I couldn’t agree more. Throughout the year I frequent 15 to 20 different clinics throughout Kanto and work alongside the Japanese staff at each location for a couple/few weeks. The culture at each clinic is often vastly different depending on the manager and crew. At some shops. I’m treated like a celebrity greeted with warm smiles and enthusiastically advertised to our clientele. At other shops I’m cautiously obeyed or simply ignored or worse treated like it’s my first day on the job despite being higher in seniority. Staff and management come from all corners of JAPAN and their individual personalities certainly inform the culture of the shop. I used to chuckle when I heard the phrases “I am a typical (or not a typical) Japanese”. Or natives, grumbling that everywhere in Japan was essentially the same. At this stage, I am acutely aware of the difference in vibe of Edoko and newcomers to the city. Tōhoku Kanto Kansai Ryukyu Hokkaido are all so unique to me. Quite often I will have a certain sense when I meet a new coworker, client and quickly realize they come from Hokkaido or Kyushu.. regions I seem to naturally vibe with.
Yes, its very true that many people assume they and others around them are "typical Japanese". That said, it would be very un-Japanese of them to say "I am different than everyone else."
I was an ALT in the early 90s and lived in Japan with my (Japanese) wife and daughter for nearly 22 years where I had a similar experience. Outsiders tend to think all Japanese behave and react in the same way. Japan is really quite a diverse country, which is what makes it so unique and such an amazing place to live. Its mountainous terrain and extreme climatic range has contributed to the development of many regional "mini" cultures--the Kanto and Kansai region, for example, or Hokkaido and Okinawa. As in other countries, city-dwellers think differently and have different values than rural folk. Likewise, people in Osaka tend to be more open and easygoing than people in Tokyo. Ultimately I think one's experience in Japan will vary with location and willingness to interact from both sides.
You are right - normally we assume people in different parts of a country are different. You don't expect someone from Kansas to be like a New Yorker. But there is this image that the Japanese are somehow all alike.
Your video made me think about how we treat foreigners, and important it is to communicate and welcome new people in your neighborhood. It makes living together more enjoyable and makes a stronger community.
Indeed, although it isnt always easy. Tokyo is just too many people and everyone is moving all the time, but I hope this can be the case in smaller communities.
Congratulations on the growth channel growth! I’ve been watching more content on non-Japanese living in Japan and I think there are a few distinct categories- the unrealistically ‘I’m a model but I also buy houses for a $1’ type which are like an instagram version of a place that is hugely fictional, - the deeply superficial ‘this is what I bought at the convenience store, hence I live in Japan now’ and channel like your’s which ring true of actual human experience.
Paul, I want to thank you for the time you dedicate to creating these videos. I've always dreamed of visiting Japan, and something within me feels deeply drawn to Japanese culture. Japan is the one place I can imagine myself exploring, not as a tourist, but as if I were an extraterrestrial who just landed on a new planet where everything has a magical glow. I'm now at a point in my life where I’m determined to make that dream a reality and visit Japan. Your videos, your discussions about Japan...they’ve truly made a difference in my life. For some reason, that impact feels incredibly significant to me. It’s like receiving a gift, a pleasant experience that you share with others...LIFE! So, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Thanks Paul for another interesting and thought provoking video! Also for the beautiful backdrop scenery. Am watching this from my hospital bed as have had shoulder surgery this past week. Have enjoyed watching and being transported back to Japan for a short time. Cheers and looking forward to next weeks video. I’m sure you can make it to 10,000 subscribers by the end of the year!
I'll never forget each time I'm told that people immediately recognize the friendliness of places like Yokohama/Osaka versus Tokyo. Just like you said, each situation is indeed different. Great stuff per usual, dude!
I am thinking I should make a video in some of the old neighborhoods of Tokyo talking to locals. That could be interesting and maybe change my mind about the place!
