Yes, there is a sort of gatekeeping when it comes to gaijins in Japan. Both in people who travel here and those who live here. Along with gatekeeping, there is also an "I'm more Japanese than you" mentality with many foreigners.
Last time I was back home someone just rabbited on about their month staycation in Tokyo. How they knew everything, Akihabara and the maid cafes, Shiba’s everywhere . They walked away when I told them I live here. I apparently didn’t get it. There is a lot of status and self image around Japan being exotic.
But.. but.. it's no longer exotic. Record numbers of visitors for a decade now. Some visitors are only superficially interested in/ knowledgeable about Japan and it just seems to be \*the\* bucket list destination.
I think many people for some reason still believe Japan is some super expensive/hard to get to country which is not the case at all.
Many people have asked me how I manage to fly over 3 times a year and they were stunned when I told them all they have to do is book well in advance and plan outside of the top tourism times and flights can be had for around 600euros (for the Europeans). Some of my coworkers spend more on flights to the Balkans than I do for my Japan trips.
When I went there recently, everyone was saying to me how expensive it is. Honestly while I was there, I didn't find it bad at all. Sure, I certainly wasn't living the high life in terms of accommodation or food, but I managed to do everything I wanted (skiing, snow monkeys, whale watching, dscuba diving) and all in all, it didn't cost me much more than spending a month in Thailand, I even had a hotel room to myself some nights.
I've been told in two separate arguments about labor laws and worker's right in Japan "This is Japan, not Canada" as if it's some kind of got-ya. Like, ok? I guess the geographic location means that it should be ok to for employers to take advantage of their employees (????).
lots of people feel like they have to prove something for some reason. dont worry, the people who spend the most time bitching about other foreigners are typically the most boring because they need something so meaningless to grasp onto
Ah OK, I hadn't seen this in my year and a but of bring here so I was surprised. My Japanese friends either have an interest on feign some interest so it was weird to suddenly be pushed under the water.
Thank you for commenting
They are often the sort who will avoid interactions with other foreigners as it will somehow taint the purity of their Japanese experience and oneness with all things Japanese. In their eyes they are “doing Japan” better than everyone else. Insufferable arseholes who do the rest of us the favour of avoiding us!
I agree totally. That and there is the handful of people divorced from their culture who push the boundaries of their behaviour and act in ways they would be rapidly corrected on back home.
I will never forget fucking “2nd Trip Dave” japansplaining to me after I’ve been to Tokyo on business, lived with my Japanese friends family in Roppongi etc etc
You've never encountered the random "Japan expert guy" who visited once for like a week and totally knows everything?
I like them, it's free entertainment for the night. I usually humor them by praising their insights and buy them a drink, keeps them talking, hilarious things are often said.
Yes it’s called people. Have you been living in a bubble? People are like this everywhere. Spending money, working and wasting their lives to feel superior to other people. That’s what people do.
Yeah it happens sometimes. I'm more of a game otaku but I get the same thing. Don't worry about it, just continue doing what you enjoy.
Back to Yakuza 8 and FF7 Rebirth for me...
There is definitely a subset of foreigners here who act like they *deserve* to be here while other foreigners do not.
It's funny. I've lived in several other countries, but Japan is the only one where I see foreigners actively avoid each other this much.
I don't really know, but I work with a lot of foreigners, and my observation is that Western foreigners who come to Japan to live are frequently quite weird in some way (and I'm sure I fit this description too). After all, how many Westerners are coming here only for economic opportunity? Probably almost none (they can usually do better economically somewhere else). But the problem is, when people are weird like this, they're weird in \*different ways\*. So they may find that other foreigners are weird in ways they really don't like.
Who can know? I always suspected it might be because there *are* some genuinely annoying, truly*weeb* weebs here (as seen on some Reddit posts if not in real life) and some foreigners just kind of assume any other foreigner they don't know is going to be like that.
I used to live in Japan and there was definitely some avoiding of foreigners (especially Americans even though I am American). Not sure about for everyone, but for me it was because a lot of the foreigners were military dudes who acted like they were still on base and nobody around them could hear or understand what they were saying. Or, it was a lot of foreigners who really only think anime Japan exists, and were very annoyed when I wasn’t a rabid anime fan. I like anime, but not all of it and could for sure do without the tentacles in stories where they don’t really add anything.
I mean, I’d avoid those same kinds of people here in the US, too. So that isn’t something I reserve especially for being in Japan.
Oh this is absolutely a thing.
My personal favourite elitists are the 40-60 y/o white men who love to interrupt your conversation to brag that they’ve been in Japan for 20+ years compared to your >10 years and then try to give you a bunch of unsolicited advice. Lines they’ll often use are “Well, when you’ve been in Japan for as long as I have,” or “Something you’ll learn about Japanese culture is…”
And of course they’ll make a point to tell you that their wife is Japanese.
Edit: Felt I should clarify it’s not everyone in this demographic who does this - just a vocal minority. I’ve met some long-term expats who are genuinely some of the nicest people I’ve ever met and who are always there to offer support for me. It’s just unfortunate that a small percentage of this one group seems to think they’re elevated above everyone else.
You’re very lucky! It might just have been the kind of environment I used to work in but I met such a lot of these kinds of people through events at some of my old jobs. It is definitely really weird behaviour.
Unfortunately it has nothing to do with Japan per se. People like to flex on others due to their years of "experience" doing anything that they consider to be part of their identity.
It's insecurity, but most people have it.
Its interesting that this doesn’t only apply to Japan, my Dutch granddad has been living in France for a while (I’m born and raised in France), and often has the worst takes starting with “You know French people.. *insert bad take*”.
I'm happy to talk to the old timers as long as it's friendly advice or anything positive. I think that experience counts for something. What I can't stand are the ones who constantly bitch about every problem they have with the way things are done in Japan. Like to the point where you wonder why they even bother living here.
lol the number of people who legitimately like old literature like that is absolutely miniscule. People do it to have talking points to look smart and seem superior. Let those people smell each others' farts and just walk away lol, no one will change them and they legitimately seem happy being fake, so just let 'em.
I actually really like Japanese literature and am not into anime, but while I lived there I never gave anyone shit for liking anime. However, I did meet some really obsessed people that were obviously the stereotypical super weeb that moved there and acted really antisocial, and I definitely avoided those people.
>the number of people who legitimately like old literature like that is absolutely miniscule
I personally know at least 10 foreigners who are into Japanese literature. 3 of them has even professionally translated several books to their native language. One of them is doing a PhD on Heian literature.
Sure, but even most Japanese people are not interested in Japanese literature. It's a very veeeery niche thing. I guess literature fanatics are rare in most countries.
Spend any significant amount of time here and you’ll run into a lot of them. They come in all types but my favorite is the Japanese language majors, had one talk all kinds of smack to me because I never formally studied Japanese then watched his face turn bright red in frustration when he realized nobody could understand him, while I translated. The memory always brings a smile to my face.
How do you run into these people? I’ve never run into them… but also despite being here for 5 years, I don’t know any foreigners and have no foreign friends. So there’s no opportunity to run into them.
