Are You Prepared?
December 10, 2008 Japan, Living in Japan, Working in Japan
For almost two years we have heard how companies are shutting down all over the world in response to a slowing economy. Whether this is the ultimate result of corporate greed, globalization, out-sourcing, or something that can be understood only by leading economists, one thing is clear: our current employment is no guarantee of future security. Of course, facing the prospect of unemployment is scary for everyone, but it’s particularly painful when living in a foreign country.
Here in Japan, a number of private language schools have shut down due to this slowing economy, and others are struggling. The larger companies are starting to offer discounts as high as 40%, and language instructors are beginning to lower their private lesson rates in a bid to stave off their own financial troubles. But how long can a person do this before it’s no longer realistically viable?
This aside; hundreds of thousands of foreigners will be forced to ask one or both of the following questions:
- Is it time to go back?
- Am I prepared to take “living in Japan” to the next level if the current job disappears?
I’ve been thinking about the second question far more than the first, as I have no intentions on leaving Japan. Reiko and I are quite happy here, and we hope to stay for at least another quarter century before considering relocating. But many colleagues and acquaintances have been leaving the country in droves since the fall of Nova. Not only has it become more difficult to find work as a language instructor, but it has become next to impossible for many to secure a nice contract position that offers a healthy completion bonus.
So what options do foreign workers have if they wish to continue to live and work in Japan?
Assessing Our Strengths
One of the first things a person needs to do is assess our strengths. Despite the relative popularity of English in the country, there is still a very small fraction of the population that can get by with anything but a very basic “noun plus verb” based conversation. This leaves a huge window of opportunity for foreigners who can speak both Japanese and at least one more language. There are four key questions to consider when assessing what kind of job we should target:
Can I Drive in Japan?
People who can drive in Japan have far more opportunities available to them than those who cannot. Foreigners with a valid license can usually find work as a delivery driver, factory worker, taxi driver, and tour bus driver. While it might be necessary to take another examination to become certified to drive a public transportation vehicle, there are quite a few opportunities listed in the weekly employment magazines for multi-lingual drivers. Just because the global economy is in a little rut, doesn’t mean that foreigners will avoid coming to Japan for business and pleasure.
How Much Experience Do I Have?
Unlike our Japanese counterparts, many foreign workers have been employed with a number of companies and learned a lot of different ways to accomplish the same tasks. On top of this, working in a foreign environment has taught us (hopefully) business communication skills that would be beneficial to any company that deals internationally. It’s true that many international companies have a staff member or two with a high degree of skill in a foreign language, but a native speaker can often give the organization a more professional appearance in written communication as well as on the phone.
How Well Can I Speak Japanese?
This is perhaps the biggest crutch for English Language teachers in Japan as many cannot speak Japanese beyond a basic level. Other language instructors do not seem to have as much trouble, though, as most (of the one’s I’ve spoken to) tend to learn Japanese before coming to the country. A wise decision and one I wish I had paid more attention to.
That said, there is hope for those of us that are less than fluent in the slightly confusing native language of the land. People with a rudimentary knowledge of Japanese may want to consider working at a gas station, convenience store, or even work in sales at an electronics store. Not only will this offer the perfect opportunity to improve on their language, but it could provide the very motivation required to take learning to the next level. Others who have a higher degree of Japanese skills can apply for the same kind of jobs or, if something a little more challenging is in order, consider a career in security, translation, or even working in a regular office building. Again, the Japanese immersion will be great way to become much more fluent with formal, professional and casual forms of the language.
What is the Status of My Visa?
Finally, the current status of our visa is another important aspect to consider. Do we have the right visa for the type of job we want to pursue? Is it set to expire in the next year? Will we be dependant on an employer to get it renewed? With the amount of hassle an employer might have to go through to help someone secure another work visa, companies might not offer much more than the absolute basic level of assistance.
Also, during these difficult times, the last thing we want weighing on our mind is the unsaid obligation of sticking with an employer because they use Working Visa renewals as methods of ownership. One of the greatest advantages of this economic slow-down is the opportunity foreigners will have to become far more independent while living in Japan. If nobody is going to help us because of the costs, then we’ll just have to learn to do it ourselves. And there’s no greater feeling than accomplishing something in Japanese that we thought was an impossible task weeks or months before.
All of these things can play to our strengths, and we should remember to use them. In times of economic strife, companies want the best people for the best price, and foreigners usually understand that they can be sold on a bargain.
Just remember to not anyone cheat you out of what you deserve.