Working at a teaching assistant or a supply teacher it teaches you there's so many variables as to how people respond to you: Some schools are so grateful for the input because they have such few resources and high challenges while other schools treat you as invisible for many or any number of different reasons (mostly to do with systemic issues with scaling up education imho). So it sounds similar to the experience you describe being an ALT in different schools in Japan? Again what you say about everyone has a different background rings true (it opens your eyes knowing this teaching and you realize you cannot take things personally as such). Equally to stay sane teaching, I always ask my students no matter everyone has their own background, I insist on good standards so you can develop excellence in yourself as individuals and as a group collectively and you all share in responsibility to achieve this while in school. It's a really good idea you have to think up a way where the students can do their English home-work atst as that providing value to you thus the actual work they do is "functional" in value and so meaningful.
A big part of the JET interview (at least my experience and others I know) is them testing how flexible you are with the different possibilities of how you will be received/perceived. If you can't roll with the different outcomes, especially if you compare your situation to other teacher's, life in Japan could feel really tough.
I recently found your videos. That is a wonderful area you are walking through. Is that somewhere in Osaka? Love your discussing to the camera videos you make.
Thank you very much for the wise words. Although my experience in Japan hasn't really been positive, I intuitively knew ESID. However, the question is: how many times can you move to find an ideal neighborhood?!
My wife is from Fujiyoshida and I also consider Fujiyoshida my hometown in Japan because I lived there for a long time as well, back in the late 80s early 90s. I’m sure we know a lot of the same people in that town, especially some of the gaijin. But I love that whole 富士五湖 area. Thank you for the talk and walk. 🤙🏽 Good luck getting to 10K subs. Shoot, I’m just trying to get to 1K.
I used to DJ at the only dance club in Fujiyoshida called夜間飛行 back in the day. Prolly before your time. Keep up the good work. Maybe we’ll meet someday.
Thank you for this video, i just bought a house in Hida Takayama for holiday. But i wanne be also social to the community. This video helps me understand much more about japan. Love your videos🙏🏼
Thank you for the comment, and good luck. My advice would be to approach your neighbors first, with some type of gift (like the traditional soba noodles). Making that first gesture can do a lot to break the ice.
Welcome to the forested country of Japan! Yamanashi is also full of forests. There are various challenges, but let's work hard together. I love Japan, but personally, I just can't handle the summer heat; it drives me crazy.
Good question. There isn't exactly a review site or app for "friendly towns." Maybe if you have the luxury of exploring a place before deciding to move there, that could be the key. I know that's often not possible though...
Love you Mystery story.Most favourite: Lady brought you with her 🚗 Car and her Son to a village you wanted to go in the Middle of the night,during you were carrying the Sword.❤ And about the Fuju Mount forest.Thank you
Probably a silly question but can you speak fluent Japanese Paul? Would like to hear some in your next vid! Did it take you a long time to learn if you are?
Not a silly question at all. I will say that I am not fluent, simply because there are plenty of topics that could come up in conversation where my vocabulary will be deficient. For example, I can handle most every day Japan topics, but if someone asked me about something like the US's geo-political relationships I would struggle, since I don't have experience discussing something like that in Japanese. I could probably get my message across crudely, but I have a long way to go to reach that sort of fluency.
Hello. quick question - I'm currently on an Instructor visa and I'm thinking about starting a TH-cam channel. Do I need to get permission from immigration for this? Thanks in advance! 🙏
I am not a visa/immigration lawyer but in the beginning I don't think you need permission. Before you start making money (1000 subs, 400 watch hours) it's just a hobby anyways. After that, I am not sure. What I do know is the tax office won't start to care until you are making money - and even then, I think you need to be making more than 200,000yen a year for it to become a taxable side gig. It's a good question, but since I had permanent resident status before I started I never researched it.