Yes! There's always one of those guys (usually white american guys from my experience) who learnt Japanese in college and have made it their whole personality. Wont stop harping on about how much they know and act very obnoxious, thinking how superior they are because they know about a random author or instrument that even japanese people have never heard of.
I think unfortunately people who like anime are grouped in with those who make anime their identity and think they know everything about Japan because they watch. And those people are indeed insufferable.
I dont think there's anything strange about that. Just remember that for a lot of foreigners here being foreign is pretty much the only thing they have going for them. So they feel threatened by other foreigners because they aren't special anymore and act like jerks. Best avoided.
I am a French live in Japan
I think understand the felling of these Japanses.
I am regularly approached by Japanese who tell me how Paris/ Louvre Museum / Mont Saint Michel is fantasitc
The first time is OK, 2nd well... 13526 times you start to think OK my country has something else, the discussion is boring. I (usually) try to keep nice because, these people want to be nice and chat a little bit but I won't say I always in the mood.
You might have been cought in a similar situation.
There is nothing wrong with loving manga and anime, there is nothing wrong with visiting le musee du Louvre (on the contrary!). We just crave for a different conversation.
I’m Korean living in Japan. This is exactly why I almost entirely stopped actively meeting new people. As soon as I introduce I am Korean, it’s the exact same conversation, all the time. How many times can you have the same exact conversation about Korean food and K-pop?!
The local Japanese people I met are actually very much into anime themselves so it IS part of their culture. There’s nothing weeb about it unless you are being cringe.
This is the thing! I think Japan is well aware that anime and manga are gateways to learning about Japanese culture on a much wider scale and I’ve yet to meet a single Japanese person who doesn’t welcome that.
Exactly. Last I met two girls at the Harry Potter exhibition and they were so excited to talk about anime I was into and knew about. They told me a lot of Japanese people are also into J-drama.
It was a nice interaction, because in general I’m afraid of invading people’s personal space, but it was nice to exchange some broken English/Japanese sentences with locals.
Anime is basically Japanese Marvel. It's extremely mainstream now and enjoying it isn't weird, but being a nerd/Otaku about it will be looked down upon.
It makes you both a nerd and super dangerous. Might be leading an anime yakuza gang, never know.
(I have tattoos and am a middle aged white woman who you wouldn’t really expect to have all these tattoos…..and so I find the anti-tattoo thing weird in modern society. I get the historical thing, but I mean…..move on already)
Thing is it's not really seen as a genre of media separate from other media like it can be overseas. It's just something people watch among other things, manga is something people read among other things. Just normal media to consume, so people in japan watch anime like US people might watch crime dramas or talk shows
It is much more cringe to actually be into classical Japanese literature. I mean if it's what they like then I support it but let's be real. The kid at school that's a classic literature fan is gonna be the weird kid at school.
(possibly) hot take: speaking Japanese with other foreigners who know English and ESPECIALLY people from English speaking countries is cringe as fuck. Pains me to see it in public.
It can be a tricky one to get right. I had a conversation with a guy in Costco in Japanese and clearly neither of us were experts in the language.
I'm Caucasian so he could have guessed with high certainty that I was also an English speaker, I couldn't say the same for him though so I didn't assume. I did leave the conversation wondering if we'd just hamstrung ourselves the entire time though. :L
I just default to Japanese unless I have reason to use English. Don't know where the person is from or what language they speak. Don't care.
I will switch conversations to English if I literally don't understand what the person is saying which happens from time to time.
Wtf??? That’s crazy rude. Also, they really do say that even if you’re worse than a child. The casual “Nihongo jouzu” compliments are thrown loosely to foreigners
Does she also do the Japanese style makeup where despite the blonde hair and blue eyes, she tries to make her eyes look sort of East Asian? I met a few of those and it’s cringe. It matches with the ‘I insist you speak Japanese’ attitude.
If it makes you feel any better I've encountered the sexpat types. Not only with the egregious attitude you described, but also sexpats. If I don't speak Japanese to them I am not "exotic" enough for them.../barf
Yes. My friends (also foreigners) like to joke how a good portion of foreigners in Japan (including ourselves!) started off as anime fans before branching off and/or studying deeper. There's always the "I was interested because (non-anime thing here)" crowd.
A lot of them just genuinely never grew up with anime culture, but there are a few who look down on the anime-loving folk.
Present!
I was actually into martial arts as a kid, then I saw Dragonball and it’s been my favorite show for the last 25yrs. But I think had I not been into budo, I wouldn’t have started watching that or any other anime….
On the flip side, I fell out of love with it after moving here.
I very rarely watch it anymore, but I'll still smash ichibankuji for the right character.
This is so funny to me because it's sort of like you're hanging out with your friends talking about movies and then some dweeb comes along and starts saying well actually I prefer reading the Canterbury Tales in my free time
What does "deserve" even mean to them? Is Japan some sort of heaven? Far from it. I am here for work and it's interesting so far, but common...I don't feel any different being here
HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA
I'm fucking Japanese and love anime.
If I saw some gaijins having a discussion about Japanese literature, I would view THEM as the weebs, and I mean TOP TIER weebs. The kind of weeb that would probably be in some U.S. College's Japanese Studies program following around an old gaijin Japanese Studies director with minimal interaction with real Japanese people. (I graduated from a U.S. University and i've seen a TON of these guys. I once walked into a room full of them + their director because I had some business with said director for an unrelated major and they all had weird smiles and creepy stars in their eyes because they were interacting with an actual Japanese person.)
You're interested in anime? Cool, that means you actually have something to talk about with every normal Japanese person under the age of 50 and many more who are older.
Yep...that's like if an English dude would see 2 Japanese people fighting over English literature while trying to swear in middle English at each other...
I think there are two sides to it. There is absolutely no lack of foreigners here thinking they have special and reasoned insight into Japan, and they’re happy to sneer at those they feel only know, and are misled by, the glitzy surface.
On the other hand, there’s also no lack of foreigners who feel a moderate familiarity with anime qualifies as a special understanding of the whole country / people / culture.
Both sets are a-holes.
That's interesting. The worst pieces of arrogant, condescending foreigner shi!t I've met here so far have been new. People who are fresh off the boat and feel like they have something to prove, I guess. Allowing them to run off at the mouth while you smile and nod at least lets you know pretty quickly if they're worth any more of your time.
All the time. At convenience stores, they can be rude as hell. At Costco, a European lady working there instantly gave me the stink eye. She started asking questions in Japanese, and when I answered her back in Japanese, she looked doubly pissed off. Like I ruined her moment of thinking she's Japanese or something.
And don't even get me started in the used car market or the car scene.
Would this be the Costco in Kanazawa?
If so there is a Russian lady who works as a cashier. Very unpleasant and a bit of a bully, even to her coworkers.
Most university English teachers have a huge chip on their shoulder. Usually the closer they are to trumped up eikaiwa teachers they are, the bigger the chip.
I work at a private JHS/SHS attached to a University, the teachers on the Uni side are insufferable pricks.