Assessing Our Weaknesses
Of course, while assessing our strengths, we must also remember our weaknesses. Earlier this week I was asked if I could write something down for someone in Katakana. While this is not particularly difficult anymore, I was immediately struck by the fact that the person who asked me to write the katakana had been living in the country much longer than I have. I immediately resolved to redouble my Japanese efforts because I did not want to be among the foreigners who moved to a country and never learned to effectively communicate in the native language. I was frustrated with the number of people I had worked with in Canada who had minimal language skills after 5+ years in the nation, and I do not want my Japanese colleagues to feel the same way about me.
So what skills should foreigners in Japan possess? The same skills that you’d hope to see in any country of the world: decent reading and writing abilities, basic computer skills, and a desire to learn.
In terms of reading and writing, if you can read and write at an elementary-school level, it should be possible to work part time at a restaurant or convenience store while becoming more familiar with the language. This might not be the “dream job” we envisioned a few years ago, but if it pays the bills then who are we to complain? A second-year high school-level reading and writing ability seems to be the standard in the country, even though Japan has one of the highest rates of Post-Secondary education completion I’ve ever seen. If you can pass the 2-kyu Japanese Language Proficiency Test then, chances are, you can get a decent paying job that will keep you in the upper-lower class or even lower-middle class. Either way, the more literate you are, the better.
But what if, despite our best efforts, we cannot find work and there’s no hope of finding something in the near future?
Contingency Planning
Many years ago, one of my favorite teachers had taught me to “always have a plan ready” in the event something unexpected happens. The wisdom of these words became more apparent over time as the world alternated between the appearance of stability and a maelstrom of chaos. Since moving to this nation I have had no less than four concurrent plans going in the event something like this over-marketed recession came to be.
The Networking Plan
Networking with the right people can open doors we never thought existed. Since landing at Narita airport, I’ve been working hard to communicate with the right people that will get me into the dream job that I want to enjoy by my 35th birthday. While finding the right people is not always an easy task, it’s incredible how many people our friends know, and what they can do to help us in the long run.
The Education Plan
Schoolhouse Rock, the long-running animated segment from 1974 with annoyingly catchy musical numbers, teaches us that knowledge is power. Taken to heart, this is a powerful statement. There are always new things to learn and skills that we can improve, so we should never become too comfortable with whatever knowledge we might have on something. Although my Japanese has been slightly stagnant recently, thanks to a simple comment made by a colleague, I have started attacking my textbooks with a vengeance. I have no intentions of being an English Language Facilitator for the rest of my life, but I do intend to change careers on my terms, not the economy’s.
The Savings Plan
Despite the respectable amount of money people can earn teaching a language, I’m surprised by the number of individuals who live paycheck to paycheck and occasionally asking to borrow some money to make it through the month. While this is to be expected during the first few months after landing in Japan, it’s not something a person should be regularly doing for years on end. It’s long been said that a person should have enough money saved up to survive for six months without work and, while this is not realistically feasible for most of us, we should have some savings prepared in the event something big happens … like being laid off.
If anyone doesn’t yet have a savings plan, they should make one … fast.
The Return Plan
Of course, not everyone intends to stay in Japan forever. The foreign workforce in this country is quite transient, with the average foreigner staying for only two years before returning home. If working at 7-Eleven or Yamada Denki doesn’t appeal do you, will you consider going back to your home country? Is it even a possibility? Air fares are pretty high right now, but they’ll likely come down after a few more airlines go bankrupt. If the opportunities for meaningful work in this country just don’t exist, perhaps it’s time to search elsewhere.
This isn’t something that I’m considering, since there really isn’t anywhere in Canada I want to return to, but this is an option that many will need to consider long and hard if the economic strife in Japan continues to squeeze all the excess out of the mighty nation.
What Goes Up, Must Come Down
This is the first real economic meltdown that many of us have had to face, and it will be interesting to see what happens over the next few years. Several of the economists that have been warning us of the consequences to our high standard of living are now offering insights into how we might weather the storm and maybe even make some money in the short term, but it’s not always enough when living far from friends and family that can help us out.
Luckily, there are many things that language instructors living in Japan can do aside from teaching. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look, and keeping a positive attitude in a sea of negativity. So, when times get tough, just ask yourself this question: Is my situation any worse than for those living in Iraq or Afghanistan?
Are you currently working as a language instructor in Japan? Do you have any plans in place for the coming future?
Comments (43)
Well said! Very thoughtful and well written post…reads smooth like a magazine, and just as informative (-:
Thanks for the tips
Loco
Very good advice. I am currently looking to get away from my current job because they just not stable enough. I have been in the job hunt in Tokyo recently and it looks to be kind of lean for the time being. But I am sure that things will get a little better soon.
