Myths about Japan that were in my head and the reality – Part 2


Advertisement
Japan's flag
Asia » Japan
March 12th 2013
Published: March 12th 2013
Edit Blog Post

*) Japanese nationalism is exaggerated

No, it’s not. It’s really huge. I would even call it xenophobia.

Of course I’ve heard a lot about Japanese nationalism but it didn’t seem to be a problem after my visit to South Korea last summer. I heard same things about Korean nationalism but this wasn’t an issue when I travelled there. I had a very good impression of this country. So I thought it would be the same with Japan and I would like it even more – such nice things are told and written about Japanese culture. I was so naïve )

Japan turned out to be the most tourist unfriendly country I’ve been to (probably except China).

1) Everything started when we were trying to get the Japanese visa. Most travelbloggers don’t need any visa to go to Japan – you are lucky ) What it takes to get the visa for those who need it shows the attitude of the Japanese to foreigners – deep suspiciousness.

In the consulate they required so many documents that my friends and I thought we were suspected of committing some crime. Moreover, they told us all to come to the embassy and then said they needed to talk with only 1 person and the others had to wait in the dusty street like dogs, they didn’t even let us in! So unwelcomed at the embassy – what could it be like in the country itself?

The next time we were interviewed one by one and were asked lots of questions about our life and our business – in fact it was kind of examination with purpose to catch us on lies. For example one of us says that we are going to open our hotel next month – the consul tells the next person “Your friend said you’ve already opened the hotel, congratulations!” – and looks at the reaction. Ridiculous! Why would we lie???

I can’t understand their reasons at all: we have business and property, we have provided lots of documents about it – do they think we would forge all these documents just to visit Japan? Were they really afraid we were going to stay in Japan illegally after they saw so many stamps and visas in our passports proving that we do travel a lot?

I’ve never experienced such attitude while applying for visa in any other country. The whole procedure was so ridiculous and humiliating that we were seriously thinking about cancelling our trip, but then we finally got the visas.

2) The Japanese don’t know English at all. Even the hotel staff. Even in places most visited by tourists. Street maps are all in Japanese, in restaurants you won’t find any English menu (there are very-very few exceptions). They think the following way: if you come to my country – you must know my language. But we live in 21 century! I’m a tourist, I spend money in your country, it’s you who benefits from my visit – so why not make my stay in your country comfortable so that I would be glad to go there again and spend even more money?

It seems like the Japanese are not interested in development of tourist industry at all. This is a little strange considering the country’s economic problems.

3) When they see a foreigner they tend to get as far away from him as possible. Maybe it doesn’t happen in Tokyo where people are a little used to them but I’ve seen this in Osaka, Kyoto and Okinawa.

In subway or on a bus Japanese would never sit next to me or any of my friends if there are other free seats around. Sometimes they even move aside to get further from us.

In a café as soon as we take seats people sitting at the tables next to us tend to leave unusually quickly, and new coming people choose further tables. So in the end we find only free tables around us. That happened several times and we learned to get use of it: when there were not enough free chairs for our company, some of us sat down at the table and very soon the chairs next to them got free 😊

In a park I sat on a bench near playground, a few people were walking around, a few children were playing… in half a minute I found myself alone there! Mothers took their children at the far end of the playground and other people just walked away.

What’s going on in the head of a person who tries to go away as soon as possible when he sees a foreigner? fear? contempt? Nothing good anyway.

Of course when you speak to them they are very polite. But when you see them running away like this – you understand that there is nothing friendly behind their politeness.




*) Japanese are very polite

No, they are not just very polite, they are fucking crazy polite!

Can you imagine bowing from the waist to a leaving bus? or to a plane ready to take off? Well, that’s what I saw in Japan.

In Osaka and Kyoto subway I saw officers at the turnstile, whose only duty was saying “arigato gozaimas” (“thank you very much”) to every (!) going out passenger. Maybe they also do something else, give directions for example, but I saw them only standing there and repeating “arigato gozaimas! arigato gozaimas! arigato gozaimas!” In rush hours they are saying this uninterruptedly. Can you think of a more ridiculous job? They look like robots. But somehow they seem quite satisfied with their life.

They will say “hello” to you even if they have already met you 10 times this day. They’ll say “hello” each of these 10 times.

When a hotel manager came to my room because something wasn't working, he bowed 4 times in 5 minutes. And when leaving, he bowed one more time especially low.

At first I bought their politeness and thought they are nice and friendly people. When I heard “please” and “thank you” 100 times a day, I thought it’s too much. And when I saw bus station workers making low bows to every departing bus, I understood that they’ve turned politeness into a cult and are just crazy about it.

Imagine what they think about Europeans or Americans who’re not used to bowing and saying “please” and “thank you” so many times. Even the most polite Englishman will seem a churl to them. Considering this, what attitude to foreigners can you expect?

Advertisement



Tot: 0.305s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 13; qc: 55; dbt: 0.0472s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.2mb