I put this in GQ but perhaps it belongs in IMHO. I wasn’t entirely sure so I plopped it into GQ. A thousand pardons if that was a mistake.
One day I was teasing a sake’d up Autolycus for being a weaboo (there’s still room in my death camps) when the subject of Japanese views of Americans came up. It’s pretty common knowledge that Americans are despised by the rest of the world (when I was in Europe as a child I must not have noticed. Or they kept quiet because of all my American money. Or they saved all their haughty French laughter until my back was turned. Or they thought I was Canadian). But how are Americans seen in Japan? If I were to visit Japan how might my treatment differ based on my nationality/ethnicity? Would I be able to have a fruitful visit without speaking Japanese? If I were to visit Japan, where in the country should I visit? Auto suggested Tokyo.
As a young, white, American male in Japan, would young Japanese females flock to me as my fantasies imply?
Never been to, but from what I’ve heard as long as you are polite and respectful you will be treated in kind. Japanese people are typically very friendly and helpful to foreigners. They worship American culture and have for a long time. Can’t say whether the girls will flock to you or not; I’m guessing mostly not.
I’ve spent a little time in Japan (I live in Korea) and, as I was on my best behavior, so were all the people I met and talked to. If I were to strut around like a conqueror and play grab-ass with all the women in view, I’m sure my story would have a very different ending.
It’s common knowledge everywhere exept for the rest of the world.
Americans are not despised anywhere (except, perhaps, select Middle east countires being bombed at present, but that’s faily understandable).
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(when I was in Europe as a child I must not have noticed.[/quotye]
Exactly.
I’m sure France was desperate for the pocket money of an American child! You do realise France is a rich Western country, right?
Most Japanese speak English. The older ones might cross the street to avoid you in some towns and villages, but not in Tokyo - a city which makes New York look empty. They’re plenty used to tourists.
No. But if you go to certain areas of Tokyo, you will find foreigners are more popular than elsewhere, and in some areas very popular; and in some areas you’ll find that they simply won’t let you into their bars, clubs, and shops (the doormen cross their arms over their chest in an X fashion which means “No gaijin!”). Depends where you go. We’re talking a city of 15 million people here; it has entire areas the size of Chicago.
If you’re polite, you’ll be fine. But don’t mistake their superficial interest in American pop culture for underlying characteristics and principles. It is a different culture, even though they find US media enjoyable.
That’s probably a bit too strong. English is a required subject in school, but unless a Japanese person has specifically studied English, studied abroad in an English-speaking country, or is required to know English for their job, it’s a safe bet that their English skills will be tenuous at best.
Yeah, Roppongi, a district of Tokyo, is the gaijin headquarters/hang-out. But because of that, it’s trashier and sleazier than most of the other areas.
I hope you realize those are two completely different questions.
In general, I’d say most Japanese see Americans as somewhat arrogant, unsophisticated and less detail-oriented. Whether true or not, I think there’s a perception that Americans settle for “good enough” while the Japanese (and Germans) strive for perfection. Many also see Americans as outgoing and loud. Their impression of Americans are formed based on American movies and TV shows, political news, and American products, so these should not be surprising.
As for how you’ll be treated: in rural areas, be prepared to be seen as a curiosity, because most people rarely see non-Asian people in their daily lives. In urban areas and tourist areas, you can be expected to be treated with business-like politeness. But in certain situations you may find it difficult to gain their trust - not because you are American, but because you’re not Japanese and therefore don’t understand their language and their customs. For example, I hear foreigners often have great difficulty finding an apartment because most landlords don’t trust foreigners to understand various instructions and customs.
To expand on scr4’s point, this is something that anyone staying in Japan for a period of time will encounter. As mentioned above, some clubs* don’t permit foreigners in, and often it’s because they don’t believe that foreigners will understand the rules and expectations of customers. On the other hand, I went to a club once that usually didn’t permit foreigners, but that turned out to be because they had had trouble with non-Japanese Asian locals; apparently, my Japanese friends vouching for me made it fine for me to go in.
Camus mentions Roppongi as particularly gaijin-friendly, and if you’re looking to hook up in Tokyo, that where you’ll find the most Japanese people interested in meeting foreigners. Shibuya and Ebisu are also big entertainment districts with lots of tourists, and Akasaka, Hiro-o and Azabu-juban have a lot of embassies, so they cater to foreigners to an extent as well (and the latter two are adjacent to Roppongi, anyway).
I’ve never heard of foreigners barred from going into bars or shops, but I suppose it’s possible.
Do you mean females with giant eyes and tremendously long legs, in costumes, with pigtails and carrying giant swords? 'cause, prolly not, but what the hell, may as well find out. It’s more likely there than anyplace else.
If you have a ‘tall’ nose and facial hair there will be a segment of the female Japanese population that will treat you as a fetish. (Not dissimilar to how Asian women are fetishized by some white men).
*As long as you’re OK with that, you should be OK. If you’re looking for an actual relationship with someone, you’ll have to look harder just like at home
*My brother was very hurt by more than one Japanese gal who was only interested in him for sex. Sounds sort of funny, but he’s not really that type of guy, and I don’t think actually being someone’s fetish is much fun for anyone.
Also: What’s the age of consent in Japan? Are there going to be elderly Japanese farmers pushing me into katana weddings? Are there really machines that sell used girls’ panties? If so, wtf?
How old are you, out of curiosity?
Edit: I’m thinking more about that tall nose thing. I’ve been told I have a Jewnose (in high school I discovered that a girl I’d been sharing a table with for an entire year had thought I was Jewish- she thought that explained my fascination with Hitler), does that count?
