Living Abroad in Japan

[Nickolia Oreadia]

**** This started out as a rant one day, and because I enjoy chatting with fellow peoples who are also currently living in Japan, I'm going to keep on posting here...I'll share my frustrations, embarrassing stories, exciting moments and what not. So, post if you like!****


*First Post Content -

[rant]

I moved to Japan a little while ago and I have encountered this situation a few times. I will be on the train, walking on the street or in a store when I look up and happen to see another foreigner. All of my life, whenever I make eye contact with anyone I always smile and say 'hi' - I expect that Japanese people will look down or away, sometimes they even respond. That doesn't affect me...what does is when I do this with another foreigner sometimes I get these looks of irritation or even something somewhat resembling annoyance...
I'm sorry to complain, but in a country so homogeneous, while I'm trying to be fluent in Japanese, but feeling discouraged and a little frustrated without being able to fluently express my thoughts and feelings to the people I contact on a daily basis...so a return smile - even if it is patronizing, would be nice.

Also, if this is not you, please forgive the rant. I'm not trying to say everyone does this, but...er...I'm just sort of venting myself. When I was just visiting Japan and was riding the trains in Tokyo I would make it a mini-mission to try and meet as many people as possible - now that I'm living here I can imagine how it might be annoying it everyone visiting did that (though...I don't think I'd mind it), but seriously...a smile is just that, a smile.

[/end rant]

[fayebelly]

While I was in Japan I was one of those people who would avoid eye contact with other foreigners... I dunno why, it just irritated me that they would single me out in a street of people and smile, as if we were friends or had some sort of connection other than the fact that we were both white... ><

However, you aren't exactly gonna get the friendliest of people in Tokyo... It's a big city... I have yet to see a big city with friendly people who smile at other people...

[Fabulous Dairy Air]

I know how you feel.
I live in Osaka, where there are tons of foreigners, and its like they are all angry they arent the only white person or something. I love talking to people!

[Nickolia Oreadia]

Ah, I'm not living in Tokyo right now, I'm in a much smaller city outside of Nagoya...so it feels a little more isolating.

I get the whole, just because we are white doesn't mean we have stuff in common thing, but when I do see other white people sometimes it makes me a little homesick so thoughts like "Oh, I remember when I wasn't the tallest person in 4 miles," come into my head and since I am a writer/day dreamer by nature I start to make up little stories in my head about why they are there (nerdy I know...oh well). If I was looking for a connection I would do more than smile, I'd walk up to you... sweatdrop . In the US I was used to random strangers in line starting conversations with me (and I'm not from a small town in the middle of no where either), so sometimes I just miss the fact that I could have friendly contact with people I don't know personally.

Fabulous - I'm not too far from you! heart Also, I had that same thought on may occasion but I didn't think I should write it out. Ha! whee

[An Unknown Kunoichi]

Hm, never really noticed it. When I went to Japan, I actually did not see any foreigners at all. @.@ I really wanted to find one though, so I can just surprise them with some good ol' Aussie English, considering even the Japanese thought I was ethnically Japanese. Too bad I didn't have my fun. =(

Nickolia Oreadia

Ah, I'm not living in Tokyo right now, I'm in a much smaller city outside of Nagoya...so it feels a little more isolating.

I get the whole, just because we are white doesn't mean we have stuff in common thing, but when I do see other white people sometimes it makes me a little homesick so thoughts like "Oh, I remember when I wasn't the tallest person in 4 miles," come into my head and since I am a writer/day dreamer by nature I start to make up little stories in my head about why they are there (nerdy I know...oh well). If I was looking for a connection I would do more than smile, I'd walk up to you... sweatdrop . In the US I was used to random strangers in line starting conversations with me (and I'm not from a small town in the middle of no where either), so sometimes I just miss the fact that I could have friendly contact with people I don't know personally.

Fabulous - I'm not too far from you! heart Also, I had that same thought on may occasion but I didn't think I should write it out. Ha! whee

rofl That's awesome.

[Nickolia Oreadia]

Ok, that would have really surprised me! eek heart

[Vigority]

Nickolia Oreadia

[rant]

I moved to Japan a little while ago and I have encountered this situation a few times. I will be on the train, walking on the street or in a store when I look up and happen to see another foreigner. All of my life, whenever I make eye contact with anyone I always smile and say 'hi' - I expect that Japanese people will look down or away, sometimes they even respond. That doesn't affect me...what does is when I do this with another foreigner sometimes I get these looks of irritation or even something somewhat resembling annoyance...
I'm sorry to complain, but in a country so homogeneous, while I'm trying to be fluent in Japanese, but feeling discouraged and a little frustrated without being able to fluently express my thoughts and feelings to the people I contact on a daily basis...so a return smile - even if it is patronizing, would be nice.

Also, if this is not you, please forgive the rant. I'm not trying to say everyone does this, but...er...I'm just sort of venting myself. When I was just visiting Japan and was riding the trains in Tokyo I would make it a mini-mission to try and meet as many people as possible - now that I'm living here I can imagine how it might be annoying it everyone visiting did that (though...I don't think I'd mind it), but seriously...a smile is just that, a smile.

