My trouble-making friend Vinny pointed me in the direction of a blog entitled: Japanese Rule Of 7, in his blog entitled Japan, After The Love he mentions that after a while the country seemed to loose a bit of its zest for him... that's things became more mundane... less exciting, as life seemed to intrude.
Yeah... I can dig it. That's because people adapt and become comfortable in their surroundings, which is why people often claim they need to dig themselves out of the rut, and sometimes even do something about it.
Now... the writer of the 7 blog, also noted a spot of racism directed against him, wondering why, even though he spoke decent Japanese, the owners of a small bar wouldn't treat him the same way they treated Japanese customers.
They don't have too - that's their choice - but at least the writer was given an explanation... one that while is fair, tends to treat all foreigners the same - unfairly. But... that is the right of the private shop owner.
He's a very good writer without being preachy or pretentious. Read HERE, and then come back for my take on Japan.
Ready? I read and enjoyed that blog.
Now... perhaps - because I was so ignorant of the language and of social customs of Japan, I never 'experienced' racism there. It is possible I was too dumb to know I was being prejudiced against.
Happy in my ignorance and all that...
Or... in my sleepy city, I was just treated like a guest - which I was. For three years.
"Won't he ever leave, papa? Maybe if we pretend we're dead..."
When I traveled around Japan, I traveled with strong women. Strong not in physical strength, but strong in emotions and in intellect, demanding a sense of fair play. They also spoke better Japanese than me.
That's Rule 1 when traveling alone in Japan. Never be alone - travel with a woman.
My mom was a strong woman with zero Japanese language abilities, and yet she came to Japan and took off for two weeks to see the country, going to places I never saw (Hiroshima, for example).She survived and thrived.
As well... the Japanese treated my mother extremely well. She raved about how people went out of their way to help.
Hell... my first day in Japan, I found a man who went out of his way to help me when I got so lost in Tokyo that I no longer saw neon lights anywhere.
But, as for me and traveling in Japan... My bosses at the OBOE (Ohtawara Board of Education) would really make bets about how lost I would get on any trip outside my city. Someone would usually win. That's why I started traveling with strong women.
I have/had other skills I could offer in return. One being nudge-nudge-wink-wink - but since it was always that time of the month when we traveled (that's what I was told, anyways), I also provided them with a measure of protection (which I always carried with me in my wallet).
I also had a wallet. Being old-fashioned and buying your female companion food and drink sucks when you both make the same amount of money (as JETs). If she was a teacher (Japanese teacher of English!!!) who speaks fluent Japanese and decent English, I also offered the cache of her being seen dating a gaijin (foreigner), which depending on the who, what, where, when and why's of things, could be considered a bonus for her. Or for me.
Honestly... I was never in a situation where I couldn't do what I wanted - though once in Shinjuku, myself and a bunch boys and girls tried to get into a dance club and were rebuffed, saying it was a private party. Might have been true, or it might have been 'no foreigners allowed'. I heard one of the more experienced JETs mutter that as we drunkenly stumbled to another bar across the street.
But, I never saw or felt like I was being affected by racial prejudice.
Also, unlike the writer of the 7 blog, I never really achieved a level of boredom with Japan.
Y'see, there's a trick to achieving that.
I made it my goal to always learn something new each and every single day while in Japan. Every single day.
To me, knowledge is power. A gift that should always be searched for... should always be sought...
Knowing something - and searching for something that no one else would dare ask or learn - that's what drove me while in Japan, and so the world was always exciting for me.
That's something I have taken up again the past few years since I began this blog. I either learn something new about the world I didn't previously know, or I learn something about myself I didn't know.
Racism? I know a bit about it, but I never really felt it in Japan. Being called a gaijin was no big deal to me. I know it bothered a lot of people, but it never bothered me. For many, the fact that they were being pointed out by the Japanese for being different threw them for a loop.
I just accepted it, because I was different. I'm different here in Canada, and if I went to India (that's my background), I'd be different there.
I don't let racism bother me - because if I did, I'd go crazy.
But now I wonder... when I dated Japanese women in Japan, did they feel racist taunts directed at them for dating me?
I never heard it, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.
I know I've conversed with readers of this blog who noted that their in-laws hated them, but have grown to love them... but do THEY feel the sting of shame because their son or daughter is dating a gaijin.
