I've already written about the bad attitudes and misconceptions some people have about teaching in Japan, but there are negative aspects associated with it that have to do with the work itself. Foreigners who once taught but moved on to other jobs look down on those who remain in that work because they think it's a job that requires no skill. It requires a lot of skill to do well, but many
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est attitudes. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est attitudes. Afficher tous les articles
mercredi 27 juillet 2011
Won't Miss #346 - teaching English in Japan (the bad)
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
I've already written about the bad attitudes and misconceptions some people have about teaching in Japan, but there are negative aspects associated with it that have to do with the work itself. Foreigners who once taught but moved on to other jobs look down on those who remain in that work because they think it's a job that requires no skill. It requires a lot of skill to do well, but many
jeudi 7 juillet 2011
Won't Miss #339 - the idea that I represent all foreigners
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
One of the things that I get tired of is the notion that I must not only behave well in Japan, but that I must be a paragon of human virtue because the Japanese will judge all foreigners by the behavior of the worst of us. If one foreigner neglects to do something properly, the rest of the community clucks their respective tongues and wags their fingers while moaning about how one bad apple
mercredi 1 juin 2011
Won't Miss #326 - the peanut gallery
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
A former stalker of mine once spent several months in Japan and found how she was treated so unbearably that she fled back home in a state of depression and sought medication. Since returning there, she seems to have forgotten how she felt about being treated like a purple multi-tentacled alien and seems to jump on a soap box every time someone who actually lives here has a complaint about
lundi 16 mai 2011
Won't Miss #320 - gaijinpot
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
When I think of the on-line forum for foreign folks in Japan, Gaijinpot, I think of the line delivered by Obi Wan Kenobi in Star Wars about Mos Eisley space port: "there has never been a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." Okay, it's not quite that bad, but this place which is supposed to function as a support area and a place to find jobs is a water cooler for the angriest, most
lundi 4 avril 2011
Won't Miss #305 - mistrust of imported food
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
One of the bits of marketing that you find appears on some food designed to be fed to infants and toddlers, as well as the odd product for adults, is the fact that the ingredients are made in Japan. When a package says, "made with rice grown in Japan," I wonder why it even matters. I think one of the reasons is that many Japanese people don't trust the safety of food grown in other countries. In
Posted in advertising, attitudes, food, food culture, Japanese culture, prejudice, won't miss
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mercredi 9 février 2011
Won't Miss #286 - one with the borg mentality
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
A sign encouraging everyone to carry their own bag rather than use plastic ones - note how they all follow each other, and look, and act the same.
There was a big flap several years ago about Brazilians living in a particular apartment building and their inability to get along with their Japanese neighbors. They weren't unfriendly. They didn't do anything criminal or fail to follow some rules.
There was a big flap several years ago about Brazilians living in a particular apartment building and their inability to get along with their Japanese neighbors. They weren't unfriendly. They didn't do anything criminal or fail to follow some rules.
lundi 27 décembre 2010
Won't Miss #270 - eyes open, ears closed
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
"Speak, Hear, and See No Evil" statues at a local stone-working shop. The Japanese believe they invented this concept, incidentally.
