Peaceful Japan – My Ass!

One of the stereotypes about Japan that bothers me the most is that people in Japan somehow value and practice “peace” more than other people around the world. In reality, I feel that the opposite could very well be true and here are a number of examples to prove my point:

•  Come to Japan and be prepared to be: pushed, bumped, and stepped on – and that is just from the old ladies or “babas” in train stations or on trains! Then there are the smokers who will blow smoke in your face or dump cigarette ashes on you. And don’t get me started on the motorcycles without mufflers!

• In terms of educating: pain is the best teacher. This is “common sense” for many people in Japan. I have seen teachers, parents, and others in teaching roles literally beat their lesson into their pupils – and it is commonly accepted! One would think that those “shy” little women in Japan would never be violent, but you would be wrong! If they have the upper hand, i.e. are senpai – or senior, anyone will commonly revert to physical and psychological violence towards their ward. The worst I have ever seen was on a TV program on the police. The cadets are basically beat silly (physically and psychologically) and this is considered professional.

• Probably one of the biggest jokes in Japan is the just the term “peace.” I see rallies, textbook entries, movies, TV documentaries, and newspaper articles praising Japan’s contribution to peace in the world, but what is really meant is peace for Japan that wants nothing to do with the rest of the world. In short, these peace activists in Japan want to act like ostriches and bury their heads in the sand and ignore the reality of the  world around them. When North Korea fired missles over the country, the Japanese government did nothing. Heck, if I recall correctly, the American government told CNN and the Japanese had learn about the “tests” from America. Shocking! One letter in the Japan Times hit the nail on the head with this:

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/rc20080228a2.html

Thanks for reading,

GBUJ

What Did I Do?

In my 17 years in Japan I have noticed something that always makes me wonder: Why do some women in Japan start crying in front of me?

Here is an example and my theory. Often I will sit down on the train and find myself sitting across from some 30-something beautiful woman. I don’t mind the eye-candy, but being happily married I sigh and go back to reading my newspaper or watching Californication (great show!) on my iPod. However, I soon feel eyes on me, I look up and make eye contact with the woman across from me. I ignore her. The train keeps on going and every once I will look up and find tears in the woman’s eyes. You may think I am imagining things, but I swear this has happened to me countless times in the past. Also the woman is always of a certain type: again mid to late 30s, obviously a working professional (well-educated and well-off), single (possibly divorced – it has become very common in Japan), and very stylish.  So what is going on with the tears? Simple, I believe these are cases of unrequited love or in layman’s terms, “the one-that-got-away.” For many years in Japan, marrying a non-Japanese  person was tantamount to blasphemy. In fact, it still is for many. But, strangely enough, it has become “cool” for many in recent years. In fact, by some accounts  over 20% of marriages (in some parts of Japan) are between a non-Japanese and a Japanese. Why the sudden “cachet” to international marriage? Some women, in particular, have shared their “happiness” with being married to non-Japanese men in the Japanese media, books, blogs, and so on. Then there is the seemingly endless number of “halves” showing up on Japanese TV. They are seen as cool or “kakko ii” by many in Japan, regardless of talent or lack thereof. Heck, I can remember a time when not being “pure” Japanese meant a lifetime of hell and discrimination in Japan, now it is seemingly acceptable. The same goes for kids catalogs. Now that I have kids of my own, I am shocked to see how many non-Japanese or mixed kids are used as models in clothing magazines. So, all these young women in Japan want that non-Japanese man – preferably a Western blond hair blue-eyed “darling” so they can have a cute or “kawaii” baby.

What these women fail to realize is the immense pressure on those relationships from the systematic racism that exists in Japan more times than not leads to their early demise. In fact, from what I have observed among friends  and acquaintances over the years in Japan, the number of international marriages between Japanese and non-Japanese probably has a divorce rate hovering around 60-70%. Possibly the highest in the world! So, going back to the women with the tears in their eyes. I think I may be reminding them of the one that got away. Life in Japan for non-Japanese is pretty stressful and if the Japanese partner is not willing to accept that fact and help out as much as possible, then I am pretty certain the relationship is doomed. Also, keep in mind my entry about “Who you are?” Relationships also end up being a numbers game. The Japanese spouse has their family and you are all alone. In their eyes, you have no choice but to bend to their will/demands. Being a singular “you” is not a position of power or respect in Japan.

Well, to the women crying across from me, what did you expect? Marriage isn’t easy. Hell any relationship is difficult! If you were too lazy to put in the effort and keep your man happy or help him deal with the racism, then that is your loss. Or maybe you met him while you were working or studying abroad? And he refused to come to Japan with you. Well, then he probably he was already aware of what was waiting for him and decided you were not worth it. In which case, suck it up and  move on with your life.  

Thanks for reading,

GBUJ 

The Police in Japan, Racism, and a Rationale?

