Gaijin is a general term that means non Japanese.Hi there...i have been reading the posts about gaijin with interest, especially those which express the view that 'gaijin' is a pejorative term or not. let me suggest and ask for your comments about this: gaijin changes it's meaning depending on the context. firstly there is 'gaikokujin' and 'gaijin' : are these two words exactly the same in meaning and usage? to my way of thinking, 'gaijin' = westerner (white or black, though this may be questioned) not rarely asian background (is this true?), that is, a certain image is constructed when this word is uttered. but how about a gaikokujin nikutairoodoosha...this sounds to me that the person is not a stereotyped westerner teaching is a nova english conversation school but someone quite different. is the usage of either gaikokujin or gaijin disappearing in japan? or is it alive and healthy? are only non-japanese obsessed with gaijin? any views would be helpful...☝
hmmm this is an interesting comment. i am sure that people in their host communities need to talk about them with others whom are like them ie same or similar nationality or at least another gaijin to compare notes and either ***** about japan or rave about it, even both. why does this message board even exist? i have wondered about this for a while. some theories of cross-cultural adaptation have mentioned ethnic mass communication as a way of offsetting too much culture shock too quickly. many of those theories didn't count on the internet being such a strong force, that is, one can go on line and 'be' back 'home'...
I've never heard that term in the 9 years I've lived here, nor in the 5 months I lived here back in 1985.Gaijin-san (ms, Gaijin) is common more than just Gaijin.
I've never heard that term in the 9 years I've lived here, nor in the 5 months I lived here back in 1985
nobody calls Gaigin or gaijin-san like " hey Gaijin" to you directly except kid.
I hear the question "Gaijin-san desuka?" quite often.
And, of course, you answer..."nope. Gaikokujin desu." Right?
I've never heard that term in the 9 years I've lived here, nor in the 5 months I lived here back in 1985.
Tongue in cheek, I could argue that, "What? Aren't we good enough to discuss?" Seriously, though, we foreigners are a hot topic everywhere. It just depends on the situation.then again how much do japanese people actually talk about gaijin? surely they have better things to discuss?!
I've had clients phone taxi companies to pick me up, and I overheard them refer to me as "gaijin", but never to my face.
I could have sworn you stated that you were gay William, let me remind you that you can only be Charisma-man if you suddenly start getting hotter chicks than you would in your home country. You're automatically disqualified my friend
William, William, William,
For shame! Using a manga to try making a point!? Let's at least stick to real life, ok?
Seriously, though, we foreigners are a hot topic everywhere. It just depends on the situation.
hmmm that manga is an authentic japanese text written by a japanese national. it take it as a representation of 'real life'.
And language you see in comic books in your homeland show exactly the language people use on the street? I think not.hmmm that manga is an authentic japanese text written by a japanese national. it take it as a representation of 'real life'.
Everything, William! The more racist Japanese will talk about us in every light there is, from our cooking habits (and how our food smells so bad we are sometimes not allowed to rent apartments), to wanting every US military person out of Japan. Others will talk about us in a business sense, from doing business with us overseas or locally, to hiring and discriminating against us as (for example) teachers. Ga-ga J girls will talk about foreigners in their own way, from boyfriend awe and show pieces to how "gentlemanly" some of us seem to be, to various sexual escapades, all compared to J men. Simply put, since we represent about 2% of the population here, and we usually stand out physically from the other 98%, we are noticed and talked about.how much do japanese people actually talk about gaijin? surely they have better things to discuss?!
Tongue in cheek, I could argue that, "What? Aren't we good enough to discuss?" Seriously, though, we foreigners are a hot topic everywhere. It just depends on the situation.
more on this please...what kind of situations?
i may have created that status in my head as delusion. granted this being ascribed status based on gaijinness may have changed greatly over the last 20-30 years (are (white) gaijin still treated as special in japan? and if yes, then what does that say about japanese society?).
william Spencer wrote:
And language you see in comic books in your homeland show exactly the language people use on the street? I think not.
Simply put, since we represent about 2% of the population here, and we usually stand out physically from the other 98%, we are noticed and talked about.
my take on manga language is that it is a variation of japanese and with oishinbo e.g. the genre is akin to 'real' life like say that of a soap opera or hoomu dorama (i have just watch yamatonadeshiko and i am sure that no would argue that that hoomu dorama is 'real' life!).
anout out of that 2% there are fewer who stand out..
I find sometimes the special treatment is broadly applied as long as you don't look Asian, especially similar to Japanese
'Nightshade', gotta love it!
when a tourist brochure says 'come experience the real japan', what does that mean? kyoto is not the same as naha which is not the same as hakodate, therefore 'real' is a myth.
Sounds like maybe you are saying that city life is not real life, or at least not a 'normal' representation of such. I would argue that it is different, but that city life is a real type of culture. True, some aspects of city life seem similar in many countries; chain stores, brand name clothing, etc., but it is only a surface aspect. Scratch a little below that and you'll see plenty of local culture.