 1st most important one, & state your other top choices here (please choose a max. of 5 most important things).

Hopefully this can help out other people who might be feeling a little out of place working/living in another country. Very Happy

I wanted to add more choices (ex. listening to their music, watching tv shows from there, preparing food from that culture, etc.) but it won't let me add anymore choices...

bshabu · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 200 Location: Kumagaya

I would say its not just one thing that make an "identity". Of course friends. Learning about the culture getting involved with local attivities like Martial Arts and what not.

I am invloved in various things. They are all involved with making me who I am in Japan.

AndyH · Joined: 30 Sep 2004 Posts: 417

Before I write anything else, let me state that I chose "having friends" as the answer.
Those of us who are gaijin in Japan may appreciate the culture and people, but we will never be "Japanese"!! I don't care if you learn to play the shamisen, memorize 1,000 kanji, become an expert on Kurosawa Akira, Murakami Haruki, and know all the members of SMAP and Orange Range, you will always be a foreigner here. That's just the way it is!!! If you try to pretend otherwise, you'll just make a fool of yourself!

Please axcuse me, but this posting was written under the influence of large quantities of sake and Asahi Super Dry, courtesy of my Japanese soon-to-be- in-laws!!!