Foreign women in Japan have a variety of support networks to help them cope with the difficulties of being a minority here. Unfortunately, I don't fit in with any of those groups. One of the biggest groups is the AFWJ, Association of Foreign Wives of Japanese. Since my husband is American, the "welcome" sign isn't hanging on that door for me. There is also the Tokyo American Club Women's Group
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est foreigners. Afficher tous les articles
Affichage des articles dont le libellé est foreigners. Afficher tous les articles
jeudi 15 décembre 2011
Won't Miss #398 - being a minority in the minority
Posted on 08:00 by Unknown
Foreign women in Japan have a variety of support networks to help them cope with the difficulties of being a minority here. Unfortunately, I don't fit in with any of those groups. One of the biggest groups is the AFWJ, Association of Foreign Wives of Japanese. Since my husband is American, the "welcome" sign isn't hanging on that door for me. There is also the Tokyo American Club Women's Group
mercredi 26 octobre 2011
Won't Miss #380 - the "gaijin" vs. "gaikokujin" argument
Posted on 08:00 by Unknown
Offense at a word is in the eye of the beholder. Racially insensitive product name or really bad katakana translation of "mommy"?
One of the longest running debates in the world of foreigners is whether or not being called a "gaijin" (outsider/foreigner) is offensive. The term "gaijkokujin" is generally viewed as being more polite. Frankly, I think this is a trivial issue which masks the real
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 29 juin 2011
Won't Miss #336 - Japan honeymooners
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
I've played a role-playing game for over a decade. When I first started playing it, I paid attention to and enjoyed every detail from the nifty sounds items made to the details and rewards of every quest. Many years on, I still like the game, but the artwork, sound, and shortcomings of the quests have become apparent. It doesn't mean I don't like it, but just that the way in which I experience
mercredi 15 juin 2011
Won't Miss #331 - foreigners speaking Japanese to me
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
Occasionally, I have foreign friends over to my apartment for dinner or socializing. Though such friends are native speakers of English, they sometimes do something which is one of my pet peeves, and that is tossing in random Japanese words for things which are absolutely unrelated to Japan or Japanese things. I'm not talking about using the word "sushi" or even "chikatetsu" (subway) or
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
mercredi 18 mai 2011
Won't Miss #321 - Tokyo marathon
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
I don't have anything against marathon runners and I'm sure that there are people who have to drive their cars through the path the Tokyo marathon takes who have far better reasons to be annoyed than me. That being said, there are things about it which are irritating. First, those who want to take part in it talk about it. A lot. Too damn much. They do this because you have to win a lottery to
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 2 mai 2011
Won't Miss #315 - JLPT score preoccupation
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
Most foreigners who come to Japan spend some time studying Japanese and taking useless tests to prove how well they can speak, read or write it. OK, perhaps the tests aren't entirely useless if you need to achieve a specific score for a particular job, but it often seems that the main point of these tests is to boast about your Japanese level by pointing to what level of JLPT (Japanese Language
lundi 18 avril 2011
Won't Miss #310 - expats
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
I don't know if this lovely lady is an expat, but she probably is a foreigner (probably).
Many Japanese believe that a foreigner is a foreigner is a foreigner, particularly if they are of the Caucasian variety, and they think we all make a lot of money and have an easier life than they do. I believe that this idea is fueled by the existence of expatriates. Expats are the "trust fund" babies
Many Japanese believe that a foreigner is a foreigner is a foreigner, particularly if they are of the Caucasian variety, and they think we all make a lot of money and have an easier life than they do. I believe that this idea is fueled by the existence of expatriates. Expats are the "trust fund" babies
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 4 octobre 2010
Will Miss #239 - a culture of gaman
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
One of the character qualities that Japanese culture encourages and builds into it citizens is something called "gaman". It can mean slightly different things, but it essentially means to practice tolerance in the face of hardship rather than to complain, act out, or be confrontational. The manner in which this manifests in life here is that (the vast majority of) people tend to be patient with
Posted in foreigners, gaman, Japanese culture, manners, patience, tolerance, will miss
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mardi 21 septembre 2010
Won't Miss #235 - "do you speak Japanese?"
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
Some questions when asked have nothing but bad intentions behind them, and this is one of them. Note that there are only two types of people who ask me this question. One is students in language lessons who are supposed to only deal with me in English and my Japanese language ability has nothing to do with them (as I'm not going to speak Japanese to them regardless). The others are
vendredi 3 septembre 2010
Won't Miss #228 - gaijin monkeys
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
While I have an intense dislike for the fact that many people view foreigners who teach as little more than gaijin monkeys, I have to acknowledge that some people do act like said monkeys. A "gaijin monkey" is a foreigner who puts on an act to entertain Japanese people. Such people often treat Japanese people as if they were children who needed to be energetically amused at all times. This
vendredi 14 mai 2010
Won't Miss #170 - being refused service
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
There are several bicycle repair shops in my immediate area, and every time I walk past one of them, I feel just a little irritated. The reason for this is that my husband and I were refused service at this shop. While the "no gaijins allowed" situation isn't as bad as it used to be, it still happens. The main difference between now and 10-20 years ago is that the printed signs in windows telling
mercredi 12 mai 2010
Won't Miss #169 - not wanting to leave the house
Posted on 00:15 by Unknown
I used to think that this particular problem was something only I suffered from because I'm a highly sensitive person who gets overstimulated easily, but I have read on quite a few personal blogs that other women in Japan feel the same way. That feeling is one of not wanting to leave your house because you just aren't in the mood to be the center of unwanted attention. It's not any one act by one
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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