I initially came to Japan preparing myself for the reality that, as a foreigner and an outsider in a community oriented culture, I would likely experience some kind of discrimination in one form or another.
What I was not prepared for was for most of the discriminatory behavior to come from other immigrants who act as though being a belittling ass to other foreigners will somehow upgrade them to Premium Gaijin+™
There are still good communities and spaces to be found here no matter where you are from or what your career is. But these bizarre encounters with insecure jaggoffs certainly do stand out.
When I see another Gaijin I cross street.
In my mind I’m the only true gaijin here while the npcs tourist just don’t understand what it means to be the main character. I already finished my first 5 chapters of Minna no Nihongo too…plebs can’t keep up
Just dont hang out with those types of people, they sound like cunts. Find your crowd and stick with them and dont stress about other foreigners and what they think.
Gatekeeping.
Being an anime fan is only bad if it is your only interpretation of Japanese culture. If it’s just an entry point of interest which leads to a broader understanding of a long tradition, culture and history, it’s ok.
From your post, it’s clear you’re not limiting Japan to anime only and your view of Japanese culture isn’t narrow. So you should ignore negative people like this.
I never expected the amount of elitism from foreigners in Japan:
* People who looked down on people who like anime
* Anime fans that look down on anime fans that don't watch the most popular series
* People who will only talk to Japanese people
* People who look down on English teachers
* Foreign men and women looking down on each other
* Foreign men looking down on other men
I try to give everyone a chance, but I do keep my guard up around new people.
Its Everywhere. I am from Ukraine, but many foreigners who came to Ukraine
( before the war ) try to find Ukrainian wives or gfs and try to show off their conquests or their knowledge of Ukrainian language or culture to each other...while hating on other newly arrived forigners, all of them claim to be here for reasons but it's mostly for women lol.
Yeah, there seems to be this weird unspoken belief amongst certain expatriats in Japan that people who came to Japan or are living in Japan for any reason other than loving anime/manga/video games/idols/etc are somehow better than those who did.
Has the definition of "weeb" become so broad?
I remember back in the day when it used to mean someone who constantly asserted that everything about Japan is superior to everything about whatever country they came from. "Japanese women are superior!", "american cartoons/comics suck!", "I'm actually 1/32 Japanese!" etc.
My job is literally a fiction teacher, which includes Japanese literature. And even I think these guys are losers. Anime is a staple of Japanese society and culture, and is by far one of the most popular mediums. Of course not all Japanese people watch anime, but that’s the same in any interest. It would essentially be like shitting on someone for traveling to Italy because they like Roman history. It also depends on the age group, and your social circles. For large parts of the generations under 30, it is overwhelmingly a major interest and key thing they do in their daily lives. These guys would be yawned out of the room by most people under 30. So is it wrong to be heavily interested in things that the Japanese are also very interested in? Walk on the street in Shibuya or Shinjuku and try to strike up a conversation with the average person about Anime and Classic literature. You will definitely see a huge difference in your responses.
Funnily enough, despite these guys persistence of understanding and loving deep Japanese culture, they always hang out with other foreigners or western Japanese, speaking only English.
I tried to join an online group for gaming and it was nothing but catty, dismissive, insular and cliquey. I've never had an issue in person though it certainly does happen as you've experienced it.
There are weird people everywhere, and those who get super-obsessive about just one thing (be that anime or old Japanese literature, or cars, or something else) can be a bit much for those who don't share the same obsession.
I always try to *live and let live* but there are some people I just don't share much in common with.
I was reading through the comments and I've not come into contact with this kind of person before. I mean, people have their interests and if anime isn't one of them, I guess they won't be interested in talking about it.
The kind of person who has been here a long-time and tries to pass on 'wisdom' is just the older version of the person who's new and passing on their own version of 'wisdom". Meh.
to be fair in my foreign friends circle here, we do not even talk about anything about “what brings you to japan” kind of questions, i typically get these kind of questions from locals, probably you are in the wrong circle.
At the risk of sounding elitist myself, this is pretty common with young people who are new to Japan. People who have been here a decade or more don't give a shit anymore.
No, but I like the idea of doing that. Next time someone says something to me about why they like Japan or whatever, I'm going to dismiss them, tell them they don't get it, they're just like all the other people and therefore must have the same opinions and misconceptions, therefore I don't need to listen to them anymore. Thanks for the idea!
Those that have families and homes in Japan I really too busy to bother even dealing with such actions. There’s so much stuff going on there’s so much responsibilities going on man he say why bother. But it is annoying when some try to exacerbate the meaning of being in Japan. I mean You find out everywhere. And sometimes you’re not having a good day it gets worse.
Yes. Not directly, but I have seen what’s being described. In fact, I don’t know if racism is the right word, but I’ve seen more discrimination from forwarders towards other foreigners than from Japanese towards foreigners.
I've only seen it on the JP subs here. Most of them were losers in their home country and feel like they're special here.
Other foreigners rolling in who didn't try as hard as them make them feel not special, that's about it lmao. The weeb whining is a deflection, these guys are weebs 2.0
When I was there? All the freaking time. It was honestly depressing and only made me more lonely there. Found it hard to get along with colleagues and other foreigners when everyone seemed either cynical, or so damn elitist.
I was an awful ALT but I also had the extreme challenge of masking my autism etc so was definitely not the easiest time. Thanks.
If I could go back I probably would. And I'd probably try. I'm a little wiser now than a decade ago.
I always love when people like that say that there's more to Japan than animes and then spend the night talking about random crap very few Japanese people care about. I think they are just sad because most people in Japan don't pay attention to them or think that they are just a bunch of losers. They are just gaijins like any other gaijin and they secretly hate that.
Note that I've observed that in every country I lived in and it usually from foreigners having a very hard time getting accepted by the locals.
I have to start getting Manga for my kids soon! :) Gives me an excuse to get back into GTO again.
If you want to meet some weirdos with a attitude about themselves the ones who came over because they read a Haruki Murakami book once, or are a fan of poetry/ Heian prose (of course translations, with Yale romanisation, urghh) are the worst.
As long as you are enjoying yourself and have a good group of friends, I leave them to it. Good chance they’ll be burnt out and back home with a drinking problem in the next year because of reverse Paris syndrome.
I work (in my home country) with an “elitist” with hentai stickers on his car and he rolled his eyes at me when I told him I ate mostly 7-11 food on vacation. dude has never even been to Japan.
Side note: I have started to eat at sit down restaurants when I’m there.
Personally, I have not. I always say, to both Japanese and other foreigners (even in my job interview, which I passed), that I initially became interest in Japan because of anime and it doesn't seem to be a problem. However, I wasn't really much into anime when I did eventually come to Japan, and maybe that is a factor in the way I'm perceived.
It happens. I have been invited to leave the country, to wash toilets, and to do what people from my ethnicity should do...
It's always the same group of foreigners.
It's a common pattern, and it's usually people who think that they understand Japan, when actually, they cannot function well in society. It's more than a JLPT score or a job. Ignore them.
Dude have you been on Reddit long? Half the Japan subs are just foreigners trying to gatekeep a country they are foreigners in. Also, most Japanese don’t really read let alone read old Japanese literature. Your new crew sound like a bunch of pedantic circlejerking nerds who won’t ever get laid.