It is definitely a good idea for people to be thinking about contingency plans in todays world economic climate. Be prepared people.
Hello Jason. I just wanted to tell you that I featured this thoughtful post on Debito.org today.
http://www.debito.org/?p=2090
I hope that increases public interest in your blog and helps you continue using your insomnia productively. Best wishes, Arudou Debito in Sapporo
Wow … thanks for the exposure, Debito! I’ll be sure to put those wasted midnight hours to better use
I hope this won’t sound trollish since I appreciate you addressing this issue and want to offer my constructive opinion:
You seem ready to blame the decline of eikaiwa on the financial crisis, but while a decline in personal consumption will not help struggling schools, people began writing Nova’s obituary back in mid-2006. Put very broadly, there is an excess supply of eikaiwa teachers here and demand has clearly peaked and is now falling off. The adjustment of supply to meet the real demand is no doubt painful for a lot of the workers, but at the same time the years of easy money produced some very bloated companies, NOVA probably the worst among them. Now only the best schools will survive but in the end consumers will be better off.
For years, those involved in the Eikaiwa industry took it for granted that the Japanese public was a money-well, always willing and eager to sit in front of a white face and pay him to speak in his native tongue. But the industry has changed and teachers can no longer dip into the well. Having eikaiwa as a free ride may have been a good opportunity and life experience for many, but in the end I don’t think it does people or society at large much of a service. You are paid to act as a human tape recorder without much in the way of skills, and the service itself is about as effective as weight-loss clinics (a good tool for the motivated minority but a ripoff for everyone else). Now that you dont have that job anymore you are seeing just how content-free the job was. You mention experience working in a foreign environment, but I saw no clear description of any real practical experience gained.
This was an interesting essay, but maybe you should have been honest with your readers and written “Am I Prepared” instead of “Are YOU Prepared”. It would have given much more focus to the essay since you offer advice willy-nilly to a group of people that probably has a very diverse array of skills and experience, while you are you and actually “know your strengths” and weaknesses. And as someone who’s obviously very candid, your readers probably have a lot to gain by following your experiences.
You make a fairly thorough assessment of the prospects for a former Eikaiwa teacher who wants to stay in Japan at all costs but have little skills or experience to offer. But the prospects sound REALLY grim. Looking at what is out there, it is obvious that there is FAR greater opportunity to be had back home rather than struggle as a gas station attendant in a foreign country. Far from “taking living in Japan to the next level” these options seem singularly unambitious and really pretty sad. I hope you can aim higher.
First I would like to ask — is being in Japan at all times forever an end in itself? And even if you do want to be in Japan for the long term, how could you ever be satisfied working at the functional equivalent of a janitor just because it’s in a country you like? For the short term you may need to make ends meet, but sweet Jesus you have got to think bigger.
It seems like getting sent home might be a blessing in disguise for you just so you won’t have to slave in jobs that are even more dead-end than teaching English. Now might be a good time to stop and think about your real strengths and weaknesses as a person, not just as a “gaijin.” And besides, being away from Japan geographically doesn’t necessarily mean cutting ties altogether. The Japanese Internet is huge and allows you to access basically the full spectrum of culture and discourse. While you are off pursuing self-development you can keep track of the Asahi or even the Family Mart website if that’s your thing.
On his blog, Debito has posted his advice from 2001 and it still basically holds, though the examples could be updated. Ken Worsley from Japan Economy News is an interesting case of someone who turned from English teaching to entrepreneurship, but the clear thing distinguishing him from many is that he’s quite talented. There just is no escaping that.
It is interesting to see that positions like convenience store clerk, gas station attendant, and even electronics salesman are now open to foreigners, even American-looking white guys. That phenomenon was all but non-existent seven years ago.
Nice to see you mentioned translation, which is a much more viable option for the people you are apparently writing for (it also happens to the job I do “in a regular office building”). If your language skills are tight enough you can make decent money as a translator, even if you just do it freelance (though IMO 2-kyu is pretty worthless. You need much better than 1kyu to be successful). Employment agencies like Tempstaff can help you with details of what you need to do to land that kind of work. Of course, the driver of translation demand is somewhat connected to that of eikaiwa — it depends on Japanese people having sub-standard English skills. If somehow the Japanese education system gets it right, the demand for translation might fall as competition among translators rises.