Koshu is really an excellent white wine, and I don't usually like white wine. There are some good blends made in Yamanashi, but Koshu is the only one that is 100% regional grapes.
not a small part of japanese people themselves just loath the very idea of communities and any responsibilities being part of them might entail: my wife, who is japanese, was really aghast of the very idea of buying a house because that would mean becoming a part of a neighborhood association and whatnot... now it's me who is supposed to go to all those community cleanings (as rare as they may actually be), and put a stamp on occasional 'kairanban's (a katakana -written『エフゲニ』really spices up rows of 植松、高木...)
Good luck! I came over as a very newly licensed teacher (only 1 year of teaching in the US). This DID help a lot, since the teachers who recognized my training were happy to have me help out in productive ways.
I heard that Mayor of Nagasaki banned attendance of Israeli representative in atomic bombing anniversary ceremony whereas Mayor of Hiroshima banned Palestine representative. Japanese people with same experience made polar opposite choices...
I think, i’m a very very edge case of moving to Japan - ukrainian refugee. Why Japan? I was just studying nihongo as hobby, it’s much cheaper than Europe, much safer than Europe, no political drama, no looming treat of mr P invading some other country, and so on(and not even talking about usa, because that was not an option at all - i don’t like the country, the culture, the politics, the lifestyle with cars and so on) and in general i just wanted to move to there. I had very realistic expectations(no rose tinted glasses), but so far the country much much exceeded my expectations. My another option was Phillipines(i love PH), if something would have gone wrong(complementary protection and so on. But i believe they approve it to all ukrainians who apply, because there are not too many. Like maybe few hundreds peeps per year)
The greatest number of Akiyas are concentrated in Yamanashi. Watching this video interested me in looking for a getaway cottage in Yamanashi. ....just saying. Btw, your video is always well articulated, and you do it so naturally. I'm jealous.
why people romantize japan so much? i mean... i know why people below 30 like me do it... because of "anime". we grew up idolizing that culture. and dont get me wrong i love it still. BUT i know that japan is not perfect, just like any country. you will have horrible bosses, people will discriminate you for being a foreigner... even if you are white blue eyes... maybe they will never insult you or something. but you will NEVER be one of them. you will always be the "foreign gaijin". having said this. i love japan, and will continue to do it... but its a bit funny (and tragic) watching people dissapointed when they discover that japan is just another country in the world and is not a 24/7 fantasy world.
@@Exjapter When I arrived, I was told that within 6 months my view of Japan would change. That didn't happen, so I was told to wait a year. That still didn't happen, so I was told to wait 3 years. It's been almost 2 years and my honeymoon with Japan hasn't ended. It's almost as if there is this bias with people wanting to believe that: - whatever bad experiences they go through is the country's fault - if Japan is not picture perfect, then it's a scam - everyone's experience is going to be like me; I'm the gold-standard
i think that you are wrong,the cultural differences are small, they are homogeneous and that is a big big positive. now what you see are just differences in people, what you are saying is basically because there are difference in people personas that most mean that the culture is different, nope.
Sure, it is mostly personalities in the end - but neighborhoods and communities also have personalities, so small town life one place wont' be the same as elsewhere. Not surprising, really.
@@figgettit well, the theme of the course is supposed to be "talk about Japan to foreigners," and a lot of the things practiced during the semester are "explain the rules of an onsen in English," "describe in your own words what the senpai kohai relationship entails," and the like. So as far as final essays go, it fits the perview. The second semester (it's a year long course) explores more deep issues with Japan, and the final essay then is "What is the most important issue Japan faces today." I feel it would be dreadfully boring for them to all write about something arbitrary they dont care about, and these topics are much more interesting to wade through when reading 90 of them per semester.