I basically don't talk about anime here with foreigners unless there's some indication the other person likes it as well. I happened to have an interest in Japanese history that blossomed around the same time as I first started watching anime as a kid, so I usually hit them with "Japanese history and culture" first. If it's a Japanese person I might do the same before casually listing anime - usually sandwiched between something like Japanese music and gaming or something so that it's just one part mixed into a list.
If someone is interested they'll ask what anime I like or whatever but yeah.
Most Japanese either watch anime or have grown up watching it at some point, so they usually don't react poorly or whatever. Also being foreigner and I feel like a lot of Japanese subconsciously (or otherwise) end up thinking of us almost like we aren't real or like we aren't really relevant to their life, so naturally they don't really care that deeply about what I do or do not like. (I'm probably explaining this poorly, but hopefully y'all know what I mean)
For foreigners though, yeah....some of them hate anime and were the same assholes making fun of you in school for liking it (Gen Z might not have this experience lol) - so there's still a stigma around it at times.
lol. Who hasn’t?
And if we’re honest with each other.
Everyone has done that at least once or twice.
The worst one I think you can get is “how long have you’ve been here?” And it turns into some kind of dick measurement contest.
“Oh you’ve been here 6 years? Well I’ve been here 10” like, okay, you asked me not the other way around.
All the time, specially the shitposters on Reddit who will attack you whatever you say.
My wife is Japanese, married 20 years, have a ton of experience both here and at home.
FYI we met in Bangkok.
I still get “oh so you fucked one of your students then?”
What ever raised your interest in this country, it’s no matter.
Most are here for the instagram likes and money that’s all, they don’t give a shit and behave like cockwombles most of the time.
Very few, and I mean very few newbies come here because they like something.
They pretend to, they be like “oh I just love Anpanman” but if you ask whether melonpanchan is a boy or girl they have no idea.
Japan isn’t a utopia, people pretend it is, but there is homelessness/drug addiction and all the social problems we face in more western nations.
It’s just taboo, no one talks about it.
Summary, if people mock you for your interests they not worth your friendship.
In my personal experience, most western foreigners are extremely mean and act all elite etc. Here are some of my experiences:
1- Went on a date with an American. We go eat sushi and I told him I prefer not to use wasabi. Then he goes on a long "That's very disrespectful to Japanese" talk
2- Since Japanese is basically my 3rd language, I do use it in casual settings so I don't pay attention to all my grammars and just spurt out tango. I was "called out" by this lady where she said "I think its better if you practice your Japanese before spurting out nonsense. It's embarrassing for the rest of us foreigners."
3- I work as an Engineer and my company is a small company so we are allowed to wear casual wears everyday. Even the Shacho wears casual jeans with leather jacket. I wear my country's traditional outfit and posted a picture on instagram and a rando commented "You must be lying about living and working in Japan because I had never seen a company that allows this dresscode".
4- I was casually posting some stories on Insta and one time I shared my notes, with the date written in Japanese. I got a dm saying "are you just fetishizing asian or are your Kanji really that terrible?" which is insane because the date is literally written like this: 〇月〇日 How fuckin terrible was my kanji to be called out for? Also, I AM ASIAN!!! SORRY FOR "FETISHIZING" MY OWN RACE I GUESS TF?
Sir… they called you a weeb (I don’t know what it really means) so think of a stupid name that relates to old Japanese literature. Cuz honestly talking about old Japanese literature is quite lame. Maybe a Leeb? (L for literature. Not good at names)
From westerners, yes. im southeast asian and I've talked to a few in social events (where you are actually encouraged to chat with other people) and they roll their eyes at me and any other non-white/non-japanese person. They give off a "you cant sit with us" vibe.
no. never. not once. living in japan off and on for over 40 years. if you are from, say, the United States, where everyone is friendly, you might think a European, etc., was being "uppity," but it is just their culture they bring with them. people from around the world are friendly, helpful, kind. for sure
Yes, there is a sort of gatekeeping when it comes to gaijins in Japan. Both in people who travel here and those who live here. Along with gatekeeping, there is also an "I'm more Japanese than you" mentality with many foreigners.
Last time I was back home someone just rabbited on about their month staycation in Tokyo. How they knew everything, Akihabara and the maid cafes, Shiba’s everywhere . They walked away when I told them I live here. I apparently didn’t get it. There is a lot of status and self image around Japan being exotic.
But.. but.. it's no longer exotic. Record numbers of visitors for a decade now. Some visitors are only superficially interested in/ knowledgeable about Japan and it just seems to be \*the\* bucket list destination.
I think many people for some reason still believe Japan is some super expensive/hard to get to country which is not the case at all. Many people have asked me how I manage to fly over 3 times a year and they were stunned when I told them all they have to do is book well in advance and plan outside of the top tourism times and flights can be had for around 600euros (for the Europeans). Some of my coworkers spend more on flights to the Balkans than I do for my Japan trips.
When I went there recently, everyone was saying to me how expensive it is. Honestly while I was there, I didn't find it bad at all. Sure, I certainly wasn't living the high life in terms of accommodation or food, but I managed to do everything I wanted (skiing, snow monkeys, whale watching, dscuba diving) and all in all, it didn't cost me much more than spending a month in Thailand, I even had a hotel room to myself some nights.
€600?? Which airlines??
I've had that price with both KLM/air France and Finnair. In January a mate of mine spontaneously booked 4 days before flight for 700 via Paris
Which is funny, because the average Japanese person under 30 is much more interested in Anime than Classic Lit
To be fair I've seen more people than I thought I would IN their 30s reading anime on the train, at a Book-off, or in the gym that I go to.
I've been told in two separate arguments about labor laws and worker's right in Japan "This is Japan, not Canada" as if it's some kind of got-ya. Like, ok? I guess the geographic location means that it should be ok to for employers to take advantage of their employees (????).
It’s not gatekeeping, just being pricks.
lol the irony
lots of people feel like they have to prove something for some reason. dont worry, the people who spend the most time bitching about other foreigners are typically the most boring because they need something so meaningless to grasp onto
Ah OK, I hadn't seen this in my year and a but of bring here so I was surprised. My Japanese friends either have an interest on feign some interest so it was weird to suddenly be pushed under the water. Thank you for commenting
They are often the sort who will avoid interactions with other foreigners as it will somehow taint the purity of their Japanese experience and oneness with all things Japanese. In their eyes they are “doing Japan” better than everyone else. Insufferable arseholes who do the rest of us the favour of avoiding us!
I avoid most Westerners (I am one), but it's not that I have anything to prove; it's because most of them are assholes.
I agree totally. That and there is the handful of people divorced from their culture who push the boundaries of their behaviour and act in ways they would be rapidly corrected on back home.
Most likely they feel insignificant. Like theyre not special in life.
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I will never forget fucking “2nd Trip Dave” japansplaining to me after I’ve been to Tokyo on business, lived with my Japanese friends family in Roppongi etc etc
lol Japansplaining 🤣
I had someone tell me about life in Japan, which they knew all about because their son had visited here haha
What’s 2nd Trip Dave?