I also have to seriously doubt whether “hundreds of thousands” of people have really been fired from eikaiwa schools and face the decision of whether to stay or go. Government statistics seem to show that the number of teachers at private-sector language schools peaked at 15,000 or so, and the numbers now are somewhere just under 10,000. NOVA only employed 4000 teachers and it once boasted that it was the biggest employer of foreign nationals in the private sector. Add to that number the JET program, which accepts about 5,000 people each year, meaning that at any given time there might be as many as 20,000 on JET contracts (though in reality it is probably far less). Then there are the local school district ALT programs and unregistered English teachers/schools, but I don’t see the number topping 100,000. If you want to talk six figures, maybe it would be more accurate to say the decline of the eikaiwa industry has forced hundreds of thousands worldwide to reconsider even attempting a career teaching English in Japan, not to mention future generations for whom it will be basically out of the question.
PS: What does that weird cartoon kiddie porn fairy have to do with contingency plans? Is that your replacement wife just in case Reiko doesn’t pan out?
Adamu,
I agree with many of your points on eikaiwa. One thing I would like to add is the decline of the kyufukin program, under which the government used to reimburse up to 80% of tuition fees for those who qualified. That was cut to 50%, and then to about 30% – and this hurt the industry big time. Obviously, the decline in subsidized education led to a decrease in the number of customers, which lead to firms going out of business, which led to a loss in jobs.
What we need to take from this is that there are risk factors way, way beyond our control. As foreigners living in Japan, building skills, networking and learning the language are three invaluable parts of ensuring that we can continue both our personal and professional development, while being as personally hedged against all risks as possible.
hi!
just wanted to say that i agree with your comments on the rediculous eikaiwa-post.
have to add however that if everyone was to aim higher, then there wouldn’t be anyone selling you gas.
[...] to cross-post a comment I made on the “Jason’s Random Thoughts” blog. He wrote a post laying out the decidedly grim options for unemployed eikaiwa teachers who want to find a way to [...]
Interesting post, also interestingly deconstructed by Adamu, though unnecessarily harsh, and Adamu- you say you’re not trolling, what the F was that last comment? Perhaps supposed to be funny? Not cool, at all. The fairy doesn’t fit sure, but slagging the dude’s wife is waaay out of line. Perhaps you’ve got some issues yourself, on this issue, you need to work through. Can’t see why else you’d want to tear Jason up so much.
Thank you for this post- very interesting to me, an ex-eikaiwa and ex-assistant JHS teacher.
Welcome to my world, Jason. I’m sorry to bring these kinds of commenters along to your blog as well. That post by Adamu, particularly the PS, was just nasty. Debito
It’s all good. Such is the price for blogging and, unless a comment is unnecessarily harsh, I will never deny or edit someone’s opinion
I appreciate that you don’t think I was unnecessarily harsh, even if I think I was in hindsight.
What I don’t get is why your earlier post on eikaiwa employment was so wildly different from this one. It was much more on point and even had accurate figures for the number of teachers.
My “hundreds of thousands” comment was poorly stated, as I was referring to all foreigners working in Japan, not just the language instructors.
I’ve looked over the notes I had made while planning this article, and it seems that it was structured with a few gaps, which explains the love/hate thing that has resulted. Hopefully the next Japan-related post will be a little more complete
ok you guys are right. I tried to hold back the bile and failed. I would really like to take back the PS, and would especially want to take back and apologize to John for a completely uncalled for personal attack.
The rest stands.
Agree with Adamu. Nothing harsh in there except for the PS. Have to say that picture did make me kind of stop and wonder too though.
I guess you may be trying to be realistic for some people but the thing that really stuck out for me were the lines “Just remember to not let anyone cheat you out of what you deserve.”, “Assessing our strengths”, and “taking living in Japan to the next level”. You then go on to talk about delivery drivers and factory workers. If someone honestly believes that all they deserve is a job as a taxi driver or convenience store worker, I feel sorry for them.
I appreciate that you took a lot of time and made the effort to try and lay out your thoughts in a clear and interesting way, but it just seems like such an overly lengthy discussion if all you’re debating is whether you’d like to keep teaching English or apply at FamilyMart.
Kind of vague, doesn’t prioritize, far too simplistic, unrealistic, and a little naive.
How Much Experience Do I Have? That doesn’t even factor in racism where a job candidate is chosen for his nationality.
Can I Drive in Japan? That’s probably not even an option since the driving test is extremely difficult.
The Networking Plan. Again, a foreigner probably won’t have any “networks” to speak with because of their length of stay in the country, nationality, and the Japanese tendency to avoid strangers.
Am I prepared to take “living in Japan” to the next level if the current job disappears? Yeah get a Japanese wife or girlfriend, don’t bother with this list and live off her or her parents.
