.I made this thread to have everyone put in something they experienced in Japan as foreigners. I want to hear both good and bad. Just trying to make a point as to exactly how good and how bad foreigners can be treated in Japan....
Why not ask your friend for a copy?
Hhaa, there haven't really been any positive experiences yet. So..now I'm kind of scared of going to Japan. :O kajdaksdas...
According to the story, the ID was shown to the officer and there was no problem with it. We all know the above law. It's the main reason that Japan sometimes feels like a police state.By a Japanese law,
A residence foreigner must always carry an alien registration certificate.
In addition,
When it was demanded from a police officer, there is duty to show it.
If I violated it,
Penal servitude punishment for less than 1 year,
Or it is a fine of less than 200000 yen.
☝
Hhaa, there haven't really been any positive experiences yet. So..now I'm kind of scared of going to Japan. :O kajdaksdas...
Dunno about special word? It's just a word. Actually Gaikokujin (pls excuse if poor romaji). Often people use it in a derogatory way, but it's not a derogatory word. It just means outsider (or could be translated as foreigner too). We have those same words in english and they are used the same way (sometimes in a descriptive way, sometimes in an insulting way).This was posted by Stop-The-Chat in the why_chinese_hate_japn_youths thread
Actually also, somebody up there talked about racism... Japan have a special word GAIJIN )) I was on a japanese forum for a game called "Front Mission 5", and i was there talking with a friendly japanese and the others asked me to leave because a wasn't a japanese... really kind ))
He has a point that helps my point. The best word we got is foregner and we don't even use that. plus, i guess the Japanese prefer to talk in Japanese, a westerner wouldn't really understand...
Dunno about special word? It's just a word. Actually Gaikokujin (pls excuse if poor romaji). Often people use it in a derogatory way, but it's not a derogatory word. It just means outsider (or could be translated as foreigner too). We have those same words in english and they are used the same way (sometimes in a descriptive way, sometimes in an insulting way).
Didin't want to mention this but... I think "alien" is even worce than "gaijin".Only most native speakers are used to this word and don't pay much attention. When somebody calls me "an alien" I feel as if I have come from another galaxy and another time...
Good & Bad in Japan:
(The Bad) A few of my american friends went inside a bar to meet up with some of our other Japanese and American friends. They were only going to be a minute, so I waited outside on the sidewalk with my girlfriend(at the time...). We were gathering up people because we were on our way to a holiday party elsewhere.
I saw 3 japanese policeman were walking on the otherside of the street. Suddenly they crossed the street and were heading in my direction. I didn't pay much attention to them because I assumed they were just doing their routine walk-around through the bar district.
They walked directly to me and the lead guy told me in english "hey, hey, hey! Show me your ID!". My girlfriend asked him why he wanted o see my ID. I gave the guy my ID and he looked at it for a few seconds then handed it back. My friends just came out of the bar and witnessed all this.
I proceeded to walk away and the officer pushed me. As I turned around his jr. policeman grabbed me and shoved me in their patrol car. I was like "you gotta be kidding me!" One of my friends had a video camera and starting to tape what was going on. One of the patolman shoved him and threated to hit him with his cane.
My japanese friends were arguing with the police and threatened to press charges/ file a complaint.
They took me to the station, which was across the street in the car with the lights on and everything! It was so funny. I was never hand-cuff nor searched. So I was confused to what the problem was. They escorted me inside to a room where I was to see the interpreter. I speak a decent amount of japanese but I didn't have an option not to see one.
The interpreter came in a began explaining why I was taken to the police station. He said that the policeman told me to move off of the side walk and I wouldn't go, then he had to restrain me and take my ID away from me. WHAT!!! You gotta be kidding me!(Not what I said at the time).
I proceeded to tell the interpreter that he told me no such thing and that there would have been an all-out brawl if anyone tried to reach in my pocket and take my wallet to get my ID. The interpreter said the policeman told me in japanese and is not required to speak english to me. I was like "hahaha!!!" and began speaking japanese to the interpreter! I told him I heard no such thing and I would have gladly move off of the sidewalk if he asked me.
Then I told him in english that he made a B-line toward me, through traffic, on the otherside of the street and told me in 'clear-as-day' english to give him my ID. The police guy that pushed me and harassed me was out in the hallway smiling as he passed the room I was in. I told him that they all are full of crap and I was going to leave. My phone was ringing off-the-hook the whole time with my friends asking if I was OK. I told them I will meet them back at the spot I was at in a minute.
I aked them if i was being charged with something and he said no. Immediately after he answered I said, "Then bye." And I walked out. They didn't stop me from leaving either.
Nobody filed any complaints or any thing. Its just made for a funny story at the holiday party I attended thereafter.
(The Good) There is too much to tell. I love japan. I guess the police are jerks no matter where you are! Peace!
I have only postive experience with the police in this country, as I have explained elsewhere.
I have been stopped for speeding once, and the police were nothing but polite and courteous. Much better than the police that stopped me once in America for speeding.
I was asked for my ID once, and the police officer was very nice, and even started in small chat for a short time.
I was asked politely by the police to please not sit down in the station at Shinjuku. No problem at all.
I have asked the police for directions, and they told me right away.
I know several police officers, and not a one of them has anything against foreigners, not even the one whose job is taking care of illegals.
I like the police in Japan much better than I do the ones in my native country.
I don't know if these count as postive experiences, but they are definately not negative ones.
