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TokyoLiz
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Posts: 1548
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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kzjohn
Joined: 30 Apr 2014
Posts: 277
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 Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2015 9:58 pm Post subject: |
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I suppose I'm a successful foreign man here. 27+ years in my present job, plus two before that in Tokyo. Still married after all these years. 
Less than two to go till pension/retirement (will stay here). A couple successful kids, 25 and 21, and tho the younger is still in uni, that's 東大 and science so no worries.
Japan has been wonderful for us. I wouldn't change a thing. |
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Chroniclesoffreedom
Joined: 13 Jan 2015
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2015 2:33 am Post subject: |
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| bluetortilla wrote: |
Two hours later- just an update.
The police who stopped me the other day just came to my apartment. They wanted to 'check if I was doing OK.' And to double check that I was 'American' (though they didn't ask for i.d.).
It seems to me that this is just harassment.
This place is getting creepier all the time. I kind of feel like the police can come back anytime they want and search my house or whatever (all they'll find is some pasta and cans of sardines). Can't wait to leave. |
Well I'm thinking of scratching Japan off my list.
I was told by someone before that we are only guests in Japan. Yeah if you come to travel and sight see for about 3 weeks on a tourist visa and then go home. I could see that as only a guest. But living in Japan as an immigrant, having "permanent residence" and all that. I wouldn't consider myself a guest in any country if my visa was a resident visa and was therefore working there and earning my way.
| kzjohn wrote: |
I suppose I'm a successful foreign man here. 27+ years in my present job, plus two before that in Tokyo. Still married after all these years.
Less than two to go till pension/retirement (will stay here). A couple successful kids, 25 and 21, and tho the younger is still in uni, that's 東大 and science so no worries.
Japan has been wonderful for us. I wouldn't change a thing. |
It's always good to hear from someone who's experience was mainly positive. |
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Chroniclesoffreedom
Joined: 13 Jan 2015
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2015 2:43 am Post subject: Re: 20 Years After- I'm Outta Here! :D |
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| bluetortilla wrote: |
Wanted to stay but hit a bump in the road and, as a permanent resident of Japan, came back to Japan.
I've had nothing but trouble here, have been unable to find a job of any value, I speak and read Japanese fluently (JLPT 1) but no one seems to care at all, I have long experience as a test tutor (trying to focus on TOEIC) but could not find any place to teach; in short, despite having decades of experience and many credentials, I was not even able to get low-level 1000 yen an hour job, much less a 'prestigious' job like an ALT!. |
What city are you in? |
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nightsintodreams
Joined: 18 May 2010
Posts: 558
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| Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 5:29 am Post subject: |
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I was stopped again by the police this week while riding my bike. I asked them why and they openly said because there had been crimes by foreigners commited in the nearby area and they need to check my identity. I'm not sure how truthful that was because I live a bit out of the way, there are hardly any foreigners here. I could go a month or longer without seeing one so I highly doubt that there are foreigners in the area commiting a lot of crimes, especially not white guys. They then took a photo of my gaijin card and asked a lot of intruding questions about my personal life.
Then last week at a nomikai one of my co workers openly said "All foreigners in Japan are bad" and not one person disagreed with her or said anything, even though I was right there.
I questioned her about it and asked her why we were bad, what we had done, what race are the Yakuza, bicycle theives, upskirt photographers, rapists, pedophiles, murderers, bullies etc in this country. She didn't have any response.
I really feel like things are getting worse here guys, get ready to leave when things go full nationalist retard. |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 6:44 am Post subject: |
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Things have gone worse since the election in 2012.
The economy is bad.
When the yen was 80 to the dollar, that was great.
No LDP in power for a few years so I felt things were changing.
Now it is 120 to the dollar and I must work harder for less money.
If I could make a decent salary I could convince myself to stay but I can't so no sense for me to stay here.
I can get tenure and make more money as a teacher in my own country.
Abe looks like he is not going anywhere so I am not optimistic. Taxes are going up, and the sales tax will go up to 10%
To me, suffering ignorance from people with such a myopic sense of the world is just boring. I am getting tired of being a minority. |
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Lamarr
Joined: 27 Sep 2010
Posts: 190
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| Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 11:41 am Post subject: |
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| nightsintodreams wrote: |
| I was stopped again by the police this week while riding my bike. I asked them why and they openly said because there had been crimes by foreigners commited in the nearby area and they need to check my identity. I'm not sure how truthful that was because I live a bit out of the way, there are hardly any foreigners here. I could go a month or longer without seeing one so I highly doubt that there are foreigners in the area commiting a lot of crimes, especially not white guys. They then took a photo of my gaijin card and asked a lot of intruding questions about my personal life. |
I got stopped and asked for my ARC two years ago. They said it was in connection with the Algeria attack, where some Japanese were killed, and they were checking up on all foreigners in the area (near central Tokyo). They just checked my address and what I was doing in Japan, and that was about it. They were two quite young police officers doing it, which made me wonder how necessary and important it was, and whether they were just being very officious for the sake of it (the way the Japanese do).