Naive is my middle name, which is why I couldn’t be too specific
Racism might be a problem with some employers in Japan, but I seriously wonder if you can honestly say that foreigners aren’t subject to prejudice in other countries, too. Heck, recently it’s become a disadvantage to be Caucasian in Canada due to excessively severe “equal opportunity” laws that require employers hire a diverse workforce regardless of qualifications
If you can’t take the driving exam because it’s too difficult, then I really don’t know what to say about that. If you hope to stay in Japan long term, then it only makes sense to learn the language well enough to communicate and do the basic things that a hundred million other Japanese people, too. If you only plan on being here for a few years, then I can see why you’re reluctant to invest the time (and 300,000 Yen) into the venture.
Networking is something that everybody in this country does, whether they realize it or not. Going to bars and clubs to meet the locals (be they male or female) is a form of networking. Depending on what you’re after in the long run, you might just find a friend who can give you access to those oh-so-common unadvertised job opportunities.
As an aside, by “taking living in Japan to the next level”, I didn’t mean capturing the perfect dream job and living the dream. I meant slugging it out through the crap jobs that foreigners are expected to do in every country on the globe when times get tough. It’s not a perfect solution but, should employment dry up, it’s better than starving in the streets or depending on the charity of another person
Jason, you should put a disclaimer on your comments that you are married to a Japanese woman. You’re in Japan for better or worse.
The fact that you have bile in the first place is part of the problem with commenters and the blogosphere. Adamu, surely you’re capable or a more reasonable demeanor than this. I bet you would if this were a face-to-face. Here we have a guy trying to help people and all you offer back is derision. How sad.
As I said, welcome to my world, Jason. You get any more of these these comments, I suggest you not bother letting them through. They have nothing to offer but bile. It’s not worth it.
Arudou,
“As I said, welcome to my world, Jason. You get any more of these these comments, I suggest you not bother letting them through. They have nothing to offer but bile. It’s not worth it.”
But, isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? For some people your activism in Japan could be considered bile.
Debito – I for one do not consider your activism in Japan bile. Your activism is more often not warranted and based on real needs.
One the other hand, filtering out the so called “bile” is arrogant in my opinion. Who is to determine what exactly bile is. You have to read the “bile” anyway so therefore you have read it and been exposed….why not let the posts stand as they are? True “bile” will be detected by the intelligent readers and will be taken for what it is…gomi
Jason you did the right thing by leaving the post on in its entirety. Let the readers read, form their own opinions, and comment if they wish. In the end everyone will benefit from a truly open blog.
Cheers
It is interesting to observe that some people are so interested in continuing to live in Japan. Although Japan is an exciting country in the area of technology, I am so home sick such that I eagerly look forward to the day when I will go back. That is after completing my studies.I am just seven months old here but I am really failing to settle down.
Hopefully you will enjoy your remaining time in Japan, Clement. I have come to call this country my home, so I’ll be staying here for the long term. Who knows … perhaps if the immigration rules relax a little bit, I might even be granted citizenship in another five or ten years.
What country do you call home?
Jason, from the way you write I see that you really like this country. By the way, is your wife, Reiko, Japanese? If she is, is she one of the major reasons why you like Japan very much?
As I said, I am just seven months old here. Although I am home sick, I have observed that my life in Japan gets better when I get to know new friends from other countries who have stayed in this country for a long time like you. They offer me some good tips about how to enjoy life in Japan. Some Japanese friends also help me a lot.So maybe after one year, this home sickness will disappear completely.
I come from Malawi, a small country in Southern Africa.
Ive never taught English in Japan and never intend to. I have a background in military and maintenance. The English teachers I have met seem to lack self esteem and try to make up for it by being a duechbag (Adamu) or giving out intellectual bullshit. This is only to be expected, since teaching English or being a translator cant be the most gratifying job. Most of them are very young, just out of college and have no real life experience. I have never seen a white taxi driver, gasstation worker or denki shop personel. I have seen some Indian people working at Akihabara. Even though Adamu-kun does seen to be a young duechbag, he was right about Japan being a dead end for gaijin looking for a career. Ive worked in several sectors, and I never stay at once place for over 2 years. Im getting close to 40, so that means its time for me to leave. I have, however, picked up some good experience. My advice to anybody looking to change careers is to get some skills and be good at that. Speaking Japanese isnt what the foriegn community says it is. Most Japanese look down on you if your fluent and treat you different. Its one of the many weird things about this place.
Jim: “teaching English or being a translator cant be the most gratifying job.”
