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Ok, I am REALLY confused now.

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The_Brightest_Moon

PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 5:34 pm


Ok. I heared the Japanese hate foreigners. But then I heared by Japanese people that they LIKE foreigners. Then I heared that they only SAY that. If it's not true, then why are there all these 'Japanese only' signs?! GAaaAH I'm confused! I heared that the younger generation is much more interested in foreigners. But then I heared it's so 'They can bring new information to Japan' and not because they just wanna meet someone not Japanese! and in manga. Even though manga is Japanese, why is there ALWAYS Japanese characters?! Like, any foreign character is completely stupid in the series it seems! I know that they want characters that readers can relate with, but really. They CAN relate with FOREIGN people, too!!!! It's not like we're not human! Many of my friends are foreign and i can relate to them and understand how they feel! And any foreign characters that are the main characters are from other worlds, it seems! Like, FMA. It doesn't take place in Japan. That's fine. that's GREAT, for once! However, I look for FMA pics and i find all the characters in Kimono. it's really getting to annoy me, peoples! sure, there ARE manga stories (this isn't about manga. it's just good reference) that take place in non-japanese places in the world. but the main character is always Japanese. this is really driving me nuts people please help me. Do they hate us, or do they not?!
PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 5:49 pm


And also, Since there are 'Japanese only' places, I was wondering if there were places in japan just for foreigners, like some kind of club or karaoke club or something.

The_Brightest_Moon


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 5:50 pm


animehotaru19
Ok. I heared the Japanese hate foreigners. But then I heared by Japanese people that they LIKE foreigners. Then I heared that they only SAY that. If it's not true, then why are there all these 'Japanese only' signs?! GAaaAH I'm confused! I heared that the younger generation is much more interested in foreigners. But then I heared it's so 'They can bring new information to Japan' and not because they just wanna meet someone not Japanese! and in manga. Even though manga is Japanese, why is there ALWAYS Japanese characters?! Like, any foreign character is completely stupid in the series it seems! I know that they want characters that readers can relate with, but really. They CAN relate with FOREIGN people, too!!!! It's not like we're not human! Many of my friends are foreign and i can relate to them and understand how they feel! And any foreign characters that are the main characters are from other worlds, it seems! Like, FMA. It doesn't take place in Japan. That's fine. that's GREAT, for once! However, I look for FMA pics and i find all the characters in Kimono. it's really getting to annoy me, peoples! sure, there ARE manga stories (this isn't about manga. it's just good reference) that take place in non-japanese places in the world. but the main character is always Japanese. this is really driving me nuts people please help me. Do they hate us, or do they not?!


The short answer: In major cities they welcome outsiders, vice versa in smaller towns and prefectures. This is due to how modernized each place is about events in the world and how integrated foreigners are in their soceity
PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 9:08 pm


The main audience for those sort of media are going to be Japanese people right? So isn't it obvious that they will have to have at least some Japanese aspects. If they didn't it'd be harder for the audience to relate to that. And its the same anywhere else - In Home and Away/Neighbours [aussie shows]for example, there are pretty much only white people, and even if Australia bases itself as a multicultural country, the "token" asians generally get screwed over in the shows anyway.

As for the Japanese only places, I can't answer that because I don't have much information about it, but one would assume it might have something to do with past negative experiences? I heard there was this one korean restaurant in sydney that banned aussie[white] people from entering since they asked for spring rolls =_=

[~Yue Ayase~]


Stellar Green

PostPosted: Mon Jul 09, 2007 11:28 pm


I'd imagine bigger cities would be more foreigner-friendly because they get more tourists. Elsewhere, it would be easier to enforce the "Japanese Only" thing, as they don't come across as many foreigners.

But, you shouldn't try to group Japanese people into an opinion. Some Japanese people don't like foreigners, some have no problem. Not really complicated.

As for comics, I don't see why you would expect them to have people from other countries, as in Japan, there are mostly Japanese people. Sure, some series will have some, and some will be set in other countries, like here...
As for the stupid ones, it's a stereotype I suppose. I mean, the most they have to go on (unless they go on alot of English/American/etc. websites, or visit another country) are movies.
PostPosted: Tue Jul 10, 2007 12:56 am


Ok, take it from someone (me) who has lived and worked in adult Japanese society, both in the city and out in the countryside. Also l found no difference in dealing with people in the countryside and in the city.

Japan has a group mentality. Quite often all it will take for a Japanese person is a couple of bad run-ins with a foreigner to make them think that all foreign people are bad apples. It's actually quite understandable that there is alot of racism against foreigners in Japan, considering the vast majority of native English speakers over there are complete assholes with cishy English teaching jobs. I'm serious. Absolute retards. Most of the tourists I bumped into over there were obnoxious little bastards too. After a few months of living in Japan, I started to become prejudice against my fellow gaijin. Also, the media is always shining their spot light on "foreigner crime", highlighting the few isolated cases of it, and making out like it's going to end Japan as they know it.

As for the "Japanese Only places" which are mostly bars and pubs, well, I have actually been inside a "Japanese Only" bar. The reason they made it that way is because they had too many drunken butt-wipe foreigners getting rowdy, breaking things, harassing women and picking fights. So they ban them. It's not fair on the rest of the foreign population, and it's unethical, but I can completely see why the do it that way as it solves the problem instantly.

Also, there was a case of a foreigners being banned from an onsen, most likely because they had too many idiots in not following the onsen procedure. One angry gaijin decided to take them to court, dragging out a legal battle which I'm sure cost and arm and a leg, I think he even wrote a book about it. Thing is, if he had just made an appointment with the owner of the place, brought him a small gift, sat down and talked to him calmly about the situation and ask politely if he would be allowed in, he probably would have been. But he didn't, so he didn't.

Basically, if you go about solving your problems and issues in Japan the Japanese way, you should be fine. if you go about solving them the western way, you are going to find your self in more mess than you started with. True story.

At the end of the day, the Japanese are no more racist than any other race of people on the planet. There are just alot of stupid people and bad media giving us all a bad name. Thats basically what it boils down to.

geishaboy


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:16 pm


As far as I understood Japanese people are really fasinated with blondes who have blue eyes and most people of that description are foreigners.
PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:10 am


Though the racially homogeneous Japanese have biases, the 'Japanese Only" exists in the city. I've seen bars in Tokyo that read "Japanese Only", so to say there isn't a xenophobia or just prejudice in urban areas, just because they cater to more foreigners, isn't accurate.
And in Japan, because ethnic Japanese is the majority with few minorities, they just are used to being in an all-Japanese environment, so seeing non-Japanese is a little different for them.

NakaTake
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