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General discussion (archive)Is Japan REALLY Like This?(44 posts)(44 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted March 04, 2010
All I'm reading is "Wahh, wahhhhhh, I'm a pretentious, elitist asshole on GOG who complains endlessly about everything--esp. complainers--and pretends to know what comprises good writing. Wahhhhh."
Probably thought I was going to refer to the article, huh!?
Posted March 04, 2010
Uggh I clicked the link , saw Tim Rogers wrote it and closed the window immediately. Bansama pretty much echoed my thoughts. The dude's writing style is downright obnoxious
Posted March 04, 2010
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ-
What? Oh, its over? *yawns*
Reading that was like being back in college...a professor talking about something mildly interesting, that, because of how long it goes on, becomes downright boring. Dude, if you're gonna write a term paper, could you warn us beforehand, so that we know to bring food, drink and a pillow? And while I'd love to give you some constructive criticism, (to make your next opus less boring), I'm too tired from reading it to do so.
At least I should sleep well tonight.
Posted March 04, 2010
Japan has a very, very authoritarian society. Always has had. Everything boils down to that very thing - besides the 'normal guy's life', everything else has to be extremely exaggerated to compensate for that. If one can't manage to get their sense of freedom through this, they're bound to suffer.
...
BTW, I couldn't really take this seriously after he said that between DBZ and One Piece the *latter* was supposed to be less rich in story, character and simple love. The very manga and anime he criticises with big hair dudes shouting at and fighting each other started when Dragonball turned to Era Z.
Post edited March 04, 2010 by OnlyToast
Posted March 04, 2010
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Wraith: Cry me a fucking river.
I live in the US, and there are tons of shit I don't like about living here.

I live in DK, how long do you want the list to be?
Posted March 04, 2010
Ugliest thing I've read this week.....
Posted March 04, 2010
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Catshade: *summons bansama*
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lowyhong: *summons xa_chan*

^_^
Well, I read the article until "Dragon Ball Z: graphically iconic, with a story more coherent than it probably needed to be". A story. Coherent. Dragon Ball friggin' Z !! That's more bullshit in one single sentence than in a year of Fox news!!
If the rest of the rant is like that, it just means that somebody had too much free time on internet and managed to waste yours. I'm glad I stopped so quickly.
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bansama: Sure. Japan is not a great place for foreigners. They don't really want us here. As a result, unless you're a permanent resident (nigh on impossible to get that status these days) or a naturalized citizen, you'll never get a credit card, bank loan or anything else connected to money in that fashion. Landlords won't want to rent apartments to you and some companies may be less willing to hire you.
The problem here, is that most Japanese companies assume that foreigners are "bad people" and will simply amass great debts before fleeing the country. Doesn't help that the police used to use posters only depicting foreigners for all their anti-crime drives.

Well, yes and no. I have a permanent resident status because I married a japanese woman. So, that's not impossible. I have had no problem to get a bank account, a cell phone a health insurance and other things like that.
As for landlords, everything depends on where in the world you come from (ehhh, yup, that's racism! silly me ^^). American have a real bad reputation so it's hard for them to find a flat to rent, except if a japanese person can intercede for them. Many japanese landlords have been fed up with reckless americans not paying their rent in time, leaving a flat in a poor shape (very dirty, etc) or being too noisy for the neighborhood (throwing parties, etc...). The same applies to chinese people, but mainly because they deep-fry a lot of things in chinese cuisine and that stains walls and floors.
As a french guy, I never had any trouble to rent a room here. Two of my french friends, female, couldn't find a flat to rent until they said to the landlord that they were french. Once they said that, an honest deal was concluded in a matter of minutes.
Most of the posters I see about anti-crime campaings display stick figures, or shadows. I have yet to see one depicting foreigners...
But it's true that I live in Osaka and not in Tokyo and I'm very happy with it! ^_^
Post edited March 04, 2010 by xa_chan
Posted March 04, 2010
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xa_chan: Well, yes and no. I have a permanent resident status because I married a japanese woman.

