[ SECRET POST #3125 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #3125 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

01.


__________________________________________________



02.


__________________________________________________



03.


__________________________________________________



04.


__________________________________________________



05.


__________________________________________________



06.


__________________________________________________



07.


__________________________________________________



08.


__________________________________________________



09.


__________________________________________________



10.











Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 066 secrets from Secret Submission Post #447.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 1 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

As someone not-Japanese who lived and worked in Japan for a while - the Japanese culture is rather racist. They weren't charging at me with pitchforks to chase me out of town or anything, but as a whole they're very condescending towards other cultures. Not necessarily mean-spirited, but in way that's dismissive of cultures that aren't Japanese.

[(Anonymous)]

As some one with the same background as you, but still living in Japan, I very much agree.

A lot of it is xenophobia. I'm American, but I don't think it'd fly in my home country some of the shit I've seen here. Renting an apartment? Better make sure you're not a dirty foreigner, because landlords will actually come out and tell you that's the reason why. Doesn't matter if you're a permanent resident.

Oh, speaking of permanent resident, I love the law that says all foreigners (as long as you look foreign) must present their resident card or passport to check in to a hotel. Forget about using other government approved ID like a drivers license or health insurance card.

Sorry, I'm. It attacking you. But man, it's nice to see someone who can relate.

[herpymcderp]

lol I lived there for about a year so that's pretty much true. There's institutionalized racism there in spades but I'm not totally sure it reflects the attitudes of the younger generation (like so many other things that are rapidly changing in Japan these days).

Japan is a strange place that way, where there's definitely racism at play but the vast majority of people aren't remotely malicious about it. Which is absolutely not the case with the other times I've experienced racism.

[(Anonymous)]

Agreed. I think everyone who's lived here has probably read or heard of the micro aggression article. It's not meaning to be malicious, but hearing at least once a week, 'When are you going back to your country (to visit/return permanently)' just wears me down most days.

When people tell me on tumblr how jealous they are of me living in Japan...I love the country, but I'd go back to America in a heartbeat if I didn't have so much going on here. The USA has its problems, but every day is a chore in Japan.

[herpymcderp]

Yeaaahhh my own experience living there has lead me to generally advise people to not try to live there long term to permanently. I usually tell people to visit but leave after six months is up.

It's not like you won't make friends or have relationship prospects or a good career or a bunch of other things, it's that you have to deal with all the little things and you have to deal with them on a constant basis.

I'm not saying I regret my decision to work there (I was able to save up a bunch of money and it was a very eye-opening experience) but I don't think you could pay me to go back to live/work there unless it was only for a 3-4 month alternating period like many foreign professionals opt for these days.

[(Anonymous)]

'When are you going back to your country (to visit/return permanently)'

To be fair you get that as a foreigner in every country. Also when you visit other countries and people learn that you don't live in the same country where you were born. The further you are from your country of origin, the more you hear it. It's a pain in the ass.

[(Anonymous)]

Another anon here. I live in Japan for three years, and am white American so am hesitant to say what is racist and what isn't. But I can say that, in some situations, foreigners are not exactly welcomed.

But I was denied several apartments when I lived in Japan. I was denied entry to three restaurants. I was randomly stopped by the police twice and asked to present ID. What really kills me is that hey, for all they knew, I could have been legally Japanese - I had a white co-worker who was, and relayed a funny(?) story about them trying to kick him out of a "Japanese only" onsen. And what would he do if he was stopped by the police and asked for ID in Japan? He wouldn't have legally had to show it, but they wouldn't know that, so he would get in trouble.

Anyway, this is not even mentioning the awkward questions and conversations, which I can to some extent forgive and blame on ignorance and cultural isolation. Though getting yelled at on the train for speaking English by old people (excuse me, "being too loud" when we were speaking fairly softly on an already loud train with Japanese people) definitely was inexcusable. As was my friend getting punched by a drunk Japanese guy for speaking English.

Overall I got the sense that Japan loves tourists and loves interacting with people internationally, but is VERY uncomfortable about those same international people actually living in Japan (as anything other than a student). I don't think everyone was like that at all, don't get me wrong. But the system is not designed for people to stay there long term, nor are people's attitudes. And hey, I figure, being a white person from an "acceptable" country, I probably had it better than most other foreigners, and I still wanted to break down and cry sometimes.