This sort of blanket statement adds very little to a discussion. Teaching English can be quite gratifying so long as you enjoy the work and can build it into a lasting career, or part of a career. There are plenty of eikaiwa types in this country who have some entrepreneurial skills and have launched their own schools, or who lean to the academic side of things and have found more stable teaching work in universities. And translation can be a very lucrative industry if you know what you’re doing in both the languages you deal with and are willing to develop a specialty of some kind. With translation you get the added bonus of the ability to pull up stakes and head back to your home country if life in Japan no longer appeals to you while you keep your client list and continue making money from them. Translating might seem like a dead-end path with no gratification likely if you’re fresh off the boat, with 2-kyu language skills, toughing it out as the in-house talent in a bottom-feeder agency, but there’s far more to it than that.
I have no idea what you’re on about when you say fluency in Japanese gets you poor treatment. The better you are in the language the more options open up for you, and the easier it is to communicate with Japanese people about your employment needs, to name just one of a million topics where being able to connect will do more for you than muddling through with the “it’s OK to be semiliterate since I get a free pass as a gaijin” mindset.
“Speaking Japanese isnt what the foriegn community says it is. Most Japanese look down on you if your fluent and treat you different”
Yep. That’s the EXCUSE I hear from illiterate gaijins I’ve come across with. Sort of reminds me of a neighborhood kid I use to know who’s always being teased because he couldn’t ride a bicycle without the training wheels. After few more teasing, the kid basically does a gyaku gire by shouting “bicycles are no fun anyways!!”. His family moved a few days after that. Whatever happened to him? Oh. Is that you Jim????
Jim- True that lots of English teachers lack self-esteem and feel ashamed, but I don’t think that is endemic to the job, just to the kind of people who teach and view the whole thing as a laugh and a chance to get drunk. To them the job is an inconvenience. Or for others- they feel trapped in the job, too afraid to go home and fail. I’ve been through both of those phases, and now I’m here because I want to be- sounds like Jason. I like the job, I provide a real service. I expose people to stuff they wouldn’t know about normally- mostly cultural, and we do it in the language that a large chunk of world culture is written in. As for learning J and getting less respect, I’ve sort of come to this conclusion too. To some extent it’s an excuse to not learn more- but since my J is good enough to get by in most all situations, I don’t see a great benefit in increasing it further.
As for 7/11 jobs or whatnot- perhaps you consider those jobs ‘beneath’ you, but they are necessary jobs that need to be done- and for some people ambition is not a big deal. It’s OK to work a low-level job if you want to. Not everyone has to be, or wants to be, a high-flyer.
Clement- Homesickness, I never felt that, but can sympathize that you have it. Hang in there. But yeah, you can always go home. And definitely it’s good to make some friends. Th4 blogosphere is as good a place as any to start with that.
Tim M.- I don’t think Debito is showing bile- he’s just complaining and trying to change the system in a pro-active way. Some of his stuff we may or not agree with- some of it like trying to force entry to onsens and stuff even seems a bit like bullying to me- but I think he’s a force for good here and not just trying to tear people down.
“After few more teasing, the kid basically does a gyaku gire by shouting “bicycles are no fun anyways!!”. His family moved a few days after that. Whatever happened to him? Oh. Is that you Jim????”
I speak very good Japanese. The problem is the more I speak it the less I am accepted. Fuck that, its a waste of time. If speaking Japanese is all that, then why arent more foriegners working in everyday occupations here? Its because your not wanted here long term. Your one of these gaijin that has what you think are a few Japanese friends and your “accepted” in the society, but you havent figured out yet that your being played for a fool, like your still riding with your training wheels on but think they are off and everybody is applauding you out of sympathy. There is a good book tittled Japans modern myth. Read it, perhaps youll learn something.
Shrug. It sounds like you choose to surround yourself with narrow-minded assholes, frankly. I’ve been in this country since the mid-1980s and have married into a Japanese family; I have well more than a “few Japanese friends” and am being played for a fool by none of them–not the ones with whom I socialize in my free time, and certainly not the ones I interface with in a professional setting. They tend to value the fact that I speak, read, and write fluently in their language. I couldn’t do my damn job without those skills and would be useless to them if I wasn’t constantly improving my knowledge of the local tongue and society, reading the newspapers and magazines and talking to specialists in various fields and on and on.