That advise is really wise, I'm not in Japan but I lived that feeling when you don´t fit in one specific place, it is good to try a new enviroment
I couldn’t agree more. Throughout the year I frequent 15 to 20 different clinics throughout Kanto and work alongside the Japanese staff at each location for a couple/few weeks. The culture at each clinic is often vastly different depending on the manager and crew. At some shops. I’m treated like a celebrity greeted with warm smiles and enthusiastically advertised to our clientele. At other shops I’m cautiously obeyed or simply ignored or worse treated like it’s my first day on the job despite being higher in seniority. Staff and management come from all corners of JAPAN and their individual personalities certainly inform the culture of the shop. I used to chuckle when I heard the phrases “I am a typical (or not a typical) Japanese”. Or natives, grumbling that everywhere in Japan was essentially the same. At this stage, I am acutely aware of the difference in vibe of Edoko and newcomers to the city. Tōhoku Kanto Kansai Ryukyu Hokkaido are all so unique to me. Quite often I will have a certain sense when I meet a new coworker, client and quickly realize they come from Hokkaido or Kyushu.. regions I seem to naturally vibe with.
Yes, its very true that many people assume they and others around them are "typical Japanese". That said, it would be very un-Japanese of them to say "I am different than everyone else."
I was an ALT in the early 90s and lived in Japan with my (Japanese) wife and daughter for nearly 22 years where I had a similar experience. Outsiders tend to think all Japanese behave and react in the same way. Japan is really quite a diverse country, which is what makes it so unique and such an amazing place to live. Its mountainous terrain and extreme climatic range has contributed to the development of many regional "mini" cultures--the Kanto and Kansai region, for example, or Hokkaido and Okinawa. As in other countries, city-dwellers think differently and have different values than rural folk. Likewise, people in Osaka tend to be more open and easygoing than people in Tokyo. Ultimately I think one's experience in Japan will vary with location and willingness to interact from both sides.
You are right - normally we assume people in different parts of a country are different. You don't expect someone from Kansas to be like a New Yorker. But there is this image that the Japanese are somehow all alike.
It’s really interesting to listen to your videos as a Japanese man in 50s!
Do you have your podcast channel?
Journal of Japan Journeys. If you search for that you will find it. Thank you!
Your video made me think about how we treat foreigners, and important it is to communicate and welcome new people in your neighborhood. It makes living together more enjoyable and makes a stronger community.
Indeed, although it isnt always easy. Tokyo is just too many people and everyone is moving all the time, but I hope this can be the case in smaller communities.
I love how non-judgmental you come across as. You're just sharing an level-headed take informed by experience, and I like that.
Thank you, I appreciate that observation.
I love these videos you make. It's like having a mentor. Thousands of miles away :D
Any video topics you'd like to see?
Thank you for your thoughts and the explanation of the "mantra". I appreciated your honest take on living in different areas and communities in Japan.
Thank you, I appreciate the comment.
Congratulations on the growth channel growth! I’ve been watching more content on non-Japanese living in Japan and I think there are a few distinct categories- the unrealistically ‘I’m a model but I also buy houses for a $1’ type which are like an instagram version of a place that is hugely fictional, - the deeply superficial ‘this is what I bought at the convenience store, hence I live in Japan now’ and channel like your’s which ring true of actual human experience.
That's what I am going for, thank you for the comment!
Paul, I want to thank you for the time you dedicate to creating these videos.
I've always dreamed of visiting Japan, and something within me feels deeply drawn to Japanese culture. Japan is the one place I can imagine myself exploring, not as a tourist, but as if I were an extraterrestrial who just landed on a new planet where everything has a magical glow.
I'm now at a point in my life where I’m determined to make that dream a reality and visit Japan.
Your videos, your discussions about Japan...they’ve truly made a difference in my life. For some reason, that impact feels incredibly significant to me. It’s like receiving a gift, a pleasant experience that you share with others...LIFE!
So, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I am happy that my videos can provide that kind of value. Thank you so much.
Have been watching your channel for some time, I love your insights so have finally subscribed. 😊
Thank you so much for subbing and commenting!
Thank you for opening up about your experiences here….i agree….
Thank you for your comment.
Beautiful walk through nature 😊
It is a lovely place.
Thanks for putting out your videos
Thank you for the comment!
Thanks Paul for another interesting and thought provoking video! Also for the beautiful backdrop scenery. Am watching this from my hospital bed as have had shoulder surgery this past week.
