Behind the Sushi Curtain: Life in Japan uncovered.
Try Sushi in Japan
Living in Japan can be rewarding but socially isolating. Living on the fringe and not participating will leave you feeling left out and longing to be home. There a few things you can do to get the most out of your experience in this advanced culture. Japan can be exciting and very rewarding for the person who takes the initiative to peel off some of its superficial layers.
Attempt to learn the language
You will find if you at least make an effort to speak the language people will tend to help you a whole lot more. Japanese people know it’s difficult and most will excuse your faux pas. If you are staying in the country for an extended period you should be thinking about taking lessons. You will most likely make some good contacts this way and could make things open up for you. Like any language, learning Japanese takes time and commitment. Get a couple of good translation books and study them. Get the basics down so you can ask for directions and read a menu. If you are persistent if will come to you. The more you immerse yourself in it the faster you will become fluent.
Don’t be afraid to try exotic food
To the western tongue some Japanese food can be pretty nasty. You may be shocked and surprised at some types of food. Things you may find initially revolting are actually very good if you try them with an open mind. The first time I thought of eating raw fish I almost got sick just thinking about it. Now I am a die hard sushi fan. A right of passage for anyone who tries sushi for the first time is wasabi. It’s that green dab of paste they give you on a little side dish. Many people find out the hard way that it is very hot. A bit about the size of a match head is all you need with a bite of food. Never try it alone, you’ll be diving for your cold beer to stop the pain. Even if you don’t like something the first time, try it again. Like a lot of foods, the taste must be understood before you like it. Be aware of prices in restaurants, some food can be frightfully expensive so know what it costs before you order it. You may want to pass on the blow fish. The chef who prepares it must possess a special license. If it is not prepared properly you can die an agonizing death after consuming it. If dying is included in the menu description of an item I usually skip that one and just go on to the next one.
Travel
Japan is a fascinating country and is full of wonders for travelers. Be sure to get a good travel guide and plan a trip. Trains and buses are the best bet. Shop around for passes that will get you the best value. Some people go to Japan for business then leave as soon as their business deal is done. This is a sad mistake. If you can set aside at least 2 weeks to hit the high points you’ll be glad you did. It’s a small country with a great transportation infrastructure. You can do an amazing trip crisscrossing the country with a rail pass and have the time of your life. Some trains are magnetically levitated. This means they actually float over the tracks on about an inch of air. They are smooth and fast. Japan also has some of the world’s fastest bullet trains. Your trip doesn’t have to be expensive if you eat in noodle shops, sleep in hostels and squeeze the most out of your time sensitive rail pass.
Join a group
Japan is a group oriented society. Find a group that does something you are interested in whether it is cooking, hiking, skiing, ice skating, archery, calligraphy, origami, go, or shogi. These groups are not hard to find. Finding a good group to join is important if you have just arrived in Japan for the first time. Culture shock can be strong and there are social do’s and don’ts that you can learn from most groups. Even if you just avoid the sense of isolation and mental anguish of being in a strange country alone the group has served you well. If you cultivate relationships in groups you will begin to understand how Japanese society works. Its true there as in many places it’s not ‘what you know, it’s who you know’. Be careful and pick your friends well.
Coffee culture
This is not new territory for Americans and things work kind of the same as in the US. Coffee shops can be excellent venues to meet people, make friends, and practice your Japanese. If you live in an area where you are one of only a few Westerners, a few visits to the coffee shop may be necessary for people there to get used to you. Places with counters are best. If you sit at the counter, you can talk with the people working there and other patrons who sit at the counter. If you are polite and sincere most Japanese will spread the word that you are a good person. You never know where any of these meetings may lead: to new friends, a new job, or new knowledge. Just go to the coffee shop, hang out, and see what happens. The amount of Japanese you speak will probably also influence the speed at which things happen. If your Japanese is still not that good, bring a Japanese book or two and study.