Maybe there’s an argument to be made that once you (the general “you” here, not Jim in particular) get to an intermediate level you hit a wall for a while, at least until you actually figure out how to navigate some of the social and cultural currents that make up such a big part of really communicating with people in this country. In my estimation it has little to do with the locals not valuing your skills in their tongue and everything to do with you being able to realize that those skills aren’t all that. Knowing X hundred kanji and passing the Y level JLPT don’t mean a thing when it comes to showing a real ability to communicate in Japanese, something that will never get you a negative reaction in the eyes of the Japanese people, unless those people are somewhat unhinged to begin with. (See “narrow-minded assholes” above.)
Jim claims to speak “good Japanese”. Damn, I hope it is better than his English. Jim, learn the difference between “your” and “you’re” before lecturing people on language. Spelling duddent hurt either.
“Jim claims to speak “good Japanese”. Damn, I hope it is better than his English. Jim, learn the difference between “your” and “you’re” before lecturing people on language. Spelling duddent hurt either.”
i dont sweat spell checks because I know there is always some goof like yourself that will do it for me. The content of the story is whats important anyway, if you like you can edit out all the mistakes and retype it for me. Thank you.
You may not appreciate this coming from a “deuchebag” but that was a great comeback.
Adamu- Nice to see you’re not always bileful. By the way, the correct spelling is- ‘douchebag’.
Jim- Indeed, bravo.
Boney- Come on, who cares?!
What gives with so many blog comment threads turning into pissing contests and petty squabbles? No one is really impressed by anyone else’s language skills or astounding personal and professional accomplishments.
Adamu raised some very good points in his lengthy initial post, the most important of which I would paraphrase as: 1. Don’t think of your strengths as a foreigner in Japan, think of your strengths as a person and go from there; and 2. If you’re trying to generalize on the experience of any group of people anywhere, you’re getting yourself into a losing battle. Who exactly would be included in “foreigners” anyway? Clearly we’re not talking about Special Permanent Residents here. Probably not Chinese immigrants, either, although they’re a massive immigrant group compared to expat Anglophone Westerners in their 20s and 30s. It’s best, as Adamu helpfully (I thought) pointed out, to take a specific case, go through it, and hope that it’ll be of use to others. Why is the story of the renaissance of Panasonic interesting while abstract business textbooks bore most people to tears? It’s specific, real, and accurate – even the most intelligent, insightful, best-intentioned attempts to generalize what is essentially an individual experience can’t match that.
Adamu, well done.
Debito, I like you as well, but please don’t let non-existent thorns get stuck under your saddle. Criticism is not the same thing as an attack or an act of trolling. Far from being a nuisance, comments like Adamu’s initial comment are precisely what all bloggers should appreciate.
Finally, for what it’s worth, I’ll offer my own generalization (although I can easily see how many people would disagree): If you don’t like having every situation revolve around your foreignness, the change can only start with you. When you cease to view most, or all, situations through the lens of “them” and “me” and try to stop assuming that your race or nationality are somehow involved in every reaction anyone has to you, you’ll be liberated. You’ll be able to go through much, if not most, of your foreign life feeling like a regular guy, the fact of your alien roots and appearance no longer at the forefront of your mind.
Just like smiling on the phone, this view will change the way people respond to you. A defensive posture is likely engender a less pleasant response and bringing up your own foreignness puts it at the front of other people’s minds as well. True, sometimes it will be an issue, but it doesn’t have to be and I think we (Anglophone Westerners who moved to Japan as adults and probably started out as either exchange students or eikaiwa teachers) are far more concerned with it than most Japanese people we encounter and more often make an issue of it.
“Just like smiling on the phone, this view will change the way people respond to you. A defensive posture is likely engender a less pleasant response and bringing up your own foreignness puts it at the front of other people’s minds as well. True, sometimes it will be an issue, but it doesn’t have to be and I think we (Anglophone Westerners who moved to Japan as adults and probably started out as either exchange students or eikaiwa teachers) are far more concerned with it than most Japanese people we encounter and more often make an issue of it.”
Thats so kind and sweet of you, such helpful advice. Smiling on the phone attitude gets old and in the long term it plays out because Japanese know your not one of them and hate it when you mimmick their traits because they know its fake. Ive found the best way to deal with Japanese is to fight fire with fire. For example when Im sitting on the train and somebody moves away from me I put my bag there. When more Japanese get on the train they stare at me like how dare you put that bag there? Now my bag has more importance than them and it frees me up to be more comfortable. I feel better, they feel like shit. Its going to be either me or them. Id rather it be me. Its your thing…do what you got to do!
