What Keeps You Motivated To Stay Here In Japan?

[m3gtr]

why do threads about this stuff always turn into people saying how much they love japan and saying they would love to come back and visit again or asking about work? ...

whats WRONG with a thread like that Akeenan?

I will agree on two points that both Richard and Rezz pointed out and one is that people who come here need to adopt a foreign perspective when living here. This goes a long way toward a sense of integration in this society and will more than likely influence the length of stay. Coming here and being unwilling to change, ignorant to ones own social standing and attitude just leads to problems. When in Rome, as they say...

Secondly, ive heard those stories of jaded gaijin countless times. Just go and check out Gaijinpot.com and you'll see what i mean. A large portion of cynical, self-doubting and jaded individuals who have become disillusioned with their lives here. Pity them.

On that note, i agree for some, there will be a point when things and the individual in question, need to "move on" as you will. Personally, i am growing here at a decent rate and I'm satisfied with my life and the people i surround myself with and there is absolutely no need to change that.

As an aside, there are some here in Japan that shouldn't and don't deserve to be here because they only serve to ingratiate themselves to no one else but themselves, some that i would prefer to be somewhere very far away from here because they contribute nothing to the society and are a source of trouble and disgrace for their nationalities and their home countries. Self absorbed, arrogant and conceited foreigners in this country make my stomach churn. Add money and you have an abomination. You would think that being here would change a person but some are too stubborn or deep seeded in their ignorance to notice anything.

Inevitably, those particular individuals will get a lot less out of the country because they put a lot less into it.

Im a firm believer of the words, " You treat others as you would have them treat you" and suffice to say, things have been unsurprisingly pleasant with that adopted mantra.

[Rezz]

Haven't met you yet actually

[m3gtr]

Haven't met you yet actually

That's true but there were a few "mitigating circumstances", shall i put it, related to that, weren't there, Justin? Well then...you "know of" an aussie who feels that way...

Edited February 1, 2008 by m3gtr

[Rezz]

Hey Adam, I saw this and wondered what you thought about it:

Got royally tanked and fed for only 17 bucks culminating in a food fight and one of my mates pulling his balls out --> http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/R3...re-t203393.html

there are some here in Japan that shouldn't and don't deserve to be here because they only serve to ingratiate themselves to no one else but themselves, some that i would prefer to be somewhere very far away from here because they contribute nothing to the society and are a source of trouble and disgrace for their nationalities

I'm finding it hard to understand where you're coming from in this instance.

[m3gtr]

Hey Adam, I saw this and wondered what you thought about it:

I'm finding it hard to understand where you're coming from in this instance.

Yes indeed, that was a crazy night.

I make no excuses for the way a couple of my friends behaved. Disgracefully as a matter of point. I'm sitting there and wondering where the line was going to be drawn. Nobody knew.

The people i am talking about have a sinister edge to their motives. What transpired that night was sheer drunken debauchery. Would you be one to claim to never having had experiences of that magnitude, Justin? I suppose you would also, in the same response, denounce a person Japanese or foreign, urinating in the street or vomiting in Shinjuku station, if indeed your perspective was to be adopted?

I don't condone that sort of behaviour and i certainly didn't anticipate it happening but i have to admit some things that happened were very funny and the Japanese sitting at some adjacent tables thought it was a riot too. Admittedly, not everyone thought it was funny.

I will point out that we sometimes take advantage of the social liberalism inherent here and sometimes people cross the line.

I suppose you have never done that, right?

The person i mentioned who exposed himself is actually a warmhearted guy who happens to be in a difficult situation but it would be poor form for any of his friends, including myself to judge him for his actions.

[Rezz]

Yes indeed, that was a crazy night.

I make no excuses for the way a couple of my friends behaved. Disgracefully as a matter of point. I'm sitting there and wondering where the line was going to be drawn. Nobody knew.

The people i am talking about have a sinister edge to their motives. What transpired that night was sheer drunken debauchery. Would you be one to claim to never having had experiences of that magnitude, Justin? I suppose you would also, in the same response, denounce a person Japanese or foreign, urinating in the street or vomiting in Shinjuku station, if indeed your perspective was to be adopted?

I don't condone that sort of behaviour and i certainly didn't anticipate it happening but i have to admit some things that happened were very funny and the Japanese sitting at some adjacent tables thought it was a riot too. Admittedly, not everyone thought it was funny.

