Job Discussion Forums

[fox1]

yeah... I know. crazy..ridiculous..

How would I go down with a Japanese name here?... Hidekazu, Ichibei, Tekkan and so on. Chinese call themselves Ed and Kevin and Nancy and so on all the time.

[ndorfn]

Good idea!

How about Kusotare or Boke? Great for getting into fights, "Hey Kuso, what are you doing?" "Who you calling Kuso, wanna have a go do ya mate?"

[Zzonkmiles]

You'll find that many Chinese, Indian, and Koreans will adopt Western names if they study abroad or come in contact with a lot of native English speakers. Those names tend to be very difficult to pronounce, as they often contain phonemes that are not included in English.

"Srinivasan" and "Xiaoxia" and "Jeong-Bae" do not exactly roll off of a native English speaker's tongue so easily. So to make it easier for native English speakers, they adopt names like "Lilly" or "Barry" or whatever. Some of them also adopt these names because they want to "fit in" with the Western culture--a practice I personally disagree with because I think your name is your identity and you should always be proud of who you are wherever you are. I, for one, am not going to adopt a Japanese name just to help me blend in more in Japan.

As for the Japanese, their names are generally not exceptionally difficult to pronounce because almost all of their phonemes also exist in English. "Hideki" and "Michiko" might not sound like English names, but native English speakers should be able to pronounce them reasonably well. Sometimes a Japanese (particularly a male) will ask you to call him by a nickname ("My name is Takamitsu, but you can call me Taka."), which should make things a bit easier. I think the reason why the Japanese don't adopt Western names is because of this reason as well as a lack of feeling the need to "fit in" so much with a foreign culture to the extent that adopting a Western nickname is necessary.

[fox1]

ahhhh.... yeah BUT:

in China, I had a Chinese name, as do very many "gaijin" there

I get what you say about "your name is your name"... however, on the other side of the coin, it is just something to do.. it doesn't change your essence (: on the +side those factors would be:). One of the reasons to do it would be, similar to let's say, the Chinese overseas (and it's not ALL about fitting in)... more perhaps a "When in Rome..." mentality

[fox1]

[guest of Japan]

The Japanese have a separate alphabet for foreign words so there is no reason to have a Japanese name. I think most Japanese would feel uncomfortable calling someone with a non-Asian looking face by a Japanese name. I've known several Japanese who have given themselves foreign names when abroad. It's usually due to pronunciation problems.

This idea of yours relates very closely to the half Japanese thread in which you lambast others for being obtuse. Quite simply, the Japanese want you as a foreigner, an outsider, an observer, and someone to pull information or a skill from. The Japanese will quite happily adapt to living ouside of Japan, but they do not want someone coming into their circle which is decreed by bloodlines. If you take a Japanese name the Japanese will call you a henna gaijin (strange foreigner) and laugh at you every chance they get. Adapting to Japan as a foreigner is learning not to try to adapt to Japan. Maybe after you've been here 20 years, speak fluent Japanese and are deeply entrenched economically and socially it will be a different situation, but honestly, I doubt it would be.

[lajzar]

I have a kanji hanko. I needed it for some obscure reason, and there was no way to fit all the kana for my name on such a tiny little thing, so kanji was the only way to go.

An unexpected side effect of this is that now, the city office sends all official correspondence address to me using that kanji name.

[abufletcher]

On the topic of adopting a Japanese name, I'd stay it'd go down about the same as you wearing a yukata around town on a daily basis.

Still, I can understand where you're coming from and appreciate the desire to try to "blend in" to a local culture. When I was a wee young expat I tried this out in Kuwait and had a full closet of dishdasha's tailored up and wore those everyday both to work and around town. My Kuwaiti students seemed to like it but most other expats were oddly bothered by it. It was "letting down the side" or "going local."

If I were in the right situation I'd definitely try to adopt local dress but I haven't been many places in the world where local dress feels right (and I've been to A LOT of places). The exception was when I was traveling in southern Yemen shortly after the two Yemens reunited. I wore the typical Yemeni wrap around "skirt" and it definitely made it easiler for people to accept my presence -- and since I was there as a photojournalist this was very important. I spoke more Arabic in that one month than I had in 5 years in Oman.

And on the matter of people from other countries adopting English names, I just can't shake the feeling that this is somehow a form of linguistic imperialism. Although it's good to hear that many foreigners in China take on Chinese names. Maybe I'm wrong on this.

[fox1]

[Glenski]

Wanting a Japanese name just for the sake of wanting one is strange, not only to the Japanese that you will have to deal with, but to your fellow foreigners. It's like the guy who legally changed his name to a number.

Unless you can convince close associates to call you by a Japanese name, I'd suggest doing without. You're only asking for trouble.

It's not trendy.
It's not easy to understand.
It's not going to gain you anything.

[PAULH]

Dont forget Debito Arudo changed his name from his American name, but he had to as part of his naturalisation process. Konishiki was the same and the guy from Finland who became an MP in Japan has a Japanese name as well. Its very strange for foreigners to give themselves Japanese names unless there is a legal reason to do so and there will be little need to use such a name as you can not use a Japanese name on drivers licence, bank accounts, rental leases, video cards, passports etc.

[lajzar]

No issue there. My hanko's kanji were carefully chosen to reflect the pronunciation of my actual name. So its still the same name, just a different script.

[Birdog3344]

I say go for it. Most Japanese will undoubtledly find it more than a bit odd, as many on this board have, but why should that stop you? Might want to think thru your reasons for doing it as you will inevitably be asked 'why' and if you give a concrete answer there will be less chance of offending or being seem as mocking. And despite a general dissaproval of foreign assimilation, its been my experience that there are quite a few Japanese who are honored by and genuinely interested in helping foreigners get a first-hand Japanese experience.

[Glenski]

[maya.the.bee]

similar topic - different question. I was born near Tokyo and was named after my mother's Japanese friend. While being very germanic looking and not living in Japan for since I was a baby, I wonder how this would affect getting a job. I've lived my entire life responding to this name and would feel strange adopting a (new) nickname. So might I get around not explaining my name everytime I was introduced to someone new?

maya
(current nickname)