Hmm … that’s a very mature thing to do. I hope that you at least make room for elderly people that have trouble standing for extended periods of time
Mike- Dumbass comment. You want people to pre-emptively feel like shit? That is just the dumbest thing I ever heard. Like the Bush doctrine of pre-emptive war. The difference is they are not purposefully making you feel bad, they’re just little dumbasses who have fear of foreigners bred into them. In a very real way, it’s not their fault- blame the culture.
Whereas you clearly know better, and are well aware of the effects of what you’re doing.
This kind of attitude is the thing I dislike most in foreigners here. They think J-folk are the enemy. You are a dumbass, and you’re just making things worse.
So when Japanese get up and leave as soon as you sit down, what do you do? I bet you say some PC bullshit about how its their country or they are just being shy and cant speak English. Its not being a dumbass, its getting to the real. When Pearl Harbour was bombed, we could of easily said, ” well, we had it coming. We havent been fair in our treaties with them.” That shit never works. The only reason this place is the way it is today is because of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ask any Singaporean, they know whats up.
Mike- What do I do? What do I need to do? I just keep sitting there. What’s the big deal? I’m not one of these babies that needs some kind of affirmation on the train. ‘People don’t smile at me on the train, everyone looks glum on the train, people don’t sit next to me on the train..’
I mean, seriously? What do you care they don’t sit next to you? If they’re wimps themselves, or even anti-foreigner, why does that bother you? They’re not kicking you in the balls. They’re leaving you on your own. If people weren’t sitting next to you on a train in New York would you be bitching? I think not.
As for the stuff about the A-bomb, now it seems you’re just being a total ignorant troll looking for a fight. Yes the country is the way it is because of being bombed no doubt- but to say- ‘that shit never works’ is just the ultimate blase Bush-era ideology that spawns hatred for the US all round the world.
Listen! The USA has done some real bad stuff in it’s time, and it needs to own up to that stuff before it’s going to get to move forwards.
Plus- what the hell has Pearl Harbor got to do with seats on a train? Sounds like you don’t know that that war is over. You’re not battling these people. They’re just ordinary people!
“Sounds like you don’t know that that war is over. You’re not battling these people. They’re just ordinary people!”
Well I dont see any green vans driving around in the USA blarring out on loud speakers about WW2 but I see and hear plenty of it here in Japan. Ive been told by Japanese coworkers that Japan would be better off if Japan would of won the war. We see who the mayor of Tokyo is and what he believes about post war Japan. Ordinary people elected him. The problem with you is that you dont know what the ordinary people here are thinking. Most of them are sheep, and embrace the hive mentality. Its not just the train issues or being denied housing or the rude comments, its also being denied everyday work because Im a foriegner and a host of other issues. No, I dont care if somebody gets up next to me on the train in NY, because Im an equal to him. Im not an equal to anybody here because of their caste system so your point is mute.
“This kind of attitude is the thing I dislike most in foreigners here. They think J-folk are the enemy. You are a dumbass, and you’re just making things worse.”
Well your the kind of goof that I hate the most here in Japan. I see them, acting fake Japanese and answering me in Japanese when I ask a question in English. What the hell is that? Im sure your one of them. The joke is on you fool. You just aint figured it out yet.
Mike- Sure they don’t have green vans in the US, there’s no need- they won that war and stamped their will on this country, spaying it so thoroughly that even now they’re afraid of themselves having any kind of proper military. Look at ongoing wars for the US though, and culture, you’ll see plenty of bad people spouting bad and racist stuff. The green vans (aren’t they black?) may not exist per se in the US, but they have plenty of other bad stuff in their place.
Calling J-people sheep, or drones, or whatever is just more stupid stereotyping. You say I don’t know what they are thinking- and you do? If you really knew what they were thinking, I think you’d have sympathy for their ‘hive mentality’. How can you blame someone who is in the Matrix for being ignorant of the Matrix? If you truly think you’re above them, and not a drone, you’re a ‘thinking individual’ compared to them- then how on earth can them not sitting next to you bother you? That’s like being angry at a sheep- a waste of energy.
Plus the whole drone thing- I take exception to that. You could say that about anyone in any city- they do what they do because it’s what they have to do to get by. Sure being a homogenous culture they’re a bit more same-thinking than others- but how can we hold that against them? It’s changing- people like you (which concerns me) and me are here spreading our ideas, while taking on their ideas in return. That’s the memetic tide-pool swirling up the world’s ideas, to everyone’s benefit.
You hate the kind of goof that acts fake Japanese. Hmm. Hate? Again, I’d think you’d pity these fools, considering yourself above them. Your anger at them suggests some unresolved issues on your part. Am I one of those people? Ha. I’ll let you mull on that.