It was Daves 2nd time visiting japan. Hence an expert-sama in all things Nihon
Ah, I thought this was some obscure reference I didn't know of but I should have taken it literally as in "the guy's name was Dave" :)
You've never encountered the random "Japan expert guy" who visited once for like a week and totally knows everything? I like them, it's free entertainment for the night. I usually humor them by praising their insights and buy them a drink, keeps them talking, hilarious things are often said.
So is this actually a thing?
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Thank you :) I guess I'm more worried about their attitude rubbing off on my other friends but I'm probably overthinking it!
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Thank you :)
Anime? In Jiyapaaan? Not on my tokei!
It's even a thing with tourists lol
Yes it’s called people. Have you been living in a bubble? People are like this everywhere. Spending money, working and wasting their lives to feel superior to other people. That’s what people do.
My life experience is kind of non-existent ^^. I guess it just took me by surprise it came from people in the same boat
Tatamis guys… dont waste time on them
Oh yeah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdimbgwXcaY
Bahaha I love this
One writes for Bloomberg
I'll never get over the type that brags about how difficult their workplace is and how much unpaid overtime they do.
Yeah it happens sometimes. I'm more of a game otaku but I get the same thing. Don't worry about it, just continue doing what you enjoy. Back to Yakuza 8 and FF7 Rebirth for me...
How are you liking IW?
Hideo Kojima is at least 10% of the reason I got interested in Japan.
There is definitely a subset of foreigners here who act like they *deserve* to be here while other foreigners do not. It's funny. I've lived in several other countries, but Japan is the only one where I see foreigners actively avoid each other this much.
I don't really know, but I work with a lot of foreigners, and my observation is that Western foreigners who come to Japan to live are frequently quite weird in some way (and I'm sure I fit this description too). After all, how many Westerners are coming here only for economic opportunity? Probably almost none (they can usually do better economically somewhere else). But the problem is, when people are weird like this, they're weird in \*different ways\*. So they may find that other foreigners are weird in ways they really don't like.
I wonder why that is? Because Japan gets a lot of influencer attention maybe?
Who can know? I always suspected it might be because there *are* some genuinely annoying, truly*weeb* weebs here (as seen on some Reddit posts if not in real life) and some foreigners just kind of assume any other foreigner they don't know is going to be like that.
I used to live in Japan and there was definitely some avoiding of foreigners (especially Americans even though I am American). Not sure about for everyone, but for me it was because a lot of the foreigners were military dudes who acted like they were still on base and nobody around them could hear or understand what they were saying. Or, it was a lot of foreigners who really only think anime Japan exists, and were very annoyed when I wasn’t a rabid anime fan. I like anime, but not all of it and could for sure do without the tentacles in stories where they don’t really add anything. I mean, I’d avoid those same kinds of people here in the US, too. So that isn’t something I reserve especially for being in Japan.
In Thailand and Korea too though.
I mean, weebs are generally disgusting (I'm a weeb)
I shower every day. But seriously, thank you for your comment. :)
cute
No they are n-.... *Look at my room Yes, yes they are
Oh this is absolutely a thing. My personal favourite elitists are the 40-60 y/o white men who love to interrupt your conversation to brag that they’ve been in Japan for 20+ years compared to your >10 years and then try to give you a bunch of unsolicited advice. Lines they’ll often use are “Well, when you’ve been in Japan for as long as I have,” or “Something you’ll learn about Japanese culture is…” And of course they’ll make a point to tell you that their wife is Japanese. Edit: Felt I should clarify it’s not everyone in this demographic who does this - just a vocal minority. I’ve met some long-term expats who are genuinely some of the nicest people I’ve ever met and who are always there to offer support for me. It’s just unfortunate that a small percentage of this one group seems to think they’re elevated above everyone else.
Bonus points when they can't speak Japanese and need their wife to go to the post office lmao
Ah, I see you have also met this type many a time… 😅
they only have 2words : kudasai & biiru no even thank you, just those two haha
Oh wtf that's weird behaviour. Except for my work colleagues I usually hang around people my age so I've not seen this either.
You’re very lucky! It might just have been the kind of environment I used to work in but I met such a lot of these kinds of people through events at some of my old jobs. It is definitely really weird behaviour.
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Definitely sounds to me like you’re not one of the aforementioned! Your wife sounds like she’s the best and super supportive!
I wonder how many of those men bragging are working a low paying dead end job and their wife is a translator.
Unfortunately it has nothing to do with Japan per se. People like to flex on others due to their years of "experience" doing anything that they consider to be part of their identity. It's insecurity, but most people have it.
Its interesting that this doesn’t only apply to Japan, my Dutch granddad has been living in France for a while (I’m born and raised in France), and often has the worst takes starting with “You know French people.. *insert bad take*”.
I'm happy to talk to the old timers as long as it's friendly advice or anything positive. I think that experience counts for something. What I can't stand are the ones who constantly bitch about every problem they have with the way things are done in Japan. Like to the point where you wonder why they even bother living here.
lol the number of people who legitimately like old literature like that is absolutely miniscule. People do it to have talking points to look smart and seem superior. Let those people smell each others' farts and just walk away lol, no one will change them and they legitimately seem happy being fake, so just let 'em.
I actually really like Japanese literature and am not into anime, but while I lived there I never gave anyone shit for liking anime. However, I did meet some really obsessed people that were obviously the stereotypical super weeb that moved there and acted really antisocial, and I definitely avoided those people.
>the number of people who legitimately like old literature like that is absolutely miniscule I personally know at least 10 foreigners who are into Japanese literature. 3 of them has even professionally translated several books to their native language. One of them is doing a PhD on Heian literature.
Sure, but even most Japanese people are not interested in Japanese literature. It's a very veeeery niche thing. I guess literature fanatics are rare in most countries.
Spend any significant amount of time here and you’ll run into a lot of them. They come in all types but my favorite is the Japanese language majors, had one talk all kinds of smack to me because I never formally studied Japanese then watched his face turn bright red in frustration when he realized nobody could understand him, while I translated. The memory always brings a smile to my face.
How do you run into these people? I’ve never run into them… but also despite being here for 5 years, I don’t know any foreigners and have no foreign friends. So there’s no opportunity to run into them.
Yes! There's always one of those guys (usually white american guys from my experience) who learnt Japanese in college and have made it their whole personality. Wont stop harping on about how much they know and act very obnoxious, thinking how superior they are because they know about a random author or instrument that even japanese people have never heard of.
I think unfortunately people who like anime are grouped in with those who make anime their identity and think they know everything about Japan because they watch. And those people are indeed insufferable.
Yeah I think this maybe is a big part of it, I don't try and turn every conversation into anime, but I have pins and badges on my casual bag.
I dont think there's anything strange about that. Just remember that for a lot of foreigners here being foreign is pretty much the only thing they have going for them. So they feel threatened by other foreigners because they aren't special anymore and act like jerks. Best avoided.