Can we hope for a frank discussion when there's a nationalistic cop here?Oh btw I have quite a number of friends and moai connections within the Japanese police and detectives here in Okinawa so I am going to check your "story" out as soon as you return here and say where exactly here in Okinawa this occured.
ask aichi police☝Hey, cop, then why don't you do your job
it is sad though they do good jobﾆ湛ﾆ暖ﾂーﾆ谷ﾂー窶堙娯?堙ｦ窶堋､窶堙可，窶堋ｱ窶堋ｱ窶啀∼窶啣窶愿ｺﾅｽﾃ披?堙??敕ｶﾂ行窶堋ｳ窶堙ｪ窶堙??堋｢窶堙ｩ窶堙??ｹﾂｯ窶堋ｦ窶堋ｽ窶罵ﾅｽq窶堙??板ｯﾅ?wﾂ青ｶ窶堋ｪ窶佛?窶冖窶堙俄?藩??堋ｽﾂ。窶板ｯﾅ?wﾂ青ｶ窶堙戸彙窶堙??堙坂?堋｢窶堙や?堙?窶慊ｯ窶堋ｶﾅｽﾃ披?堋ｪﾅ津｣窶堙ｰ窶堙や?堋ｯ窶堙??堋｢窶堙ｩ窶堙??堙娯?堋ｱ窶堙?。窶｢a窶ｰ@窶堙｢窶ｹﾃ｢ﾂ行窶堙滅?ﾃｱ窶堙≫?堙??堙?窶堋｢窶堙や?堙固?ﾃ披?堙俄?堋ｩ窶堙懌?堋ｽ窶慊ｯ窶堋ｶﾅｽﾃ披?堋ｪﾅ津｣窶堙ｫ窶堙俄?堋｢窶堙ｩ窶堙??ｹC窶督｡ﾋ?ｫ窶堋ｪ窶堙≫?堙??堋｢窶堋ｽﾂ。窶板ｯﾅ?wﾂ青ｶ窶堙最陳ｴ窶｢t窶堋ｫ窶堙可湘ｦ窶堙≫?堙??堋｢窶堙?，ﾆ弛ﾆ鍛ﾆ誰ﾆ蓄ﾆ停?ｰﾂー窶堙??敕ｶﾂ行窶堋ｷ窶堙ｩﾅｽﾃ披?堙姑段ﾆ停?愴弛ﾂー窶堙ｰﾅ陳ｩ窶堙??堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堋ｽ窶堙淞，ﾅ遅ﾅｽ@窶堙俄?凖岩?｢ﾃｱ窶堋ｵ窶榔ﾂ祥??堙ｰﾋ?銀?版?窶堋ｵ窶堋ｽ窶堙??堋ｱ窶堙ｫﾂ，ﾅ停?ｹ窶ｰﾃ岩?廬窶堙俄?堙最ｽﾃ披?堙最遅ﾅｽ@窶堙固ｽﾃ披?堋ｾ窶堙≫?堋ｽ窶堋ｱ窶堙??堋ｪ窶敖ｻ窶督ｾ窶堋ｵ窶堋ｽﾂ。窶堙絶?堙≫?堋ｽ窶堋ｭ窶堙ｨ窶敕?人窶堙俄?氾??堋ｭﾅｽ窶披?堋ｽ窶板ｯﾅ?wﾂ青ｶ窶堋ｪ窶ｹ^窶堙ｭ窶堙ｪ窶堙??堋｢窶堋ｽ窶堙ｧ窶堋ｵ窶堋｢ﾂ。ﾅ遅ﾅｽ@窶堋ｩ窶堙ｧ窶堙坂?凖岩?禿ｳﾆ但ﾆ停?ｹﾆ弛ﾆ辰ﾆ暖窶堙ｰ窶版?窶堙懌?堙ｪ窶堙ｩ窶堋ｱ窶堙??堙?窶堋?窶堙ｨﾂ，窶堋｢窶堙や?堙?窶堙坂?禿ｰ窶堙俄?板ｧ窶堙≫?堙??堋｢窶堙ｩ窶堙坂?堋ｸ窶堙娯?板ｯﾅ?wﾂ青ｶ窶堋ｪ窶?ﾂ債ｸ窶堙娯?覇窶ｹ^ﾅｽﾃ停?堙俄?堙遺?堙≫?堙??堋｢窶堙ｩ窶堙??堙坂??窶佛凪?堙?窶堋ｵ窶堙遺?堋ｩ窶堙≫?堋ｽﾂ。窶板ｯﾅ?wﾂ青ｶ窶堙娯?ｹﾂｰ窶｢|窶堙ｰﾅｽv窶堋､窶堙?湘寂?堋ｦ窶堙遺?堋｢ﾂ湘寂?堋｢ﾋ彙窶堋ｾ窶堙≫?堋ｽ
Can we hope for a frank discussion when there's a nationalistic cop here?
I'm outta here...
Hey, cop, then why don't you do your job and find out my stalker,or the freak who ,dressed like a doctor, visited Nagoya uni dorm and assaulted the foreign students,or the guy who attacked and ...grabbed... my friend on the street?These cases were reported, the case with the dorm is famous among all foreign students in Aichi pref.
A brief translation of caster's quotation is the stalker was just a cop who was investigating a case, though I don't know taehyun was the guy in the site.ask aichi police☝
it is sad though they do good job
I was treated so kindly and with such care it was amazing. I was in Japan under special circumstances so I know that my experience was out of the ordinary. However, I did have one not so great time on the train at night...we were going back to our hotel after spending some time at a party and this guy get rubbing up against me! The train wasn't so crowded that he had to, when I made a point to look at him he shut his eyes and was acting like he was drunk. I started to get really angry and was about to elbow him hard and everyone I was with got all nervous and upset, and they just kept making excuses for the guy!!!! I couldn't believe it.
This is nothing new, many countries have similar kind of foreign politics considering alien registeration card. Problem comes when someone has no problem with gaijin card, and still is taken to station. This kind of action is often illigal. We all know Japan has no law against racism, so there is not much you can expect.