I'd love to know.
If you have an opinion on this topic, please share.
Cheers
Andrew Joseph
Yeah... I can dig it. That's because people adapt and become comfortable in their surroundings, which is why people often claim they need to dig themselves out of the rut, and sometimes even do something about it.
Now... the writer of the 7 blog, also noted a spot of racism directed against him, wondering why, even though he spoke decent Japanese, the owners of a small bar wouldn't treat him the same way they treated Japanese customers.
They don't have too - that's their choice - but at least the writer was given an explanation... one that while is fair, tends to treat all foreigners the same - unfairly. But... that is the right of the private shop owner.
He's a very good writer without being preachy or pretentious. Read HERE, and then come back for my take on Japan.
Ready? I read and enjoyed that blog.
Now... perhaps - because I was so ignorant of the language and of social customs of Japan, I never 'experienced' racism there. It is possible I was too dumb to know I was being prejudiced against.
Happy in my ignorance and all that...
Or... in my sleepy city, I was just treated like a guest - which I was. For three years.
"Won't he ever leave, papa? Maybe if we pretend we're dead..."
When I traveled around Japan, I traveled with strong women. Strong not in physical strength, but strong in emotions and in intellect, demanding a sense of fair play. They also spoke better Japanese than me.
That's Rule 1 when traveling alone in Japan. Never be alone - travel with a woman.
My mom was a strong woman with zero Japanese language abilities, and yet she came to Japan and took off for two weeks to see the country, going to places I never saw (Hiroshima, for example).She survived and thrived.
As well... the Japanese treated my mother extremely well. She raved about how people went out of their way to help.
Hell... my first day in Japan, I found a man who went out of his way to help me when I got so lost in Tokyo that I no longer saw neon lights anywhere.
But, as for me and traveling in Japan... My bosses at the OBOE (Ohtawara Board of Education) would really make bets about how lost I would get on any trip outside my city. Someone would usually win. That's why I started traveling with strong women.
I have/had other skills I could offer in return. One being nudge-nudge-wink-wink - but since it was always that time of the month when we traveled (that's what I was told, anyways), I also provided them with a measure of protection (which I always carried with me in my wallet).
I also had a wallet. Being old-fashioned and buying your female companion food and drink sucks when you both make the same amount of money (as JETs). If she was a teacher (Japanese teacher of English!!!) who speaks fluent Japanese and decent English, I also offered the cache of her being seen dating a gaijin (foreigner), which depending on the who, what, where, when and why's of things, could be considered a bonus for her. Or for me.
Honestly... I was never in a situation where I couldn't do what I wanted - though once in Shinjuku, myself and a bunch boys and girls tried to get into a dance club and were rebuffed, saying it was a private party. Might have been true, or it might have been 'no foreigners allowed'. I heard one of the more experienced JETs mutter that as we drunkenly stumbled to another bar across the street.
But, I never saw or felt like I was being affected by racial prejudice.
Also, unlike the writer of the 7 blog, I never really achieved a level of boredom with Japan.
Y'see, there's a trick to achieving that.
I made it my goal to always learn something new each and every single day while in Japan. Every single day.
To me, knowledge is power. A gift that should always be searched for... should always be sought...
Knowing something - and searching for something that no one else would dare ask or learn - that's what drove me while in Japan, and so the world was always exciting for me.
That's something I have taken up again the past few years since I began this blog. I either learn something new about the world I didn't previously know, or I learn something about myself I didn't know.
Racism? I know a bit about it, but I never really felt it in Japan. Being called a gaijin was no big deal to me. I know it bothered a lot of people, but it never bothered me. For many, the fact that they were being pointed out by the Japanese for being different threw them for a loop.
I just accepted it, because I was different. I'm different here in Canada, and if I went to India (that's my background), I'd be different there.
I don't let racism bother me - because if I did, I'd go crazy.
But now I wonder... when I dated Japanese women in Japan, did they feel racist taunts directed at them for dating me?
I never heard it, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.
I know I've conversed with readers of this blog who noted that their in-laws hated them, but have grown to love them... but do THEY feel the sting of shame because their son or daughter is dating a gaijin.
I'd love to know.
If you have an opinion on this topic, please share.
Cheers
Andrew Joseph
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