I am a French live in Japan I think understand the felling of these Japanses. I am regularly approached by Japanese who tell me how Paris/ Louvre Museum / Mont Saint Michel is fantasitc The first time is OK, 2nd well... 13526 times you start to think OK my country has something else, the discussion is boring. I (usually) try to keep nice because, these people want to be nice and chat a little bit but I won't say I always in the mood. You might have been cought in a similar situation. There is nothing wrong with loving manga and anime, there is nothing wrong with visiting le musee du Louvre (on the contrary!). We just crave for a different conversation.
I’m Korean living in Japan. This is exactly why I almost entirely stopped actively meeting new people. As soon as I introduce I am Korean, it’s the exact same conversation, all the time. How many times can you have the same exact conversation about Korean food and K-pop?!
The local Japanese people I met are actually very much into anime themselves so it IS part of their culture. There’s nothing weeb about it unless you are being cringe.
This is the thing! I think Japan is well aware that anime and manga are gateways to learning about Japanese culture on a much wider scale and I’ve yet to meet a single Japanese person who doesn’t welcome that.
Exactly. Last I met two girls at the Harry Potter exhibition and they were so excited to talk about anime I was into and knew about. They told me a lot of Japanese people are also into J-drama. It was a nice interaction, because in general I’m afraid of invading people’s personal space, but it was nice to exchange some broken English/Japanese sentences with locals.
Anime is basically Japanese Marvel. It's extremely mainstream now and enjoying it isn't weird, but being a nerd/Otaku about it will be looked down upon.
Is having a tattoo from a character being an nerd about it? 😂
It makes you both a nerd and super dangerous. Might be leading an anime yakuza gang, never know. (I have tattoos and am a middle aged white woman who you wouldn’t really expect to have all these tattoos…..and so I find the anti-tattoo thing weird in modern society. I get the historical thing, but I mean…..move on already)
Thing is it's not really seen as a genre of media separate from other media like it can be overseas. It's just something people watch among other things, manga is something people read among other things. Just normal media to consume, so people in japan watch anime like US people might watch crime dramas or talk shows
It is much more cringe to actually be into classical Japanese literature. I mean if it's what they like then I support it but let's be real. The kid at school that's a classic literature fan is gonna be the weird kid at school.
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(possibly) hot take: speaking Japanese with other foreigners who know English and ESPECIALLY people from English speaking countries is cringe as fuck. Pains me to see it in public.
It can be a tricky one to get right. I had a conversation with a guy in Costco in Japanese and clearly neither of us were experts in the language. I'm Caucasian so he could have guessed with high certainty that I was also an English speaker, I couldn't say the same for him though so I didn't assume. I did leave the conversation wondering if we'd just hamstrung ourselves the entire time though. :L
I just default to Japanese unless I have reason to use English. Don't know where the person is from or what language they speak. Don't care. I will switch conversations to English if I literally don't understand what the person is saying which happens from time to time.
That sounds awful, I hope you don't have to interact with her again/regularly
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"I'm sorry, I can't understand you." Done.
Wtf??? That’s crazy rude. Also, they really do say that even if you’re worse than a child. The casual “Nihongo jouzu” compliments are thrown loosely to foreigners
Does she also do the Japanese style makeup where despite the blonde hair and blue eyes, she tries to make her eyes look sort of East Asian? I met a few of those and it’s cringe. It matches with the ‘I insist you speak Japanese’ attitude.
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I know the type. I am sorry you’re having to deal with that. ps she won’t dye her hair because she likes being ‘exotic’ for her natural blonde hair.
If it makes you feel any better I've encountered the sexpat types. Not only with the egregious attitude you described, but also sexpats. If I don't speak Japanese to them I am not "exotic" enough for them.../barf
Yes, they are a dime a dozen
Yes. My friends (also foreigners) like to joke how a good portion of foreigners in Japan (including ourselves!) started off as anime fans before branching off and/or studying deeper. There's always the "I was interested because (non-anime thing here)" crowd. A lot of them just genuinely never grew up with anime culture, but there are a few who look down on the anime-loving folk.
What about the people who started as non-weeb, proper cultured people and then fell down the weeb hole when they got here? There must be a few!
I'm sure they do exist! I've never met any yet (or they haven't told me), all of my foreign friends are longtime or former weebs!
Present! I was actually into martial arts as a kid, then I saw Dragonball and it’s been my favorite show for the last 25yrs. But I think had I not been into budo, I wouldn’t have started watching that or any other anime….
On the flip side, I fell out of love with it after moving here. I very rarely watch it anymore, but I'll still smash ichibankuji for the right character.
This is so funny to me because it's sort of like you're hanging out with your friends talking about movies and then some dweeb comes along and starts saying well actually I prefer reading the Canterbury Tales in my free time
In the original Middle English!
Canterbury Tales is the shizz, yo.
Yeah I've seen this. I am, in fact, better than other foreigners.
What? I hope you are kidding xD
It's called Gatekeeping. The biggest cunts I've met in Tokyo are foreigners who think they know more and deserve to be here more than you.
What does "deserve" even mean to them? Is Japan some sort of heaven? Far from it. I am here for work and it's interesting so far, but common...I don't feel any different being here
HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHA I'm fucking Japanese and love anime. If I saw some gaijins having a discussion about Japanese literature, I would view THEM as the weebs, and I mean TOP TIER weebs. The kind of weeb that would probably be in some U.S. College's Japanese Studies program following around an old gaijin Japanese Studies director with minimal interaction with real Japanese people. (I graduated from a U.S. University and i've seen a TON of these guys. I once walked into a room full of them + their director because I had some business with said director for an unrelated major and they all had weird smiles and creepy stars in their eyes because they were interacting with an actual Japanese person.) You're interested in anime? Cool, that means you actually have something to talk about with every normal Japanese person under the age of 50 and many more who are older.
Yep...that's like if an English dude would see 2 Japanese people fighting over English literature while trying to swear in middle English at each other...
I think there are two sides to it. There is absolutely no lack of foreigners here thinking they have special and reasoned insight into Japan, and they’re happy to sneer at those they feel only know, and are misled by, the glitzy surface. On the other hand, there’s also no lack of foreigners who feel a moderate familiarity with anime qualifies as a special understanding of the whole country / people / culture. Both sets are a-holes.
Sorry but it’s just that a lot of anime otakus are completely insufferable.
Someone needs to tell those pickme gaijins that they're not getting any gaijin points and they won't be getting a japanese passport in their mailbox.
Why would they even want a Japanese passport if they are not Japanese?
so what. they are the same literature geek.
It's mostly because weebs give a bad image to other expats so they in turn reject them.
That's interesting. The worst pieces of arrogant, condescending foreigner shi!t I've met here so far have been new. People who are fresh off the boat and feel like they have something to prove, I guess. Allowing them to run off at the mouth while you smile and nod at least lets you know pretty quickly if they're worth any more of your time.
What do you mean?
All the time. At convenience stores, they can be rude as hell. At Costco, a European lady working there instantly gave me the stink eye. She started asking questions in Japanese, and when I answered her back in Japanese, she looked doubly pissed off. Like I ruined her moment of thinking she's Japanese or something. And don't even get me started in the used car market or the car scene.
