Job Discussion Forums

[sidjameson]

I'm going to try and cover this as a topic in one of my classes.

For instance. The way people dont so much as knock on your door as open it. Post office, landlord, even salepeople dont seem to think anything of just opening your front door and saying the "excuse me" line. I have literally been caught with my pants down on several occasions.

So anybody, what gets your goat?

[wolfman]

The absolute, complete lack of camaraderie between foreigners here.

Seriously, I'm not asking for a huge conversation with strangers, but jeez... if I nod at you, NOD BACK. C`mon people, we have something in common that so few people in the world share. Just acknowledge it.

[Sweetsee]

I'm with you wolfman. The sad thing is that this board mirrors that attitude. Can you imagine some of the regular posters here if you were to see them on the train? Right, you would see them but they would never see you.
Enjoy,
s

[saloc]

The lack of charity at a local level. No Oxfams etc to donate your clothes / books whatever to. That and "tarento" appearing on quiz shows and keeping the prize money.

[wolfman]

[callmesim]

I've started my own "nod and say hi" campaign. I got sick of it too and if I see a foreigner and we make eye contact, I acknowledge them with a friendly nod. If I get nothing in return, I usually mutter "w*nker" under my breath.

Do I do it to the locals? No. But that's because if we make eye contact it's because they're staring.

As for things that baffle me - the complete ignorance with world history. How many times have we heard the phrase "Chinese people hate us" and if you ask if they have any idea why, you get a blank stare.

I was talking to one of my students last week who's an ex-school teacher and he said they just don't cover WWII in schools because they teach history chronologically and run out of time. And if they have time, a lot choose not to teach it because it's not in the entrance exams so is therefore useless. We both couldn't understand this point. But as he said, there's the odd teacher out there who still teaches it because they know it's important.

Another baffling thing - reaction to the homeless. They just cease to exist. I once saw a woman fall off her bike once at slow speed and people rushed to her aid. I've also seen a homeless man lying on the footpath of a main road, bleeding from the face and crying for help and not only was he ignored, people didn't even react. It was if he was invisible.

[Chris21]

People that stand right in the doorway of a crowded train (even though there is plenty of space further into the train), making it really difficult for people to get on and off... drives me nuts!

[Dipso]

I really dislike the way traffic lights are arranged at crossroads. Why is it that even when the green man signal is on for pedestrians, vehicles can still turn the corner? I came very close to being run over a few weeks ago because of this - the driver came round the corner at speed, seemingly oblivious of the crossing. He screeched to a halt about a foot away from me, gazed momentarily at the freaked-out gaijin and then sped off again. Moron.

And don't even get me started on small kids without seat belts in the front seats of cars! What the hell is that about?

[furiousmilksheikali]

[callmesim]

[furiousmilksheikali]

[Venti]

Yeah, I agree. People pushing past without saying "excuse me", or anything at all, really sucks. Usually if someone gives me or my friend a good enough shove, be it an old fogey or a younger person, I usually give them a verbal tirade. The old ones usually bit#h back, but the younger ones stand there looking like they're going to cry. Complaining was one of the things I used to be terrible at doing in Japanese until I moved to Tokyo.
I also get tired of clerks at coffee shops and fast food restaurants always double and triple-checking my order before processing it even though they don't do this for the Japanese people in front of me in line. My Japanese isn't beautiful, but I have had to use it in my daily life for years; I'm fairly capable of having a conversation with just about anyone who doesn't use a really strong dialect and sure as hell can order in a restaurant (I'm thankful that I have at least one Japanese friend who will occasionally stand up for me if a clerk treats me like an idiot). It especially pisses me off when they point to the picture to make sure it's what I actually want. They also often use a smaller voice for me than with Japanese customers. It's as if they feel like they're wasting their breath and are somehow humiliated by having to try to interact with a foreigner who they think doesn't understand anything.
Maybe this is the fault of some stupid-ass foreigners who blew up at these clerks out of frustration when they couldn't properly communicate what they wanted, and if so, fu#k them too.

I'll stop the rant here.

[Glenski]

Ah, another thinly veiled thread at Japan bashing. For your class, eh? Just how do you expect to teach a bunch of complaints from foreigners to your students? Is this a culture class (or inter-culture)? What level are the students?

And, the concept of recognition of fellow foreigners has been done to death. Aside from being in Japan and probably not being born here, what else do you have in common? Some may be tourists (oh, yeah, I nod and greet every tourist I meet here and back home -- sarcasm mode on). Some may be on business trips. Some may be working here full-time. Some may be military. Some may not even be from the same country (and not recognize terms such as "wanker"). I don't see the point.

[Sweetsee]

How about one human being to another? Is that not enough in common to warrant acknowledgement? I pity those individuals unable to muster a smile for their fellow man.
Enjoy,
s

[c-way]