Job Discussion Forums

[ESLteacher]

cc

[scot47]

Should this not be on the "Japan" Forum ?

[ESLteacher]

The Japan forum seemed to be all Job related. This posting is about culture and not ESL teaching. Which forum would you suggest for this type of posting?

[khmerhit]

Pay no attention to our Scot---- He's a good man but he likes things to be tidy, and dont we ALL? But to use his words, SHEEECH mon, this is a cafe!!!

Any rate, ESLteach, to what do you attribute your being ripped off? Is it a sign of a trend, is the economy in a bad way, or what? Please speculate!!!
Keep tis anomalous thread alive, since theyre all anomalous really, pace dr Scot!

[Steiner]

It's interesting. In China everyone tries to charge you double. Bargaining, haggling, wheedling, and pleading for a fair price are part of everyday life here. To a great many Chinese, white face=rich person. Roger and others can tell you about when it was actually government policy to charge foreigners more than locals for things like train tickets.

In how many other cultures is it normal to have to bargain for everything if you don't want to be ripped off? Apparently it's not normal to have to do so in Japan....

[scot47]

Bargainiong, haggling, wheeling & dealing. That is something that has A:WAYS been a problem for me. What is about us that makes it so diffciult to do that ? In some cultures people take it for granted and actually get a pleasure from it.

Aaaaagh !

[double agent]

great pic Stiener...



whats wrong with you anyway dude...

you all right ?

[ESLteacher]

Double Agent, Khmerhit, Steiner, Sunaru, Scot47
Re: NAGAI, OSAKA

Gentlemen,
And for some of you I use the term losely. I have in fact been in China and am well aware of the daily haggling and rip-offs that are applied to foreigners.
This isn`t whining or crying, but a look at cultures. If you didn`t realize this already, Japan has the reputation of being world class in customer service. This includes not ripping off customers. I wonder why in these two instances these people would jeopardize that reputation for a petty `win the moment` gratification. For the one year i lived in Japan i never had this happen to me.

Khmerhit: `What is the cause of this?`

Good question. Perhaps things have changed since last time i was here, and Japan has lost their position as a leader in customer service. Or, perhaps, someone just wanted to play with this foreinger. Or perhaps it was the all to popular sting to see what English words the foreigner will vomit in frustration. Or, perhaps Khmerhit, there is more to this topic than meets the eye. Hmmm. Perhaps, Khmerhit and the others, this string is monitored by people who dont actually participate in the forum. Hmmm, the plot thickens.

You draw your own conclusion about NAGAI STADIUM/PARK and the sushi restaurant in NAGAI, OSAKA. As simple as this topic seems to be, it is true. And, yes I am all right, there is nothing wrong with me.

[Cobra]

Hey teach:

Didn't I read somewhere that you are back in San Diego now?

[ESLteacher]

No, I`m not in San Diego, but in NAGAI, OSAKA JAPAN

[mrAndrew]

While this hardly relates to Osaka, I thought I would share this. In the train stations in Vietnam there two giant boards with ticket prices one local price and one foreigner price. About double if I recall, I thought the big sign was funny, but this was the case on all non air transport there.

[stgeorge]

if you get overcharged let them know of their "mistake" and give them the appropriate amount. i do wish some people would use common sense rather than whining so.

[Bogazicibaby]

Hi all,
Here in Istanbul there are many hamams. My friends and I went to one- some of our group were Turks- When we got there, there was a sign that said Turks one price and Foreigners another price- about triple what Turks pay.
Not all hammams are like that. In the touristic places here its very easy to get outrageous prices quoted. I was once quoted 10 million Turkish Lira for a 750 thousand shoe shine. My friend was charged 15 million for a taxi ride from the Taksim area to her home. The normal price is 3-4 million depending on the route.
It is a hassle getting charged higher prices because people think we are tourists. I really cringe when I have to bargain for prices but I have learned to do it or suffer no money in my pocket syndrome.
Just thought I would share some experiences from Turkey to compare with those of Japan from ESL teachers experience.

[kimo]

Sorry, I'm a little slow today - "kyoo chotto baka da boku wa", but did you LET those people overcharge you? Did you know they were doing it at the time and did not do anything or did you discover later? Prices in Japan are high enough as it is. A little quick math could have alerted you easily. After the first time, it would have been good to pay attention more closely. International venues everywhere are notorious for ripping foreigners off. Honest service sometimes goes out the window. The habit just carried over from the World Cup. You weren't paying attention. And btw, Osaka is full of Asians from other countries - maybe they were Koreans or Chinese, or a gaijin (white foreigner) in makeup who saw you coming. (Want to have some fun. If your Chinese language is real good and you see a face that is obviously Chinese, say, "Ni hao. Women zai Zhongguo jianmian ne." You will absolutely freak that person out if he/she is Chinese.)

Remember what Gomer Pyle used to say that Grandma Pyle used to say, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Gambatte ne! Now check out some Japanese TV http://www.garp.ru/fun/pingpong.swf

[ESLteacher]

NAGAI OSAKA

Kimo,
Tell me something I don`t know already. The point of the post regarding NAGAI OSAKA and rip-offs, seems to be beyond you. Thanks for coming out.