Have enjoyed watching and being transported back to Japan for a short time.
Cheers and looking forward to next weeks video. I’m sure you can make it to 10,000 subscribers by the end of the year!
I hope your shoulder heals in a flash. Glad you enjoyed the video.
I'll never forget each time I'm told that people immediately recognize the friendliness of places like Yokohama/Osaka versus Tokyo. Just like you said, each situation is indeed different. Great stuff per usual, dude!
I am thinking I should make a video in some of the old neighborhoods of Tokyo talking to locals. That could be interesting and maybe change my mind about the place!
I always enjoy your videos! Thank you for making them! Have a great day! And take care!
Thank you! Have a lovely day.
My hometown in Japan. I lived there for two years in the early 90s.
That's great! Have you been back? With the tourist boom, it has changed a lot in the past 10 years, so certainly a lot since the 90s.
Planning a trip soon, but going off the beaten track for sure. I am more of a traveller than a tourist.
Working at a teaching assistant or a supply teacher it teaches you there's so many variables as to how people respond to you: Some schools are so grateful for the input because they have such few resources and high challenges while other schools treat you as invisible for many or any number of different reasons (mostly to do with systemic issues with scaling up education imho). So it sounds similar to the experience you describe being an ALT in different schools in Japan?
Again what you say about everyone has a different background rings true (it opens your eyes knowing this teaching and you realize you cannot take things personally as such). Equally to stay sane teaching, I always ask my students no matter everyone has their own background, I insist on good standards so you can develop excellence in yourself as individuals and as a group collectively and you all share in responsibility to achieve this while in school.
It's a really good idea you have to think up a way where the students can do their English home-work atst as that providing value to you thus the actual work they do is "functional" in value and so meaningful.
A big part of the JET interview (at least my experience and others I know) is them testing how flexible you are with the different possibilities of how you will be received/perceived. If you can't roll with the different outcomes, especially if you compare your situation to other teacher's, life in Japan could feel really tough.
This was an excellent video! You expressed your viewpoints so earnestly.
Thank you for your comment. Cheers!
I recently found your videos. That is a wonderful area you are walking through. Is that somewhere in Osaka? Love your discussing to the camera videos you make.
Thank you for the comment. This video is in Yamanashi, just West of Tokyo. (Lake Kawaguchi).
Thank you very much for the wise words. Although my experience in Japan hasn't really been positive, I intuitively knew ESID. However, the question is: how many times can you move to find an ideal neighborhood?!
I also wanted to add: Japan teaches you not to take things personally 😊
Sorry to hear your experience hasn't been ideal. Maybe try a different place in Japan if possible?
Your channel is great and you are very well-spoken. Thank you for your videos.
Thank you for your comment. I appreciate the compliment.
As soon as I saw "ESID" I knew you were a JET alumni.
I wonder if that's still a part of the orientation to this day.
@@Exjapter I would be surprised if it isn't. It's certainly a very powerful frame of reference.
Another video let’s gooooo🎉
Interesting and constructive viewpoint! Best wishes from Yokohama, where we don't nan to ka nan to ka ;)
We dont honyanyanya either. ;)
My wife is from Fujiyoshida and I also consider Fujiyoshida my hometown in Japan because I lived there for a long time as well, back in the late 80s early 90s. I’m sure we know a lot of the same people in that town, especially some of the gaijin. But I love that whole 富士五湖 area. Thank you for the talk and walk. 🤙🏽 Good luck getting to 10K subs. Shoot, I’m just trying to get to 1K.
Another Yoshida native! So nice to hear from you. I am guessing you are familiar with Michael's Bar (now closed).
@@ExjapterI think I went there one time while it was open. With my friend Hitomi Kamio of Kamio taxi. But we are fans of モンブラン
I used to DJ at the only dance club in Fujiyoshida called夜間飛行 back in the day. Prolly before your time.
Keep up the good work. Maybe we’ll meet someday.
