Job Discussion Forums

[tokyo story]

I think a lot of foreigners are too self-conscious in Japan.

I couldn't care less how many people stare at me or make comments about my appearance, nor could I care whether they want to sit next to me on the train. If they don't want to sit, let them stand.

Nobody really wants to sit next to each other on the train, anyway. Think about how prized the end seat is.

My wife is Japanese and so are my best friends. So long as I have good friends, what the rest of the polace think about me doesn't really matter. If I were by myself, perhaps it would matter, but I made a concerted effort to make Japanese friends when I first got here.

In my opinion, a lot of foreigners who feel isolated in Japan have never done so. In some cases, their attitudes towards Japanese people prevent them from doing so. Let's not pretend that foreigners in Japan don't have stereotypical attitudes towards Japanese people or even prejudice/discrimination.

I'd rather get stared at, perhaps even made fun of, than hauled up at some bar having a foreigner rant to me about the Japanese.

[gaijinalways]

[Rooster_2006]

What I don't get is why foreigners in Japan (or Korea, or China, or anywhere else) choose such trivial things to complain about when there are far more valid things to complain about.

Why not complain about these things instead?
- The lack of a law preventing discrimination against foreigners or those of foreign appearance
- The lack of hate crime statutes for when someone attacks a foreigner
- The difficulty of getting permanent residency

At the end of the day, people staring at me has no effect whatsoever on my income, my ability to get a job, my personal safety, or anything else. The things I just mentioned do.

I just see a lot of bigger fish to fry.

[BradS]

To all the people who think that we're being ignorant about racism in other countries... this is the Japan forum! We're LIVING IN JAPAN!!! I'm sure if we were living in Australia, or India we would be discussing racism there, but we're LIVING IN JAPAN so racism here against ourselves and our friends and family is obviously more of an immediate issue for most of us.

I'm Australian, and would like to talk about racism in Australia but this is the Japan forum and that would be classed as off topic.

To the people who are beating the "If you don't want racism, go home" horse again... and again... and again... what if we live here now? What if we feel that racism is something worth fighting for? Not just every day weirdness but legal rights and issues as well.

There are Japanese people as well who are fighting the dated laws and hoping for a change. By some people's logic, these Japanese people shouldn't bother and just move to another country?

Come on.

[markle]

[gaijinalways]

[dove]

I agree. Being stared at is minor, trivial. Not being able to rent an apartment is NOT. Maybe expats who are just here for a few years shouldn't complain. But what about people who want to make a life here?

[markle]

[parrothead]

[AgentMulderUK]

I find it amusing that being stared at is considered racist behaviour?

You go somewhere different, expect different treatment.

[ripslyme]

[parrothead]

[Vince]

This kind of thread is like the Old Faithful of this forum. Somebody starts the thread to vent about an annoyance in Japan, and several posts into it people start indignantly chastising those who agree with the original post. The disagreements typically follow one of three themes: 1) that has never happened to me and is not the Japan I know, so all of you must be imagining things or doing something to cause it; 2) you're a foreigner and should gladly accept whatever you get; 3) this happens everywhere, even in your country (especially if you're American).

I sympathize with the OP and others who are frustrated by staring and the same old bag of stupid questions (stupid because of the implied assumptions). I've seen first-hand some obnoxious examples of staring. I remember a bespoke lady on a Tokyo train noticing me and actually adjusting herself in her seat so she could maintain her sophisticated posture as she stared at me like I was one of her department store gallery exhibits. I made eye contact with her and then did a double-take when she didn't react, but it didn't phase her in the least. No smile, nod, or other acknowledgment of me as a person, but just kept staring right into my face. This is an extreme example (I suspect she was playing a mind game with me), but a few such instances combined with insulting questions and overheard comments can start weighing on a person. Some frustration isn't unwarranted, but there's an obvious point at which people should start winding down their stay.

I kept balance by staying somewhat detached and seeing most of it as a study. I simply filed away instances of racism, xenophobia, and bumpkin behavior along with my other clippings, positive and not so positive, for my mental scrapbook of Japan.

[ripslyme]

[GIR]

Remember folks, staring at foreigners is a time-honored tradition here in Japan. If you don't love it, then you're a bigot and you should go back to where you came from. Because you're all from racist hellholes anyway. Stop oppressing Japanese culture.

And the next time you're wronged in some way, remember that you shouldn't complain, because so many others have it much worse than you.

Turned away from a restaurant? Some people are denied medical services!
Stared at for looking different? Some people are squirrel-handed!
Groped on the train? Some people are raped!
Punched in the face? Some people are beaten with chains!
Home vandalized? Some people's home systems are disintegrated by the Death Star!

Everybody's life is different, but most people's lives are much worse than yours. No two people are not on fire.