[/end rant]

I don't mean to be rude, but you have a grammatical error. The sentence should either be "so a return smile, even if it is patronizing, would be nice." or "so a return smile - even if it is patronizing- would be nice." Sorry, i'm a grammar nerd sweatdrop

[Nickolia Oreadia]

It's ok...I was sort of writing this before I went to bed; I shouldn't be allowed to write then. xp

[Roseflare]

I avoid eye contact all together... trying to fix that...

I think in a sense foreigners living in Japan feel sort of competitive against each other? I don't know, in a way I sort of feel like that... Well it could also be because I feel most of the foreigners who come to Japan did it the easy way, like becoming a teacher through a program... not that there is anything wrong with it, but those kinds of people don't get to teach the actual English grammar classes as a homeroom teacher... Which I'm studying in a Japanese university to be...

There are also the other foreigners who come here for university and go into teaching as a last minute job... I'm somewhat annoyed by those people... I mean I get that they want to stay in Japan, but they didn't follow the system well enough to actually apply for jobs at the correct time while in school and just to take the bull shitted way out...


ummm... yea I think I've sort of ranted there... Just kind ignore all that... I have no idea why foreigners don't react to you, I mean I usually am willing to help anyone in general if they come up to me themselves...

[Nickolia Oreadia]

Well, I guess I sort of took the easy way, I'm here teaching at an English school to preschoolers and Elementary school students, but through a friend of a friend (I want to teach college, but I need experience...and this is a great time to just love on Japanese 2-6 year old....SO CUTE!!!! crying I have the best job ever, I get to play with them in English and then give them back to their parents after I've made them hyper from a day of games!!!! twisted )
I guess I understand your rant (it's ok to rant sometimes), but programs are instituted by the government or their respective employers, the government even said they are doing it to generate goodwill. Ultimately, don't let someone else's motives or actions cheapen the work you've done...you prolly are fluent in Japanese, and thus having a more enjoyable stay in Japan (I know I would be if I was fluent...my current Japanse teacher is a 6 year old boy who had made it his mission to teacher the English teacher Japanese during class....(I should be upset with Kodai...but he's actually my favorite student.... xp )

[terradi]

Ah ... I'm one of the people who doesn't make eye contact much. Japanese mannerisms have been drilled into my head by now, and the idea that staring is rude is pretty firmly ingrained. If I make eye contact I'll smile, but all my friends are English-speaking, and I really don't feel the need to reach out and communicate with every single foreigner I come across. I live in Kyoto. It would be very, very tedious.

If people look lost I'll offer help. But ... I'm pretty bad with directions despite living in Kyoto two years so my directions are iffy at best.

[Nickolia Oreadia]

I love Australians - by far the friendliest people I've met in Japan - today I was going into Nagoya and this guy sat near me, we talked for the whole trip. It was nice...I love the accent too.

Today my boss took me to a Shrine and then we went into a second-hand kimono shop...I try to avoid the embarrassment of clothes shopping in Japan. I'm 6ft1in (185 cm) and not a stick - not terribly over weight, sort of average, if I wasn't so tall it wouldn't be a problem. >_<;

[Roseflare]

Nickolia Oreadia

Well, I guess I sort of took the easy way, I'm here teaching at an English school to preschoolers and Elementary school students, but through a friend of a friend (I want to teach college, but I need experience...and this is a great time to just love on Japanese 2-6 year old....SO CUTE!!!! crying I have the best job ever, I get to play with them in English and then give them back to their parents after I've made them hyper from a day of games!!!! twisted )
I guess I understand your rant (it's ok to rant sometimes), but programs are instituted by the government or their respective employers, the government even said they are doing it to generate goodwill. Ultimately, don't let someone else's motives or actions cheapen the work you've done...you prolly are fluent in Japanese, and thus having a more enjoyable stay in Japan (I know I would be if I was fluent...my current Japanse teacher is a 6 year old boy who had made it his mission to teacher the English teacher Japanese during class....(I should be upset with Kodai...but he's actually my favorite student.... xp )

Oh man, I don't have an easy time at all. Sure I guess life outside of school is nice, as I can understand majority of the things (except for politics... and economics... I don't even understand that stuff in English sweatdrop ).
Most of my teachers expect to me speak Japanese and be able to understand the class. I've been graded low by a teacher or two because they said that the language barrier made it so I couldn't understand the whole class. gonk
I mean omg my Guidance/Counseling Teacher, everything he teaches is like a brand new theory that has developed in Japan... nothing is written about in English except for maybe one article just introducing it and doesn't even explain it in depth. *rant rant rant*

Also recently, they are trying to make new rules saying that to become a regular lower or secondary education teacher in Japan, you have to be a graduate student. Not under-graduate. gonk
Lucky for me, I will graduate before anything like that actually passes. Also people are fighting like crazy against it.
Also the teaching practice in Japan is only 2 weeks! but now they are trying to make for a year... I actually don't mind a years worth of teaching practice, but then the test (teacher certificate) is suppose to be like a years worth of studying... and I think there are a few different levels of it.... I haven't really done too much research on it yet... should soon because I'm in my third year now. gonk

[xXDisco PopTartXx]

I loved japan but I could not speak any japanese. I visit there for 3 weeks. I can honestly say it was hard cause most japanese people to not like to smile or laugh and it was rare to see a laughing family unless they were drunk or gay.
I think you should try the gay clubs and befriend the gay people, they are very friendly, funny and open minded. I am sure there are many open minded japanese but it would be hard to find them.