I saw a show about Japan...

[Deicide]

I've lived in Japan for about seven years now, and so far the positives still outweigh the negatives, at least for me. Yes, Japanese are "racist" in the sense that their viewpoint is "Japanese" and "everyone else." I have no problem wanting to keep a unique culture, but their inability to understand and accept even half Japanese or second generation Japanese who come from overseas is maddening at times. Many Japanese that I talk to are convinced racism doesn't exist in Japan, because their concept of racism is blacks getting lynched, burning crosses or Nazis throwing Jews in concentration camps. When I tell them that there is really only one race in Japan, it does give them pause for thought.

Having said all that, Japan is a great place to live, if you can accept a few cardinal rules. As a foreigner, you will never, ever, ever, ever be seen as Japanese, no matter how good your Japanese is, whether you marry and raise kids or get Japanese citizenship. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because on the flip side, the expectations that Japanese have of each other do not apply to us. I work in the school system, so I see first hand how Japanese essentially become Japanese. As someone who was not raised in this culture it seems illogical and ridiculous at times, but it's what made Japan what it is today.

The people who end up hating Japan are the foreigners who come here with certain expectations, or come here because they like manga and think they are fluent because they can say "kawaiiii!" Learning the language is a big bonus, it's definitely helped make my life a lot more convenient and fun. I live out in the country, where no one speaks English. On a personal level, like anywhere, Japanese are very capable of having strong friendships with foreigners. It just takes a bit longer to get over some preconceptions they have.

And I must admit I do have a soft spot for Japanese girls  .

BTW as you know some of the things the Japanese did were WORSE than anything the Nazis did...and they make up fake history and pretend it didn't happen. 

[ManBearPig...]

Japan sounds a lot like germany in the 60s-80s.

There is enough work there til you die, coupled with some nice racism.

From my homeland , people would emigrate like mexicans in the us, to germany.  they would work all day and all night, make a lot of money, buy nice cars, etc.  but they could never buy a house or set up a family because they were always outsiders, or "auslanders".

since the liberal movement and opening up of the borders, many argue that germany's gone to shit.   coupled with the european union's rape of it, it's a shadow of its former self.

japan seems to be still holding on.  i applaud them for this.  as long as they're not outright blowing people's heads off who aren't ninjas, it doesn't bother me.

[jesusbod]

They said the Japanese are strict about keeping Japan Japanese, and that they believe bringing other ethnicities into their society raises crime rates, etc...

They've got laws on the book to make sure their society isn't invaded by "outsiders" (not just Blacks, Whites, and Hispanics, but even other Asians).  

The reporter on the show (I think it was Vanguard) acted like this was an ignorant, racist policy.  It seems to be working for Japan though?

Discuss...


I wish countries in Europe would adopt this policy.

It is amazing how other countries can enforce these laws but The United States won't. What is good for one, is good for all.

[HTexan]

yeah, japan is very racist and prejudice. There is discrimination against poor, dark-skin, outsiders, and tattooed people there. Or so i read. Haven't been there yet.

[Tito24]

sick fuckers there

[dj181]

Do any asian females have bubble butts? I've heard that it's possible with regards to thai females

[SGT BARNES]

hai dozo.

hoshii ne?

[DK II]

One thing I don't like about the Japanese is the Tatemae fakeness...here in London I meet Japanese people and I know their smile is about as real as Santa Claus...I don't even want to talk to them because they are so fake. I mean, if you are in the West you can stop pretending you are nice and friendly to everyone because they are not in Japan anymore. I guess if you have ZERO clue about Japanese culture it is a nice thing but it just irks me...

It's their way of saying "Fuck you", if you meet them with a private background and get "tatemae".

I love tatemae, it means that the service is always great, you can focus on the subject in business and don't have to fuck around with annoyed shop clerks or people messing up my day because they have a shitty day.

If i meet people in private life and they use tatemae on me i know that they don't want to talk to me now. Do it once, is fine, do it twice, and i know where i am at.
Much easier than the American mentality where you meet a person for the first time, call them by their first name, exchange private infos about the family and invite them for christmas yet you give a fuck about them. THAT is tatemae at it's best, LOL.

[epic_alien]

Yes, but this seems to be the case.

Japanese don't see themselves as Asians, they are Japanese. Hard to explain.

they are mongoloids like the chinese, just good old fashioned racism at work there

[Tito24]

sick whale killers these japs

[PJim]

Plane went down last week over Tokyo carrying 200 Japanese....fucking broke my heart it did.......six empty seats.

[dustin]

Honne and tatamae are a weird thing. I'm a bit of a Japanophile but there are still some things I don't understand. I had a lot of cool-as-fuck Japanese exchange students growing up and even when I was younger I noticed this too. They suppress a lot of their feelings and put on a show. Most of the exchange students were pretty cool but some were pretty two-faced. I didn't understand too much about it at the time because I was a lot younger.

I still think the Japanese are pretty cool. If you're not a douche bag then they will come to accept you after a while. Although a lot of my close Japanese friends say they'll use tatamae all the time because it's just easier. I guess it has it's ups and downs. My Japanese friends always tell me that when my wife and I figure our shit out we should really move to Japan for a few years. If I could find a job out there which made a lot of money I'd sell our house and fly the fuck out there ASAP.

[HTexan]

Honne and tatamae are a weird thing. I'm a bit of a Japanophile but there are still some things I don't understand. I had a lot of cool-as-fuck Japanese exchange students growing up and even when I was younger I noticed this too. They suppress a lot of their feelings and put on a show. Most of the exchange students were pretty cool but some were pretty two-faced. I didn't understand too much about it at the time because I was a lot younger.

I still think the Japanese are pretty cool. If you're not a douche bag then they will come to accept you after a while. Although a lot of my close Japanese friends say they'll use tatamae all the time because it's just easier. I guess it has it's ups and downs. My Japanese friends always tell me that when my wife and I figure our shit out we should really move to Japan for a few years. If I could find a job out there which made a lot of money I'd sell our house and fly the fuck out there ASAP.

Japan's job market is in the shitter. Move to china.

[DK II]

Honne and tatamae are a weird thing. I'm a bit of a Japanophile but there are still some things I don't understand. I had a lot of cool-as-fuck Japanese exchange students growing up and even when I was younger I noticed this too. They suppress a lot of their feelings and put on a show. Most of the exchange students were pretty cool but some were pretty two-faced. I didn't understand too much about it at the time because I was a lot younger.

I still think the Japanese are pretty cool. If you're not a douche bag then they will come to accept you after a while. Although a lot of my close Japanese friends say they'll use tatamae all the time because it's just easier. I guess it has it's ups and downs. My Japanese friends always tell me that when my wife and I figure our shit out we should really move to Japan for a few years. If I could find a job out there which made a lot of money I'd sell our house and fly the fuck out there ASAP.

I don't get the complaints about being "two-faced"...
To me, it is horrible if people act like they feel all the time. For example in Germany, you have a great day yourself, go to a store and the guy in the store has a shitty day, so he shows you that he is pissed off because of something, that you are an asshole to him, that he gives a shit about what you want to buy or not, that he hates his job and so on.
When i wanted to buy a suit for my wedding, i got really pissed off because me and my wife went to 5 different stores, and in 4 of them the service was so fucking bad that we left after 5 minutes.
We got married in Germany and in Japan.
When you have wedding preparation in Japan, everybody is nice to you, congratulates, shows that he is happy for you. They may have a bad day, but they will never show and rather share your own happiness.

Tatemae in private life just means "I don't want to talk about it now, i don't want to bother you with it". The biggest problem is that a lot of people have no one to talk to about their problems, hence the high suicide rate.