I will point out that we sometimes take advantage of the social liberalism inherent here and sometimes people cross the line.

I suppose you have never done that, right?

The person i mentioned who exposed himself is actually a warmhearted guy who happens to be in a difficult situation but it would be poor form for any of his friends, including myself to judge him for his actions.

The old "I bet you're no angel either..." response. Sounds like the gaijin image was done no favours that night then, hey?

Anyway I was more asking about your opinion on 'advertising the fact' in one thread then denouncing such actions in another. It confused me.

[m3gtr]

The old "I bet you're no angel either..." response. Sounds like the gaijin image was done no favours that night then, hey?

Anyway I was more asking about your opinion on 'advertising the fact' in one thread then denouncing such actions in another. It confused me.

If it was out of date why is it still applicable? He who is without sin cast the first stone, Justin.

The Gaijin "image"? Thats a topic all in itself. Seeing as you have already formed your opinion, please enlighten me as to what that image is. I think some people were a little embarrassed along with myself that night, yeah...that much i can say but a good time was had by all.

My night was capped off by meeting someone who happened to own an R35. Right place, right time for me, wouldn't you say?

Advertising...hmm. Its up to the individual to make of it what they want. Ive seen people do worse than that, much worse in fact and what happened that night was impromptu and laughable. No one got hurt and it was aimed at noone in particular.

Again, im not talking about people who are out having a good time and in general keep to themselves with the occasional outburst. Like i said, there are people here who seek nothing more than to use and abuse the Japanese for anything and everything they can get. Go to Roppongi on any weekend and you will see what i mean. And please, spare me the "willing party" line. The Japanese have enough of their own problems to deal with without other nations and their people coming in here and taking whatever they can get.

You know...you would have liked that party i reckon. Seriously, why don't you join us next time or is someone going to advise you against it with warnings against socializing with people the likes of myself and my friends?

The "He said, She said" line is what is really outdated here and writing people off based on that is deplorable.

Edited February 1, 2008 by m3gtr

[Laurence]

And the 2 word I hate the most...Shoganai...Mandokusai!!! Keep me away from the cricket bat!!

HAhahah sooooo true...

I am here because I haven't finished what I came here to do, unfortunately I have been here long enough where I should have so I might just have to call it quits this year. Japan is a very difficult place to live at times, I realise in the past I took Japan too seriously. The moment I realised this was when a Japanese person was making a very large fuss about something I had done which I regarded as trivial. Anyway to cut a long story short, an empty apology later and everything was back to "normal". Life here seems to be just one big aisatsu and you just have to know what to say or do in whatever situation you find yourself in regardless of what you actually think about it.

As for treating others as you would like them to treat you. That is a very judeo-christian idea which absolutely 100% does not apply in Japan. You should treat people in a way appropriate to their age, social standing or "rank". The best thing about being a gaijin is that your rank is not really clear, so you can basically choose it yourself. This is why Americans do so well here in the short term, they all act like they are great, so they get treated as if they are great. I was faaaar too humble and accomodating in the past. The worst possible treatment is given to the gaijin who adopt Japanese manners as they get both the drawbacks of being gaijin AND the drawbacks of being Japanese.

Anyway, it is all part of learning. I am sure I am wrong about many of these things but these are my current understandings based on a very flawed and western assumption. That of "logic"... once I stop trying to use that I might start working it out.

So now I eat rice with a fork, avoid showing any knowledge of any Japanese customs or foods whatsoever and try treat people the way that they would treat a person that would treat them in the way I would like them to treat me.

I am still very interested in akeenan, as he is someone who has seemed to have worked out a way he can enjoy himself here. But maybe it is something every gaijin needs to work out for himself.

[m3gtr]

What was it that you had to make this apology for and that you regarded as frivolous?

Drifting in front of a cop wouldnt be deemed as trivial, Laurence!

Yeah, the language barrier has been interesting. The minute i open my mouth and speak a word of Japanese i get the inevitable " AHH! nihongo wa jyozu des ne?!"

drives me nuts.

Edited February 1, 2008 by m3gtr

[Laurence]

Drifting in front of a cop wouldnt be deemed as trivial, Laurence!

Actually it WAS trivial as far as the cops were concerned...