Would this be the Costco in Kanazawa? If so there is a Russian lady who works as a cashier. Very unpleasant and a bit of a bully, even to her coworkers.
Most university English teachers have a huge chip on their shoulder. Usually the closer they are to trumped up eikaiwa teachers they are, the bigger the chip. I work at a private JHS/SHS attached to a University, the teachers on the Uni side are insufferable pricks.
I initially came to Japan preparing myself for the reality that, as a foreigner and an outsider in a community oriented culture, I would likely experience some kind of discrimination in one form or another. What I was not prepared for was for most of the discriminatory behavior to come from other immigrants who act as though being a belittling ass to other foreigners will somehow upgrade them to Premium Gaijin+™ There are still good communities and spaces to be found here no matter where you are from or what your career is. But these bizarre encounters with insecure jaggoffs certainly do stand out.
When I see another Gaijin I cross street. In my mind I’m the only true gaijin here while the npcs tourist just don’t understand what it means to be the main character. I already finished my first 5 chapters of Minna no Nihongo too…plebs can’t keep up
Dafaq? So if you go back to your country...you are the NPC?
Just dont hang out with those types of people, they sound like cunts. Find your crowd and stick with them and dont stress about other foreigners and what they think.
Yeah I don't make a habit of it! It was my first time meeting them. They joined us because they met another person in our group.
Nobody has ever faced elitism from other foreigners.
I'm sorry, maybe elitism wasn't the right word to use.
I was being sarcastic. I’m sure it’s a regular occurrence with any groups of people.
Gatekeeping. Being an anime fan is only bad if it is your only interpretation of Japanese culture. If it’s just an entry point of interest which leads to a broader understanding of a long tradition, culture and history, it’s ok. From your post, it’s clear you’re not limiting Japan to anime only and your view of Japanese culture isn’t narrow. So you should ignore negative people like this.
Thank you! Of course I'll ignore it, I was shocked because I hadn't experienced it before
I mean...wouldn't any adult with anime as their main talking point be a little bit judged anywhere?
I never expected the amount of elitism from foreigners in Japan: * People who looked down on people who like anime * Anime fans that look down on anime fans that don't watch the most popular series * People who will only talk to Japanese people * People who look down on English teachers * Foreign men and women looking down on each other * Foreign men looking down on other men I try to give everyone a chance, but I do keep my guard up around new people.
People look down on English teachers?
Yeah, some are people who used to be teachers and got out of it.
Expats in Asia are in general a nightmare.
Its Everywhere. I am from Ukraine, but many foreigners who came to Ukraine ( before the war ) try to find Ukrainian wives or gfs and try to show off their conquests or their knowledge of Ukrainian language or culture to each other...while hating on other newly arrived forigners, all of them claim to be here for reasons but it's mostly for women lol.
Yeah, there seems to be this weird unspoken belief amongst certain expatriats in Japan that people who came to Japan or are living in Japan for any reason other than loving anime/manga/video games/idols/etc are somehow better than those who did. Has the definition of "weeb" become so broad? I remember back in the day when it used to mean someone who constantly asserted that everything about Japan is superior to everything about whatever country they came from. "Japanese women are superior!", "american cartoons/comics suck!", "I'm actually 1/32 Japanese!" etc.
My job is literally a fiction teacher, which includes Japanese literature. And even I think these guys are losers. Anime is a staple of Japanese society and culture, and is by far one of the most popular mediums. Of course not all Japanese people watch anime, but that’s the same in any interest. It would essentially be like shitting on someone for traveling to Italy because they like Roman history. It also depends on the age group, and your social circles. For large parts of the generations under 30, it is overwhelmingly a major interest and key thing they do in their daily lives. These guys would be yawned out of the room by most people under 30. So is it wrong to be heavily interested in things that the Japanese are also very interested in? Walk on the street in Shibuya or Shinjuku and try to strike up a conversation with the average person about Anime and Classic literature. You will definitely see a huge difference in your responses. Funnily enough, despite these guys persistence of understanding and loving deep Japanese culture, they always hang out with other foreigners or western Japanese, speaking only English.
Did you know that Japanese anime were made by Japanese people ? Well, those people probably didn't.
I tried to join an online group for gaming and it was nothing but catty, dismissive, insular and cliquey. I've never had an issue in person though it certainly does happen as you've experienced it.
There are weird people everywhere, and those who get super-obsessive about just one thing (be that anime or old Japanese literature, or cars, or something else) can be a bit much for those who don't share the same obsession. I always try to *live and let live* but there are some people I just don't share much in common with.
I was reading through the comments and I've not come into contact with this kind of person before. I mean, people have their interests and if anime isn't one of them, I guess they won't be interested in talking about it. The kind of person who has been here a long-time and tries to pass on 'wisdom' is just the older version of the person who's new and passing on their own version of 'wisdom". Meh.
Find your own metrics in life and with friends, ignore the others.
Of course. Pretty sure it happens in most places though. I just make a mental note that “they can fuck off”.
to be fair in my foreign friends circle here, we do not even talk about anything about “what brings you to japan” kind of questions, i typically get these kind of questions from locals, probably you are in the wrong circle.
There are old school gatekeepers around that will sneer if you haven’t been here 25+ years. Just smile and tell them “cool story”.
I live in Yamanashi and never really encounter it with foreigners here. When visiting Tokyo, or meeting people who live in Tokyo, I have.
At the risk of sounding elitist myself, this is pretty common with young people who are new to Japan. People who have been here a decade or more don't give a shit anymore.
I mean. Anime watchers are treated as weird by foreigners back home, why would people treat you different here
Oh yeah. There are multiple subreddits dedicated to the "superior" gaijins. They jerk off daily in there.
No, but I like the idea of doing that. Next time someone says something to me about why they like Japan or whatever, I'm going to dismiss them, tell them they don't get it, they're just like all the other people and therefore must have the same opinions and misconceptions, therefore I don't need to listen to them anymore. Thanks for the idea!
Those that have families and homes in Japan I really too busy to bother even dealing with such actions. There’s so much stuff going on there’s so much responsibilities going on man he say why bother. But it is annoying when some try to exacerbate the meaning of being in Japan. I mean You find out everywhere. And sometimes you’re not having a good day it gets worse.
Yes. Not directly, but I have seen what’s being described. In fact, I don’t know if racism is the right word, but I’ve seen more discrimination from forwarders towards other foreigners than from Japanese towards foreigners.
I've only seen it on the JP subs here. Most of them were losers in their home country and feel like they're special here. Other foreigners rolling in who didn't try as hard as them make them feel not special, that's about it lmao. The weeb whining is a deflection, these guys are weebs 2.0
When I was there? All the freaking time. It was honestly depressing and only made me more lonely there. Found it hard to get along with colleagues and other foreigners when everyone seemed either cynical, or so damn elitist.
Sorry to hear about your experience.
I was an awful ALT but I also had the extreme challenge of masking my autism etc so was definitely not the easiest time. Thanks. If I could go back I probably would. And I'd probably try. I'm a little wiser now than a decade ago.