Thank you for this video, i just bought a house in Hida Takayama for holiday. But i wanne be also social to the community. This video helps me understand much more about japan. Love your videos🙏🏼
Thank you for the comment, and good luck. My advice would be to approach your neighbors first, with some type of gift (like the traditional soba noodles). Making that first gesture can do a lot to break the ice.
me too! except in Maebashi, Gunma so I appreciate your advice!
Welcome to the forested country of Japan! Yamanashi is also full of forests. There are various challenges, but let's work hard together. I love Japan, but personally, I just can't handle the summer heat; it drives me crazy.
It took me more than 10 years to be able to say I am (sorta) used to it now...
How do you find a town with a strong community? How do you know that vibe before moving to or settling down there?
Good question. There isn't exactly a review site or app for "friendly towns." Maybe if you have the luxury of exploring a place before deciding to move there, that could be the key. I know that's often not possible though...
Love you Mystery story.Most favourite: Lady brought you with her 🚗 Car and her Son to a village you wanted to go in the Middle of the night,during you were carrying the Sword.❤ And about the Fuju Mount forest.Thank you
What a beautiful spot, look forward to the Sat mornings drop, very interesting! :)
ですね。その県によっても違うし市によっても違う。そして職場によっても全く違いますよね。
自分は宮崎の病院で働いていた時は(自分は医療事務です)、毎週金曜日あたりに飲み会があって夜中の2時3時まで。
ホントバカですよね。嫌になって２年で辞めましたけど。
宮崎自体は素晴らしい自然と人も良い人が多かったんですけどその毎週の飲み会だけはバカすぎると思いました。
たぶんその職場だけの風習というか悪習でしたね。宮崎は今でも好きです！
Ok, that's TOO overbearingly social....
Probably a silly question but can you speak fluent Japanese Paul? Would like to hear some in your next vid! Did it take you a long time to learn if you are?
Not a silly question at all. I will say that I am not fluent, simply because there are plenty of topics that could come up in conversation where my vocabulary will be deficient. For example, I can handle most every day Japan topics, but if someone asked me about something like the US's geo-political relationships I would struggle, since I don't have experience discussing something like that in Japanese. I could probably get my message across crudely, but I have a long way to go to reach that sort of fluency.
Hello. quick question - I'm currently on an Instructor visa and I'm thinking about starting a TH-cam channel. Do I need to get permission from immigration for this? Thanks in advance! 🙏
I am not a visa/immigration lawyer but in the beginning I don't think you need permission. Before you start making money (1000 subs, 400 watch hours) it's just a hobby anyways. After that, I am not sure. What I do know is the tax office won't start to care until you are making money - and even then, I think you need to be making more than 200,000yen a year for it to become a taxable side gig. It's a good question, but since I had permanent resident status before I started I never researched it.
@@Exjapter thank you so much..
Yamanashi has the best wine?
Koshu is really an excellent white wine, and I don't usually like white wine. There are some good blends made in Yamanashi, but Koshu is the only one that is 100% regional grapes.
@@Exjapter nice I will try it
not a small part of japanese people themselves just loath the very idea of communities and any responsibilities being part of them might entail: my wife, who is japanese, was really aghast of the very idea of buying a house because that would mean becoming a part of a neighborhood association and whatnot... now it's me who is supposed to go to all those community cleanings (as rare as they may actually be), and put a stamp on occasional 'kairanban's (a katakana -written『エフゲニ』really spices up rows of 植松、高木...)
When we lived in the US there was a local "Japan Residents" club/group and when I asked my wife if she wanted to join she said "no way, mendoukusai!"
I'm going to try for JET as an "old lady" teacher (I'm a licensed science teacher in the US). I wonder if that'll change the dynamic. xD
Good luck! I came over as a very newly licensed teacher (only 1 year of teaching in the US). This DID help a lot, since the teachers who recognized my training were happy to have me help out in productive ways.