Remember you are not at home
Japan is a lovely place, but remember that this will never be your country, not unless your ancestors were Japanese. Japan was a closed society for hundreds of years. Post WWII things have changed dramatically and will continue to change in the future if immigration significantly increases. Now, however, most Japanese view people as Japanese and foreigners. Foreigner, to most Japanese, is a positive word, not a negative one. You will hear young people say that foreigners are cool; many young women state they want to marry foreigners. Still, this will never be your country. No matter how good your Japanese is or how long you have lived in Japan, people will continue to ask if you can use chopsticks. Remember that in some ways, Japan will never be your country, even if you take Japanese citizenship.
At the moment the exchange rate for the yen/dollar is not good. This may well translate into competition for your business and perks for the traveler. Go to Japan with a pro active attitude and an open mind and you will have a much better experience. This country has much to offer and may well be the best chapter in your travel journal.
This issue of acceptance in Japan is about to be played out in the broader economy of that country. Demographically speaking, the Japanese population has aged to such an extent that there will soon be a dangerous shortage of factory workers among the shrinking population. The Japan Chamber of Commerce is exhorting the government to take action to promote immigrant labor. Despite that effort, there is little action being taken to offset this troubling situation. How can Japan hope to come out of a 20 year recession if it does not have an adequate labor force?
While traveling in Japan recently, I read an article in Japan Daily about the reintegration of Brazilian Japanese families. These were people of pure Japanese heritage whose ancestors emigrated to Brazil many years ago. The government of Japan went out of its way to encourage these people to return to the country of their heritage. In the article, those who returned were quoted as complaining about being shunned by their Japanese brethren, so much so that they have formed a bit of a social network of Brazilian-born Japanese.
All that said, Japan is a beautiful country full of gracious, educated and inquisitive people. It is without question one of my favorite destinations. And I also know several Aussies who live in the north and claim to have achieved a level of acceptance heretofore unheard of. So perhaps as other contributors have said, the youth of Japan are bringing about the necessary change in society. I just hope it happens fast enough for Japan to prosper once again.
Hopefully your desire for Japan to patriate huge swathes of foreigners will fail. You demand acceptance but do not accept asian men in Western societies in return. You must realize that all societies in Asia belong to the Asian man. You may earn the fleeting adulation of a few females, but the whole of Asia will always belong to the Asian man, so long as we have the weapons to keep you out. I have lived in the West all my life and have been exposed to the hypocrisy and racial stratification that is subtly maintained within these countries. I realize now that life in the West will condemn me to permanent denigration.
Rather, I would like to see the construement of a new world order. Failures and degeneration of the West, along with a redistribution of power and wealth in a geopolitical sense will lead to better ourcomes for Asia and the people living in Asia. You will not colonize Asia with your faltering ideological Manifest Destiny lies. Already, the ethnics of the world, from Afghanistan (14 dead US soldiers in 2 days!) to Somolia to Venezula to Iran to Asia rise against you. There WILL be a new world order.
lol!
I don’t see anything laughable about what this person has said. Racism towards honest, hardworking asian persons.
I myself would love to move to Japan or Korea, it’s my life dream to move to a place where the culture is more tolerant and accepting of people and culture. However I know nothing of the do’s and dont’s and am fearful that there would be some people there that would treat me (an outsider) as people treat Asians in my country.
I’m not an American, I am Australian and to be honest I do despise Abo’s and Africans only because they contribute little to society and expect me to learn their culture even though they are moving to my country. But all the asian people I’ve met and befriended are all really nice and hard working individuals (my reason for wanting to live in their country).
I am a red haired individual so I can understand social isolation and severe discimination for being different, so I guess my open question is ….
What is the Asian view on Australians? Red Haired individuals? And how accepting would they be as a whole?
If anyone would answer those, I would be appreciative because I would like to move after I get my degree in Computing.
^_^ Thanks in Advance, and MarkObama should choke a big one.
My personal experience is that this is not the case at all. America is very much a culture based on personality–if you’re not a massive dweeb, you’ll do alright here, Asian or not. I personally know plenty of Asian people that are ridiculously popular (men and women), and they do just fine. In fact, as far as the unofficial American racial hierarchy is concerned, east Asians are just below whites in widespread acceptance.
We’re a multi-ethnic country. There are poor whites, rich blacks, sexually desired Asian guys… you name it, we got it. Xenophobia is lame.
Asking someone if they can use chopsticks is soooo rude!! Thats like asking an asian person in america “can you use a fork?” i would never do that!!