Visit to Japan

[NoHachi]

Its way to short to get beyond the politeness they reserve for strangers. The tourist experience is nothing like the real place. Once you see past the habits etc you notice that its less friendly then it would seem at first sight, but it gets infinately more interesting too.

[Apolan]

I realise this as i've heard the same thing on many ocassions.. the deeper i dig the more i find myself fascinated with even the smallest things and details.. because of this i've decided to go there after i finish my degree. i will either go work there or for some additional studiying; japan is pretty strong and "fresh" on architecture and design also, so it might be a good place to add to my knowlidge/experience. but whichever segment of their culture you look at, everything derives from their mentality/spirituality.. if thats close to you, i guess you'll like preety much everything..

[Blueneon]

banpei Wrote:I came to the horrible conclusion you only spotted one hachi outside the Toyota museum!

In total i saw 3, 1 driving along the road, 1 panda trueno in a carpark and the levin in the museum!

Japan is amazing, we really felt we saw the 'real' stuff in Chidori, the politeness is there, but you do feel like an outsider. In central Tokyo, you are treated differently, im not sure if its becuse they want your yen (partly i suspect) or if they are used to a western face in the crowd.

In Chidori we did feel as if we stuck out, and we got lots of stares on the train, but honestly i have never felt safer. I was born and raised in London, so I have a built in trouble warning system, it didnt go off once! the only thing that got triggered was my built in Gaydar, and that fires off all the time...

Japan rules

[NoHachi]

The thing you have to remember is that Japan has an unordinary large amount of social control. Much of everyones lives is concerned with what other people might of think of you, which has led to a expansive set so sociatal rules. Japanese people know these rules and react accordingly.

Gaijin do not.

For example, when you first meet somebody there is a whole procedure you go through to establish each other social positions. Sometimes when two insecure people meet this can escalate into a bowing war. You'll see this sometimes on the street, two people continuously bowing towards each other, neither willing to risk being the first one to stop.
Anyways, its their custom to be super friendly towards guests and the guests know to politely accept the customary things and politely decline anything outside that. Any requests in this stage may be interpreted as a very strong request for something.
Now insert your run of the mill "Wow what friendly people" foreigner and see what happens..much, if not everything that happens is misinterpreted.

Thing is, ask any Japanese person this and they won't tell you. Its not something that is written down, its silently accepted. Anyone wanting real insights into this community would have the best chances by finding a foreigner that has lived in Japan for years and getting them to give you a crash course. I have personally seen an entire group of Dutch people stay in Japan for 2,5 months and learn absolutely nothing about the place. Amazing.

[banpei]

Blueneon Wrote:

banpei Wrote:I came to the horrible conclusion you only spotted one hachi outside the Toyota museum!

In total i saw 3, 1 driving along the road, 1 panda trueno in a carpark and the levin in the museum!

Guess we already bought all hachis from Japan.