English teacherとゆうstatusはそのままで、サイドビジネスで儲けるのはいかがでしょう？ 例えば本格的なアップルパイを焼いてキッチンカーで販売するとか、もしくは古民家を安く購入してリノベイトして海外からの観光客のための宿泊施設を運営するとか？
I have ideas......
@@Exjapter Cool! Are those secret yet?
I heard that Mayor of Nagasaki banned attendance of Israeli representative in atomic bombing anniversary ceremony whereas Mayor of Hiroshima banned Palestine representative. Japanese people with same experience made polar opposite choices...
Reasons ?
I think, i’m a very very edge case of moving to Japan - ukrainian refugee. Why Japan? I was just studying nihongo as hobby, it’s much cheaper than Europe, much safer than Europe, no political drama, no looming treat of mr P invading some other country, and so on(and not even talking about usa, because that was not an option at all - i don’t like the country, the culture, the politics, the lifestyle with cars and so on) and in general i just wanted to move to there. I had very realistic expectations(no rose tinted glasses), but so far the country much much exceeded my expectations. My another option was Phillipines(i love PH), if something would have gone wrong(complementary protection and so on. But i believe they approve it to all ukrainians who apply, because there are not too many. Like maybe few hundreds peeps per year)
40% of us are single in this country right now so we don't (wouldn't) know each other, and it's growing fast.
Yes, there is a growing "impersonal" vibe.
based
The greatest number of Akiyas are concentrated in Yamanashi. Watching this video interested me in looking for a getaway cottage in Yamanashi. ....just saying. Btw, your video is always well articulated, and you do it so naturally. I'm jealous.
Thank you for your comment. Yamanashi is a lovely place, I couldn't recommend it enough. Personally, I want a place in the mountains of Nagano.
why people romantize japan so much? i mean... i know why people below 30 like me do it... because of "anime".
we grew up idolizing that culture. and dont get me wrong i love it still. BUT i know that japan is not perfect, just like any country.
you will have horrible bosses, people will discriminate you for being a foreigner... even if you are white blue eyes... maybe they will never insult you or something. but you will NEVER be one of them. you will always be the "foreign gaijin".
having said this. i love japan, and will continue to do it... but its a bit funny (and tragic) watching people dissapointed when they discover that japan is just another country in the world and is not a 24/7 fantasy world.
I still have a strong romantic streak for Japan, 20 years in.
@@Exjapter When I arrived, I was told that within 6 months my view of Japan would change. That didn't happen, so I was told to wait a year. That still didn't happen, so I was told to wait 3 years.
It's been almost 2 years and my honeymoon with Japan hasn't ended.
It's almost as if there is this bias with people wanting to believe that:
- whatever bad experiences they go through is the country's fault
- if Japan is not picture perfect, then it's a scam
- everyone's experience is going to be like me; I'm the gold-standard
i think that you are wrong,the cultural differences are small, they are homogeneous and that is a big big positive. now what you see are just differences in people, what you are saying is basically because there are difference in people personas that most mean that the culture is different, nope.
Sure, it is mostly personalities in the end - but neighborhoods and communities also have personalities, so small town life one place wont' be the same as elsewhere. Not surprising, really.
ugh this guy has JET think
Hahaha, well, I was a JET at the start. I'd like to think my Japan-view has grown a bit from then though.
@@Exjapter no you're still caught in the solipsism of being a professional token gaijin
@@figgettit OK.
@@Exjapter it is what it is. Pegging student assessment to the arbitrary metric of "what you don't know" is peak gaijinity.
@@figgettit well, the theme of the course is supposed to be "talk about Japan to foreigners," and a lot of the things practiced during the semester are "explain the rules of an onsen in English," "describe in your own words what the senpai kohai relationship entails," and the like. So as far as final essays go, it fits the perview. The second semester (it's a year long course) explores more deep issues with Japan, and the final essay then is "What is the most important issue Japan faces today."
I feel it would be dreadfully boring for them to all write about something arbitrary they dont care about, and these topics are much more interesting to wade through when reading 90 of them per semester.