I might be paranoid but I've got the impression since then that the police have been getting a bit tougher on foreigners. I've noticed them standing outside the police boxes brandishing their wooden stick with a bit more attitude whenever I walk past. The ISIS situation won't help things either. It was only a week or two ago that they made a renewed threat against Japanese embassies. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 1:25 pm Post subject: |
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| 80 yen to the dollar was a freak occurrence. No use for wishing for a narrow window. It also was ruinous to the Japanese exporters. Anyways 110-117 or so hen to the dollar is the historical avg. Asking for more makes you sound like a gaijin bar fly |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Wed Sep 16, 2015 11:29 pm Post subject: |
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What you don't get is the yen's decline since Abe took over.
The LDP wants a weak currency. |
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rxk22
Joined: 19 May 2010
Posts: 1629
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| Posted: Thu Sep 17, 2015 7:07 am Post subject: |
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| mitsui wrote: |
What you don't get is the yen's decline since Abe took over.
The LDP wants a weak currency. |
Weak is good for exports. The yen is only slightly weak when compared to it's traditional level when compared to the dollar. 80yen was too expensive and it was damaging. Of the car makers only the Mazda CX-7 could be exported at a profit at 80 yen to the dollar.
Don't blame Abe for this. QE is needed to fund thecrazy debt bhere. Also the manufacturers here were dying. Yeah it sucks for you, but it is overall beneficial to Japan |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2015 12:31 am Post subject: |
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| Congrats! Hope everything works out for you. |
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Chroniclesoffreedom
Joined: 13 Jan 2015
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 4:29 pm Post subject: |
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| nightsintodreams wrote: |
I was stopped again by the police this week while riding my bike. I asked them why and they openly said because there had been crimes by foreigners commited in the nearby area and they need to check my identity. I'm not sure how truthful that was because I live a bit out of the way, there are hardly any foreigners here. I could go a month or longer without seeing one so I highly doubt that there are foreigners in the area commiting a lot of crimes, especially not white guys. They then took a photo of my gaijin card and asked a lot of intruding questions about my personal life.
Then last week at a nomikai one of my co workers openly said "All foreigners in Japan are bad" and not one person disagreed with her or said anything, even though I was right there.
I questioned her about it and asked her why we were bad, what we had done, what race are the Yakuza, bicycle theives, upskirt photographers, rapists, pedophiles, murderers, bullies etc in this country. She didn't have any response.
I really feel like things are getting worse here guys, get ready to leave when things go full nationalist retard. |
I would love to know what the rewards and benefits are of being Japanese. I mean, do they feel that their DNA is superior to others? Like they are Ironman or Optimus Prime on steroids? What makes them feel they are so much better than us that they look down upon us the way they do? And when are doreign residents of Japan gonna gather together and start an anti racist rally? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LnrMy5jWOqA In this video here, it talks about koreans and chinese in Japan who are discriminated and so far some rallies have been carried out to stand up for them. We as a foreign society in Japan should find ways to appeal to local human rights organizations, churches, any local group of people that would be sympathetic and understanding to us and ask for their help in any possible rallies to end negative discrimination towards us.
I know I don't live in Japan, but to me it would only make sense for out of country born Residents of Japan to at least stand up and try to make our voices heard somehow. Ethnic minorities in western countries do that. We would be best to follow their example. |
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Nemu_Yoake
Joined: 02 Aug 2015
Posts: 47
Location: Iwate
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| Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2015 10:44 pm Post subject: |
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| Group identity, linked to their own identity. To reinforce the existence of their own group (the meaning of its existence), they have to define existences outside the group. Don't fight, you wouldn't win. This mindset is too ingrained in them. |
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Chroniclesoffreedom
Joined: 13 Jan 2015
Posts: 261
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| Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 8:23 am Post subject: |
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| Nemu_Yoake wrote: |
| Group identity, linked to their own identity. To reinforce the existence of their own group (the meaning of its existence), they have to define existences outside the group. Don't fight, you wouldn't win. This mindset is too ingrained in them. |
i'm sure the same advice was once given to people from Japan, China, and other countries who came to ours. But they refused to yield and compromise their dignity. They made their voices heard. And they actually got somewhere with it.
Besides if what you say is true, how do you explain the social support some ethnic koreans have as described in the youtube video I shared?
We are not just second class. We are humans with the same dignity and integrity of anyone else. |
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Nemu_Yoake
Joined: 02 Aug 2015
Posts: 47
Location: Iwate
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| Posted: Tue Sep 22, 2015 10:16 am Post subject: |
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I don't feel I'm second class. At all. No problem to mingle with the natives. I just don't expect them to love me from the start. I don't wait for them to come to me and, once they crossed my path, they have no chance to escape from me either. I just wouldn't allow it.
"how do you explain the social support some ethnic koreans have as described in the youtube video I shared?"
It was a rough explanation, you know? Besides, I didn't watch your video and won't. Not interested, sorry to be blunt. |
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