Job Discussion Forums

[MTR]

I am almost certain that the vast majority of foreigners living in Japan have a positive view of Japanese people. It is true though that many people use forums as a way to vent their frustrations and so there does tend to be a bit of negativity on here. Anyways well done for trying to redress the balance starteacher.

Here are a few of the positive experiences I have had in my three short months on Japanese soil:

Making my way from Narita to my new home required me to change train three times. My company provided me with tickets and guidelines on where and when to change train. As it turned out they bought me a ticket for one train company and guidelines for another. Feeling confused and stressed that I may be late for my first day at work I will be eternally grateful to the station announcer who directed me to the correct platform, gave me a map, circled the stops where I would be required to change and wrote down all the train times.

One morning I got a puncture (two as it turned out) as I cycled to school. The school janitor noticed me pushing the bike as I arrived and by the end of the day had not only fixed the punctures but sorted a problem with my breaks that the shop I bought it from had been unable to deal with in three attempts.

There have been many times when I have gone out to try the bars around my city without the company of any of the other local gaijin. On every occasion I have found that many locals have been more than happy to drink with me and enjoyed having a conversation comprising of my broken Japanese and their broken English. Several times I have attempted to pay my bill (which can be substantial) only to find that it has already been paid for by people so generous that they paid and left without looking for so much as a thanks in return.

On my first visit to Tokyo I got very lost trying to walk from a bar to my hotel. After three hours of walking and no closer to my hotel than when I started I asked a Japanese girl for directions. By this point it was 4 am and the most sensible thing she could have done is body swerved the drunken gaijin. She though wanted to help and looked at the map I was hopelessly trying to follow. She told me it was too great a distance to walk and hailed a taxi. She also told me I was far too drunk try and direct the taxi driver who looked about 145 years old and so she came with me. She said it was on her route home but I suspect she was trying to make me feel less guilty and probably left herself with an expensive taxi ride home.

I have experienced several other acts of kindness but since it seems I cant write anything concisely I better spare anyone who was read this far and keep them to myself for now.