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kendoman1 · Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

I read an article today in the Daily Yomuri Foreigners ignored by census takers. Im wondering why someone is crying about not being included in the census process? IMO this is totally pathetic what a freakin loser! Do you actually think your information in the census is going to make a difference.
At the end of the article it said this letter was written by Jim Dunlop. I wonder if this is the same Jim Dunlop that is the moderator on this board?
If it is please quick crying over stupid stuff like this. You give every foreigner a bad name by writing such stupid stuff. Thank you rant over.

Willy_In_Japan · Joined: 20 Jul 2004 Posts: 329

I kind of wish they had ignored me during the census. It was a bit of a pain in the butt getting the forms filled out. I had to get a teacher to call City Hall and fax me the english translation.

The Census man was insistent that I fill it out.

Im not bothered either way, but you are supposed to fill it in even if you are a foreigner.

kendoman1 · Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

Right so why couldn't he have just tried to find the info like you.Instead of righting a big article in the newspaper? People like this make non-japanese look like big cry babies that can't take care of business by themselves. No wonder we can't get anything done around here. He should just go and take care of his business.

The Dog Ate My Keitai · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 67 Location: Japan

I read the letter and agreed with it completely.

In case you haven't been reading the papers or listening to the news, it's not just Jim Dunlop that's pi$$ed off about the whole munged affair. Many Japanese people have legitimate beefs as well... The entire organization and execution of this thing is being torn to shreds from A to Z (as it should be) and Dunlop has merely latched onto just one of the things that went wrong.

I think that all what it's trying to say, is that if you're going to MANDATE something and make it against the law not to participate, then the least you could do is make it somewhat accessible or friendly towards those who can't speak Japanese fluently. Why is that so wrong?

I have no doubts that the author has sufficient capability to find out the relevant information if needed to, but why the heck should he? It's not his job. If this census is so darned important to the government, why don't they make an effort? Even the NHK collectors and Jehovah's Witnesses that come to my door bring English information with them because the representatives aren't bilingual... I guess it's because they're after my money and my soul, respectively, which is a lot more than just a questionaire.

Just to see what he was talking about, I plugged in the search terms he mentioned in his letter -- indeed the resulting page is not helpful in the least. (here, by the way: http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/kokusei/e_cen_en.htm ) At least the Japanese page gives contact information.

Anyway, I think that more foreigners should write letters into Japanese newspapers. It's got absolutely nothing to do with whining. It's got everything to do with having a voice. Thousands of foreigners live in Japan, whose voices are ignored because they are not citizens with the right to vote. Yet, they pay their taxes just like Japanese people too and have concerns which deserve to be addressed. Kendoman sounds like one of those people who chooses to have blinders on and says, "Just shut up and and mind your own business and don't draw attention to yourself." Unfortuantely, we're not ever going to improve anything with that kind of attitude.

Just my two bits, anyway.

JimDunlop2 · Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Posts: 2286 Location: Japan

kendoman1 · Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

The dog ate my keitai quote "Just shut up and mind your own business and don't draw attention to yourself" This is exactly what the letter is doing. How is that letter going to fix anything? People will take that paper and put it in there dog house for there dog to piss on. What I'm saying is don't write about it in the paper go and meet them face to face and settle it. I have done this several times while I have been in Japan. Why hide behind a letter that is going to do no good. Jim Dunlop is always writing letters to the paper. Why can't he go and speak face to face with these people? If you read this board you will see that Mr. Dunlop was or is trying to sue his landlord over replacing the tatami mat in his apartment after moving. This is common in japan for the leaving tenant to replace the mats, yet he complains about this and about the census hint hint.

pnksweater · Joined: 24 Mar 2005 Posts: 173 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Things must be different in your wards/cities. Setagaya ward Tokyo had English translations of all the questions and a key to the bubble sheet. I'm sure they put it together in a hurry because while the translations were sound they put all the spaces in the wrong places. Kin do f li ke this.

My census taker was a bit nervouse dealing with a gaijin, but by the time he came back to fix an oversight of his he was much more comfortable. Perhaps because it finally dawned on him that I spoke Japanese, or wasn't a baby killer... or ?

Overall I was pleased with my experience. I'll admit my expectations have fallen since moving here. But it did feel nice to be included officially in the population of Japan.

6810 · Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 309

kendoman1 · Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 69

6810 quote"If foreigneers are excluded,deliberately or otherwise through incompetence or out right discrimination" I see just because he or someone didn't get to fill out the census they were discriminated against? That is total horse shit all he had to do if he was that concerned about it was make a call or do like one of the above posters did. If your going to write about something make it something good or be like the boy that cried wolf. If he didn't get to fill out a census form it's his own fault.

Lynn · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 696 Location: in between

In 2000, I filled out the form. It was really easy, and didn't take much time at all. The guy said he would come back for it. I just left it sticking out of my mail slot.

freddie's friend daniel · Joined: 17 Apr 2005 Posts: 84 Location: Osaka-fu

Like Pnksweater says, here in Osaka at least I was offered the forms in English and the census lady seemed to have them in a range of other languages too.
I wasn't able to find Jim's letter online so I don't know what was written. Maybe I'm repeating then if I say that after all the posters they had up everywhere featuring a stock (fair-hair, blue eyes...sure, that's all of us, isn't it?) foreigner and emphasising the importance of us all participating in the census, it's the authorities' responsibility to provide easy access to the required info to all those they want to survey. Surely it's not up to us to go begging to be allowed to give our information to the census lot.
Or maybe, since the guy in the poster was in the full kimono, sitting-on-my knees-for-hours-on-end-is-second-nature-to-me pose,...maybe they are only interested in acclimatised foreigners, the ones who can read Japanese.

Gordon · Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 5309 Location: Japan

Certainly no translation where I live and in fact, they said there is no translation anywhere. It was a pain in the butt to fill out and I don't think it is reasonable for people to have to get help in filling it out. Japan shoud provide a translation in a number of languages if it is important to them. Japan is one of the most uninternational (not sure if that is a word, but it should be) countries I've ever been to, yet they pretend they are not.

homersimpson · Joined: 14 Feb 2003 Posts: 569 Location: Kagoshima

Guess I'm lucky. In my hamlet they apparently showed up while I was at work, left the form in my mailbox, indicating they would return on the 4th of October. If they did, they chose the same time they initially arrived. Some people "actually" work. I filled the damn form out for nothing. I considered taping the filled-out form to my front door, but thought that would provide irrational confusion on the part of the census taker.

guest of Japan · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 1601 Location: Japan

They do apparantly have an English form, but don't tend to carry it. Since my wife is Japanese doing the form didn't cause much fuss. The foreigner I work with did his in Japanese too, but his Japanese is pretty high. I looked over the form before my wife did it and it didn't seem too taxing.

osakajojo · Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 229

The guy came to our apartment (4th floor-no elevator) while I was at work and my wife told him I was an English speaking foreigner so he came back a few days later with a translation page. He said he would return on Sat or Sun the next weekend to pick it up. He came Sat but my wife hadnt filled her form out yet and was at work, so I just didnt bother answering the door. We left it sticking out of the mail slot on Sunday. We came back from shopping and found he left a note saying he got it. no problem. Just feel bad for the guy having to go up and down those stairs so many times.