Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Why I left Japan after 10 years

blog.uchujin.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

171–180 of 287 posts

Re: Why I left Japan after 10 years

#171

Post by watwut »

markburns wrote: post #103
brucephillips wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Within context: "The police are awful" is better for your mental health than "The Japanese police are awful". Except the entire purpose of that section of the post was to describe Japanese police.

My point is that the context there being 'in Japan' and so the adjective is redundant (and exhibits the problems I've mentioned earlier). And in that context he could say "The British police are awful" vs "The police are awful" To compare. And then, yes, when it becomes necessary then yes, prefix with the adjective. In some cases it does make sense and aid communication. I'm saying the blanket prefixing with the adje…

Isn't it just nitpicking? I have seen similar pattern when people talked about German police in context of Germany and Switz school system in context of Switzerland.

People who switch countries often talk that way without it being an insult.

Re: Why I left Japan after 10 years

#172

Post by Hasknewbie »

taneq wrote: post #51
lentil_soup wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

doesn't make it any less racist

Now we're entering into a debate of whether perfectly rational behaviour should be eschewed in favour of virtue signalling.

"Now we're entering into a debate of whether perfectly rational behaviour should be eschewed in favour of virtue signalling."

Said he, before proudly hanging his "No Irish" sign on the front door of his shop.

Re: Why I left Japan after 10 years

#174

Post by haspok »

on_and_off wrote: post #165
atemerev wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's small cultural differences. In the UK, the most dreaded crime you can do is cutting in the queue — while in other countries, while still frowned upon, this is not a big deal. Here in Switzerland, if you dare to get your trash out to someone else's container and get caught in the act, you are royally screwed — while people in other countries can't get it, trash is still getting out by waste management services, w…

Can you expand the 'not the greatest country anecdote' ? I am moving to SF soon (from France) and while the US have great opportunities for techies, I find it the 'best country in the world' mantra laughable. (it applies to pretty much any country though .. which norm (in the mathematical sense) are you using exactly ? I don't think there is one and only one.

This might help: http://i8.tinypic.com/6h89yes.gif

It works with other countries, too, eg. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/12/27/22/12272295f...

(note: comment intended to be "funny".)

Re: Why I left Japan after 10 years

#175

Post by reustle »

kristianc wrote: post #131

Having lived in Japan, there's this weird curve that people go through when they move. Most people love Japan at first, and then, particularly if they're middle-aged and white, the frustration of being in your late thirties and living in a tiny house, not being able to progress in your career, and not having a social life begins to kick in. At that point, little things which shouldn't bother you - like the word gaiji…

> without being consumed by bitterness like the OP, though it is a pattern I see quite often.

I've lived in Japan for over a year and have experienced these people sometimes. Generally it comes down to them being an overall bitter person in general.

Re: Why I left Japan after 10 years

#176

Post by atemerev »

on_and_off wrote: post #165
atemerev wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's small cultural differences. In the UK, the most dreaded crime you can do is cutting in the queue — while in other countries, while still frowned upon, this is not a big deal. Here in Switzerland, if you dare to get your trash out to someone else's container and get caught in the act, you are royally screwed — while people in other countries can't get it, trash is still getting out by waste management services, w…

Can you expand the 'not the greatest country anecdote' ? I am moving to SF soon (from France) and while the US have great opportunities for techies, I find it the 'best country in the world' mantra laughable. (it applies to pretty much any country though .. which norm (in the mathematical sense) are you using exactly ? I don't think there is one and only one.

Such things are to be memorized, not analyzed. Just don't do it, and you'll be fine. Many Americans don't actually think that America is the greatest country is in the world in all regards, but this is simply not a topic for foreigners to discuss.

And well, you in France also have your share of quirks. When I am in the US, and my English is less than perfect, everybody is still happy to continue conversation with me, encouraging me to speak, and generally very friendly and helpful. While if I am in France, and my French is less than perfect... well, usually I am getting a different treatment. (And heavens forbid me to start a conversation with anything else than bonjour or bonsoir!)

Re: Why I left Japan after 10 years

#177

Post by honestoHeminway »

atemerev wrote: post #119
fiblye wrote: post #40

I heard the "if you don't like it, leave line" from people all the time in America. Even with the pettiest of political disagreements, people say it. So then I went to Japan and haven't received or heard of anyone receiving similar vitriol aside from the OP. A foreign coworker (same race and nationality as me) endlessly complains about racism, discrimination, and being stared at here. I've experienced none of it. I'm…

It's small cultural differences. In the UK, the most dreaded crime you can do is cutting in the queue — while in other countries, while still frowned upon, this is not a big deal. Here in Switzerland, if you dare to get your trash out to someone else's container and get caught in the act, you are royally screwed — while people in other countries can't get it, trash is still getting out by waste management services, w…

Best at introspection.

Re: Why I left Japan after 10 years

#178

Post by lawless123 »

collyw wrote: post #54

Sounds like Japanese are happy with their culture and don't want it changed especially not by foreigners. It seems like a reasonable enough position, but I wonder if there a way to express this desire in a way that couldn't easily be criticized as being "xenopohbic"? Is there something inherently wrong with this attitude? (I personally wouldn't want to be a foreigner living there is what he describes is true, but no…

People have rights, not cultures.

Re: Why I left Japan after 10 years

#179

Post by J-dawg »

collyw wrote: post #75
amiga-workbench wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't ring as being particularly Xenophobic to me, they just have a strong cultural backbone unlike the west. I wouldn't even consider moving to another country unless I was prepared to integrate and abide by cultural norms.

Like I say, it seems like a reasonable enough view, yet I can't find a way of describing that view that couldn't easily be criticized as xenophobic. (If I imagine taking any of the attitudes described in the article and doing the same thing here, many people would criticize them as being xenophibic).

I guess trying to reverse cultural change will always be seen as more xenophobic than keeping outside influences away in the first place.

This is illogical, I suppose, since really they amount to the same thing.

Re: Why I left Japan after 10 years

#180

Post by 6t6t6t6 »

S4M wrote: post #122
brucephillips wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It's just a matter of being on the other end of it now. Not quite. It's a different degree. When I was in Japan, for example, no Japanese person would start a conversation with me in Japanese. It was always English. That mostly doesn't happen to Asian residents in the US.

Well I live in Spain (Barcelona) and look Asian. It often happens to me that people start a conversation with me in English.

I am from Barcelona and it happens something similar with my Japanese wife, but with Spanish. She is not fluent in Catalan nor Spanish, but she can speak some Catalan. And every time, because she looks asian, everybody changes the conversation to Spanish even if she started talking in Catalan.

Everybody assumes that she is Chinese as well...

Post reply on HN