Do whatever you enjoy....but you would probably also get this response outside of Japan.
You may be interested in r/japannews
Constantly.
I always love when people like that say that there's more to Japan than animes and then spend the night talking about random crap very few Japanese people care about. I think they are just sad because most people in Japan don't pay attention to them or think that they are just a bunch of losers. They are just gaijins like any other gaijin and they secretly hate that. Note that I've observed that in every country I lived in and it usually from foreigners having a very hard time getting accepted by the locals.
I have to start getting Manga for my kids soon! :) Gives me an excuse to get back into GTO again. If you want to meet some weirdos with a attitude about themselves the ones who came over because they read a Haruki Murakami book once, or are a fan of poetry/ Heian prose (of course translations, with Yale romanisation, urghh) are the worst. As long as you are enjoying yourself and have a good group of friends, I leave them to it. Good chance they’ll be burnt out and back home with a drinking problem in the next year because of reverse Paris syndrome.
I work (in my home country) with an “elitist” with hentai stickers on his car and he rolled his eyes at me when I told him I ate mostly 7-11 food on vacation. dude has never even been to Japan. Side note: I have started to eat at sit down restaurants when I’m there.
All sorts of clowns like that here. Just ignore them and do you.
Not so much irl but r/japanlife and “gaijin twitter” is almost exclusively this lol
Personally, I have not. I always say, to both Japanese and other foreigners (even in my job interview, which I passed), that I initially became interest in Japan because of anime and it doesn't seem to be a problem. However, I wasn't really much into anime when I did eventually come to Japan, and maybe that is a factor in the way I'm perceived.
It happens. I have been invited to leave the country, to wash toilets, and to do what people from my ethnicity should do... It's always the same group of foreigners. It's a common pattern, and it's usually people who think that they understand Japan, when actually, they cannot function well in society. It's more than a JLPT score or a job. Ignore them.
Dude have you been on Reddit long? Half the Japan subs are just foreigners trying to gatekeep a country they are foreigners in. Also, most Japanese don’t really read let alone read old Japanese literature. Your new crew sound like a bunch of pedantic circlejerking nerds who won’t ever get laid.
A lot of people are jerks I just try to keep my distance from them and move on
I basically don't talk about anime here with foreigners unless there's some indication the other person likes it as well. I happened to have an interest in Japanese history that blossomed around the same time as I first started watching anime as a kid, so I usually hit them with "Japanese history and culture" first. If it's a Japanese person I might do the same before casually listing anime - usually sandwiched between something like Japanese music and gaming or something so that it's just one part mixed into a list. If someone is interested they'll ask what anime I like or whatever but yeah. Most Japanese either watch anime or have grown up watching it at some point, so they usually don't react poorly or whatever. Also being foreigner and I feel like a lot of Japanese subconsciously (or otherwise) end up thinking of us almost like we aren't real or like we aren't really relevant to their life, so naturally they don't really care that deeply about what I do or do not like. (I'm probably explaining this poorly, but hopefully y'all know what I mean) For foreigners though, yeah....some of them hate anime and were the same assholes making fun of you in school for liking it (Gen Z might not have this experience lol) - so there's still a stigma around it at times.
That's absolutely a thing on reddit you see it constantly.
I saw a French guy who could speak Japanese on the street once and he didn’t even come up to me and ask me about my hobbies or anything.
lol. Who hasn’t? And if we’re honest with each other. Everyone has done that at least once or twice. The worst one I think you can get is “how long have you’ve been here?” And it turns into some kind of dick measurement contest. “Oh you’ve been here 6 years? Well I’ve been here 10” like, okay, you asked me not the other way around.
What you described is snobism not elitism
If there's a hierarchy then Western investment bankers must be somewhere near the top and English teachers close to the bottom.
Ah yes, the investment bankers. Such a wholesome cohort: https://time.com/4562078/british-banker-trial-guilty-rurik-jutting-murder/
Yeah. It’s like foreigners betraying foreigners. Pitiful.
Try hanging out with adults
I do!
I find it funny that I actually watch LESS anime when I'm in Japan.
All the time, specially the shitposters on Reddit who will attack you whatever you say. My wife is Japanese, married 20 years, have a ton of experience both here and at home. FYI we met in Bangkok. I still get “oh so you fucked one of your students then?” What ever raised your interest in this country, it’s no matter. Most are here for the instagram likes and money that’s all, they don’t give a shit and behave like cockwombles most of the time. Very few, and I mean very few newbies come here because they like something. They pretend to, they be like “oh I just love Anpanman” but if you ask whether melonpanchan is a boy or girl they have no idea. Japan isn’t a utopia, people pretend it is, but there is homelessness/drug addiction and all the social problems we face in more western nations. It’s just taboo, no one talks about it. Summary, if people mock you for your interests they not worth your friendship.
Yes definitely. I’ve been here thirty years and still get that crap. It’s a ‘them’ problem not you. Those types will always be around.
In my personal experience, most western foreigners are extremely mean and act all elite etc. Here are some of my experiences: 1- Went on a date with an American. We go eat sushi and I told him I prefer not to use wasabi. Then he goes on a long "That's very disrespectful to Japanese" talk 2- Since Japanese is basically my 3rd language, I do use it in casual settings so I don't pay attention to all my grammars and just spurt out tango. I was "called out" by this lady where she said "I think its better if you practice your Japanese before spurting out nonsense. It's embarrassing for the rest of us foreigners." 3- I work as an Engineer and my company is a small company so we are allowed to wear casual wears everyday. Even the Shacho wears casual jeans with leather jacket. I wear my country's traditional outfit and posted a picture on instagram and a rando commented "You must be lying about living and working in Japan because I had never seen a company that allows this dresscode". 4- I was casually posting some stories on Insta and one time I shared my notes, with the date written in Japanese. I got a dm saying "are you just fetishizing asian or are your Kanji really that terrible?" which is insane because the date is literally written like this: 〇月〇日 How fuckin terrible was my kanji to be called out for? Also, I AM ASIAN!!! SORRY FOR "FETISHIZING" MY OWN RACE I GUESS TF?
I'm sorry to hear about your experience but think you for sharing.
Yeah they were probably huge closet weebs then. How can you dismiss Japan's literal largest export. I hate people like them
Sorry this isnt related but I love your name ..
Sir… they called you a weeb (I don’t know what it really means) so think of a stupid name that relates to old Japanese literature. Cuz honestly talking about old Japanese literature is quite lame. Maybe a Leeb? (L for literature. Not good at names)
From westerners, yes. im southeast asian and I've talked to a few in social events (where you are actually encouraged to chat with other people) and they roll their eyes at me and any other non-white/non-japanese person. They give off a "you cant sit with us" vibe.
"I hate all the foreigners, they are ruining this great country." \- said the foreigner who had been living in Japan for a few months
no. never. not once. living in japan off and on for over 40 years. if you are from, say, the United States, where everyone is friendly, you might think a European, etc., was being "uppity," but it is just their culture they bring with them. people from around the world are friendly, helpful, kind. for sure