My brother-in-law likes to tell a classic anecdote from his early days in Japan which beautifully illustrates the mental wall that goes up between a Japanese person and a foreigner the minute the former lays eyes on the latter. He speaks Japanese well, particularly
My brother-in-law likes to tell a classic anecdote from his early days in Japan which beautifully illustrates the mental wall that goes up between a Japanese person and a foreigner the minute the former lays eyes on the latter. He speaks Japanese well, particularly
Posted in attitudes, Japanese language, Japanese people, language, public life, won't miss
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jeudi 16 décembre 2010
Will Miss #266 - growing up more slowly
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
Japanese people grow up more slowly than Americans. It's hard to explain this without it coming out wrong and possibly sounding insulting (to either side), but I always have the sense that there are a lot of 12-year-olds going on 20 in the U.S. There's a rush to be "mature" and prove you're "worldly" and capable of independence as early as possible, and young people have a particular attitude
Posted in attitudes, child-like, Japanese culture, Japanese people, maturity, psychology, will miss
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mardi 14 décembre 2010
Will Miss #265 - (generally) liking Americans
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
One thing I learned pretty quickly during my first job in Japan, among which I had a plethora of coworkers from other English speaking countries, was that many people dislike Americans. They haven't been to America, nor are they particularly well-educated about it, but they don't like us. They think we are our politics, our politicians, our business practices, our fast food, our laws, and our
mercredi 1 décembre 2010
Won't Miss #261 - train access blockers
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
Perhaps this is normal behavior all over the world, but I never experienced this until I came to Tokyo. Very often when I'm waiting in line for the train to arrive, and there is one person at the head of the line in front of me, that person will not get on the train even when there is a break in the traffic flow of people disembarking. Any reasonable person would get on the train when the door
lundi 27 septembre 2010
Won't Miss #237 - "inscrutable culture"
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
There is a notion that Japanese cultural concepts (and the underlying psychology) are too sophisticated for outsiders to comprehend, so most Japanese people won't even try to explain certain ideas to curious foreign folks. Frankly, I can tell you this is a crock. Many Japanese people can't explain Japanese cultural concepts for a variety of reasons that have nothing to do with the inability of
mardi 14 septembre 2010
Will Miss #232 - valuing cultural pursuits
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
A sign offering piano and electone organ lessons.
The prevailing attitude in the U.S. when it comes to education is that it should be in the service of earning money. In particular, people believe that you should spend your time pursuing only those things which will advance your career. This is one of the reasons that people hold liberal arts degree holders in contempt and have a higher regard
The prevailing attitude in the U.S. when it comes to education is that it should be in the service of earning money. In particular, people believe that you should spend your time pursuing only those things which will advance your career. This is one of the reasons that people hold liberal arts degree holders in contempt and have a higher regard
Posted in attitudes, cultural differences, Japanese education system, skills, will miss
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lundi 2 août 2010
Won't Miss #211 - archaic notions about gay men
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
A T-shirt worn by a young man serving food at a summer festival in Tokyo.
Many Japanese people have outdated ideas about what gay men want or are like. Many of them believe that gay men want to be women, and that they dress up and act like women. They think that some of them hate women because they view them as "competition" and that you can discern a gay man from his movements, speaking style
Many Japanese people have outdated ideas about what gay men want or are like. Many of them believe that gay men want to be women, and that they dress up and act like women. They think that some of them hate women because they view them as "competition" and that you can discern a gay man from his movements, speaking style
Posted in attitudes, cultural differences, gay men, homosexuals, sexuality, won't miss
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mardi 8 juin 2010
Will Miss #182 - not caring about how I look
Posted on 00:00 by Unknown
Some foreigners complain or are surprised that other foreigners don't care about how they look or walk around dressed like bums when they live in Japan. The thing about living for a long time in a culture where you are objectified is that you stop caring about what strangers think of you. If you're going to be stared at and treated like some sort of animal that has escaped from the zoo anyway,
lundi 7 juin 2010
Won't Miss #182 - attitudes toward rape
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
When I was in university, one of my psychology professors discussed rape and culpability for the crime. He asked if a woman who dresses provocatively, flirts, and is in a place where people frequently hook up for one-night stands is responsible, at least in part, for being raped. When some people in the class said she was, he then asked if a jewelry shop that had a beautiful display of necklaces
dimanche 18 avril 2010
Won't Miss #157 - gaijin ignoring gaijin
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
I wrote an article for Tokyo Journal at one point about a phenomenon which every foreigner ("gaijin") will experience sooner or later (likely sooner) when visiting Japan. If you see another foreigner on the street and smile, wave, say hello, or nod, at least 30% of the time, if not more, the other foreigner will ignore you. This happens for a variety of reasons which I spent 800 words saying in
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