Really? Because looking at the official documentation, they tend to reject people who are "simply married to Japanese". The documentation makes it seem that they are looking for those who actually contribute something to "Japanese society", then cite Nobel prize winners and the like, along with examples of rejected applications from professors, business owners and so forth.
Would you do me the favor of emailing me? (this username at google's mail) as I'd like to discuss this aspect with you. Cheers.
I have had no problem to get a bank account, a cell phone a health insurance and other things like that.
Oh yeah, it's dead easy to get a cell phone (as long as you prove you're around for more than 6 months, and bank accounts are dead easy to open too. But have you tried applying for a loan or a credit card?
Most of the posters I see about anti-crime campaings display stick figures, or shadows. I have yet to see one depicting foreigners...
Oh, you won't see them anymore. They kicked up a fair fuss at the time and have since long been replaced with the stick figures and the like. But as one example, when there was a spate of both handbag snatching and cash point fraud (not the current fraud connected to "ore ore" phone calls) the warning posters always depicted light or dark skinned characters with any color of hair other than black -- to avoid them looking like Japanese.
And lets not forget the whole "gaijin riots" fiasco =)
Post edited March 04, 2010 by bansama
Posted March 04, 2010
Well I'm not one to judge a nation on a few anecdotal quotes of several individuals... nevertheless it sounds a little rough for foreigner there heh.
What's their view on Canadians? Same as the way they see Americans? (I plan on visiting Japan some day for vacation within the next year or so heh).
Though I wouldn't be too surprised if they held some historical resentment towards Canadians... afterall we did lock up innocent japanese canadians during WWII just like the US did... a black mark on our nation that I feel ashamed of, despite the fact I didn't even have ancestors in Canada at the time :)
Still, would hardly blame them too much for holding a bit of resentment for that. Most cultures have a hard time letting go of past transgressions.
Post edited March 04, 2010 by Hathur
Posted March 04, 2010
First you write a thesis in response to an opinionated joke on a blog site. Then you read one on... Kotaku?
Posted March 04, 2010
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bansama: ...

Email sent! ^_^
For the loan or credit card, well, I would have applied (for a credit card, because I tend to avoid loans like the 7 Plagues of Egypt)... if only I had a job and then an income! Yeah, I'm still looking for a job and the economic situation of Japan is so bad that opportunities are reduced for foreigners... and that's not different in Osaka, unfortunately!
Well, good thing that some people complained about the posters. It seems that finally not everybody hates gaijins in Japan! ^_^ I'm joking, but don't worry, I'm perfectly aware that there is racism in Japan, even if it's mainly directed towards chinese and korean people. But well, you know, I come from France and these days, I can't really say that my country is a role model, when you see president Sarkozy's policies... ^_^
Posted March 04, 2010
I thought it was a pretty funny read, as long as you keep in mind this is the personal opinion of someone fed up with living in a place with different customs than the ones he's used to. Most of his points are not real problems at all, they just became problems for him. Still, it's quite an interesting and entertaining read.
And sorry to say this, but the response 'too long + author X = stupid article, will not read' is pretty retarded. If you read the first few paragraphs and then conclude you're not feeling like reading it all, fine.
But for god's sake, stop yourself from formulating an opinion about the entire piece in that case. Sheesh.
Post edited March 04, 2010 by LordCinnamon
Posted March 04, 2010
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Hathur: What's their view on Canadians? Same as the way they see Americans? (I plan on visiting Japan some day for vacation within the next year or so heh).
...

I'm not aware of any problem towards canadian people in Japan. In fact, Canada is pretty popular here, even before the Olympic Games : it's a popular destination for class exchanges and linguistic stays!
And anyway, as a tourist, you will always be treated with the utmost politeness by every japanese people. It's when you decide to actually LIVE in Japan that you have to understand that the rules are different and that you are supposed to respect at least the most important ones.
The thing is that, even now, many japanese people have a hard time to understand that some foreign people actually WANT to live "forever" in Japan, learn the language, etc... Because they think that their language is too difficult and that their country might look strange to foreigners...
Posted March 04, 2010
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Hathur: What's their view on Canadians? Same as the way they see Americans? (I plan on visiting Japan some day for vacation within the next year or so heh).
...
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xa_chan: And anyway, as a tourist, you will always be treated with the utmost politeness by every japanese people. It's when you decide to actually LIVE in Japan that you have to understand that the rules are different and that you are supposed to respect at least the most important ones.

Reminds me of a joke I heard a while ago about a guy in Heaven who goes on holiday in Hell where there are hot chicks and lots of alcohol, and he loves it so much he moves to Hell and finds out tourism and immigration are two different things.
Posted March 04, 2010
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xa_chan: For the loan or credit card, well, I would have applied (for a credit card, because I tend to avoid loans like the 7 Plagues of Egypt)... if only I had a job and then an income! Yeah, I'm still looking for a job and the economic situation of Japan is so bad that opportunities are reduced for foreigners... and that's not different in Osaka, unfortunately!

Yeah, it's pretty tough finding work here. I suppose you've tried Hello Work? They actually managed to set me up with the company I work for now and it's pretty much one of the best jobs I've had. The pay may be poor and we may no longer get bonuses (it's a small company with a work force of no more than 12). But I get the luxury of working from home. I mainly only go into the office now to pick up materials and money =)
As for the credit card/loan, I needed a loan a couple of years ago to pay for a new PC. But after trying several places I eventually asked my boss to find out what's going on. The small print states that they don't discriminate against foreigners (and when applying, staff will happily tell you that yes, you are eligible for a loan), but as he found when he asked a few people within banks, they actually refuse all non-permanent resident applications right out. Simply because (as I stated earlier) they assume you will leave the country owing them lots of money).
So I ended up getting the PC on a credit card in my wife's name. I'm the only one who uses that card and it's got a damned good credit rating. Just goes to prove them wrong U_U.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussion (archive)Is Japan REALLY Like This?(44 posts)(44 posts)
(44 posts)