This post is probably a little early in the game, but I can’t help but share it as it will explain much of the racism non-Japanese experience while living in Japan.

As I already mentioned, I practice a martial art. In doing so, I come in frequent contact with Japanese police. In fact, one of my best pals is in the force. While he is a great guy, he is very small peanuts in terms of the larger picture. On the other hand, I have acquaintances who are very high up in the police hierarchy. Anyway, as any martial art practitioner can tell you, drinking alcohol after practice is almost just as important as the practice itself. One time after practice I met a new guy. He was “young,” probably only about 45 (that is still “wet behind the ears” in Japan) and after introducing himself and seeing my Japanese was pretty decent, he asked me a question. Basically, he explained that he had been sent to Australia (although FBI HQ in the U.S. had been his first choice) for a chance to see what police work was like “down under.” While there he learned some, but not having the English skills to properly communicate he felt it was kind of a wasted opportunity – you hear that a lot! Anyway, his question was whether I thought non-Japanese, in this case Australians, had made fun of his English skills or lack thereof while his back was turned. Being tired from practice and having a few beers in me, I was caught off guard by the seriousness of his inquiry. Well, I thought quickly and replied honestly that I didn’t think they would do such a thing. He asked why and I said that at least in the States you could get in trouble for making fun of people’s speech, nationality, religion, gender, and so on… especially in the workplace. He thought about my reply and then said that he thought as much but wasn’t sure and just wanted confirmation. I also added that people could not only get fired from their job, but the offended individual could sue. Lastly, I said that in the workplace such behavior would be thought of as childish, a sign of ignorance and by extension a general lack of intelligence. (I didn’t mention it to him, but Michael Scott in “The Office” is a great example.)

Well, the subject changed and the rest of the evening was pretty uneventful. I was to later find out that he was a real up-and-comer in the force and I could see it with my own eyes as a number of the older police all deferred to him. It then hit me like a ton of bricks! He asked me that question because he knew that behind closed doors (and even face to face in my experience) many in Japan make fun of non-Japanese — especially when they try to speak Japanese. The rationale, and this is if I read this guy right, is kind of like a preemptive strike. And it explained so much! I have often been bemused at the “intelligentsia” of Japan and their racist rants. Take the governor of Tokyo for example. The man has nothing but hate for non-Japanese and I guess this could be the reason why. He, like this gentleman from the police, figures that non-Japanese probably hate Japanese (whether it is true or not is beside the point) and by hating, discriminating, and making fun of others is justing getting one up on the non-Japanese. I have shared this story with other “old-timers” in Japan and they all had a similar reply – naruhodo ne – or “that’s what I thought.” How sad can you get? I am going to hate/discriminate against someone I have never met simply because they probably hate/are going to discriminate against me. I’ll just beat them to the punch. Sad!!!

Thanks for reading,

GBUJ

My First Rant – Stereotypes on People in Japan and the Media

I guess what really bothers me most about life in Japan is the stereotyping. All Japanese are a certain way and all non-Japanese are the same, and so on….

Take for example – language. If you come to Japan from any part of the planet, many in Japan will automatically assume that you speak English – especially if your skin is white. When one considers all of the people from countries around the world who are white-skinned but do not speak English, this stereotype is bordering on being both racist and ignorant.

On the other end of the spectrum is all of the “othering” that has been and is still being done about “The Japanese.” I can’t tell you how many times I have read in print how “The Japanese” do this and “The Japanese” don’t like that. It is all bullshit! There is no such thing as “The Japanese!” I have been in Japan for 17 years and as someone completely integrated into the society, I can tell you that asking 10 people on the street about their thoughts on any given subject will give you just as many different answers/responses as you’d get with 10 people in any other country on the planet.

Now, and I will end this entry soon, who is to blame for these stereotypes? IMHO, I think it is primarily due to a willingness for most people to believe what they read, hear, and/or watch in the media. It is just too easy for people to be duped. One great example that comes to mind are certain female writers of The Japan Times newspaper. For years, I (and telling by the occasional letter to the editor many others) have read and put up with terrible, even atrocious, stereotyping. Off the top of my head, these have been generalizations made and stereotypes propogated in certain columns and comics:

• All Japanese women dating non-Japanese must be idiot bimbos.
• All non-Japanese in Japan have no idea what they are doing.
• All non-Japanese in Japan have no right to complain about how they are treated while in Japan.
• All intelligent Japanese women would never get married or have children (written by a Japanese woman!).

Well, I think you get the point. Anyway, while complaint letters seemed to have had some effect on the stereotyping in The Japan Times, I gave up on my subscription after one female writer still continued to write completely unprofessionally. Every once in a while I take a look at their homepage, but I refuse to ever give them another yen!

Thanks for reading,

GBUJ