Do you know what was important???? Doing it in a "team"

During my interrogation I was a bit confused at some of the questions they asked regarding drifting and I later learnt that it was because the laws they had were very much focussed on drifting as a "gang related activity". LOL... the main thing that gave me was hope. Hope that even Japanese people don't understand Japanese people.

[m3gtr]

Actually it WAS trivial as far as the cops were concerned...

Do you know what was important???? Doing it in a "team"

During my interrogation I was a bit confused at some of the questions they asked regarding drifting and I later learnt that it was because the laws they had were very much focussed on drifting as a "gang related activity". LOL... the main thing that gave me was hope. Hope that even Japanese people don't understand Japanese people.

HA! Thats incredible. So going by that logic, if i were to drift alone on a quiet mountain road, its okay! "The Japanese dont even understand their own people"..priceless.

You mean to tell me they were more con concerned about the group doing it over the individual? Here i was thinking the Japanese mentality was that the group comes first, the individual second...your story throws that out the window.

[Laurence]

HA! Thats incredible. So going by that logic, if i were to drift alone on a quiet mountain road, its okay!

Correct... Streeter was busted by himself and got off scott free... They absolutely hammered me for a week to try and get me to say that we drifted together.

The group is definitely the most important thing. Both if you are doing the wrong thing or the right thing.

The police simply targeted the "most important thing"

[akeenan]

whats WRONG with a thread like that Akeenan?

well, i did start the thread based on what keeps us here and what would be the main attractions to being here/coming here.

m3gtr . i think you clearly missed my original point. your topic title is a question asking people why we/ they stay or are still staying in Japan. So you are asking why do people live / continue to live in Japan ... no? and my question was when these questions are brought up why do people always tell us why they love japan so much , ... why they chose to come here(for a holiday and not to live) .....

these comments are clearly not what the topic was asking.... although now that I read it again in some ways it is.

I thought this thread was going to be a discussion for long term residents about long term residents` life in Japan. not tourists telling us about their 1 week love for the country and what they saw in that time....

no offence to these people of course.

I am still very interested in akeenan, as he is someone who has seemed to have worked out a way he can enjoy himself here. But maybe it is something every gaijin needs to work out for himself.

thanks man, I still dont understand your interest in my good self. I stll think your being sarcastic hehehe .

Edited February 1, 2008 by akeenan

[m3gtr]

m3gtr . i think you clearly missed my original point. your topic title is a question asking people why we/ they stay or are still staying in Japan. So you are asking why do people live / continue to live in Japan ... no? and my question was when these questions are brought up why do people always tell us why they love japan so much , ... why they chose to come here(for a holiday and not to live) .....

these comments are clearly not what the topic was asking.... although now that I read it again in some ways it is.

I thought this thread was going to be a discussion for long term residents about long term residents` life in Japan. not tourists telling us about their 1 week love for the country and what they saw in that time....

no offence to these people of course.

not true Akeenan.

I originally said that its not only what expats are experiencing but also what others who are planning to come or have been here and to share the experiences. I think i clarified that, no?

And come on. I would like to hear from you as well mate..you are an expat and all.

excerpt from my original post..."To those of you who dont, and are here still, have been here and would like to comment, want to come here and see it for yourself, please do go on and leave a post.

Id love to discuss what makes Japan so damn fascinating."

Come on boys and girls..spill the beans. Im going over to the 99 yen store to grab a few cans of Kirin lager.

Edited February 1, 2008 by m3gtr

[Laurence]

thanks man, I still dont understand your interest in my good self. I stll think your being sarcastic hehehe .

Farkin!!!!!!!!!!! Tell me goddammitttt!!! Why do you like Japan so much!

[Laurence]

thanks man, I still dont understand your interest in my good self. I stll think your being sarcastic hehehe .

LOL... well I'm not. But I officially give up asking as of now.

[m3gtr]

Laurence is easy to understand on why he likes japan so much. He likes donating money to the good folk at the Osaka metro police department.

Oh..and he likes japanese cheese. especially brie, lol.

Its not going to go on like this again is it Laurence?

[Laurence]

No... perhaps this thread shouldn't degenerate quite like the other one.

Speaking of cheese (not Brie though http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaAfGm6FHJk )

[funkymonkey]

not the cheese again.

I am here because I haven't finished what I came here to do

How long does it take to become iron chef of pounding japanese vahje?

[m3gtr]

No... perhaps this thread shouldn't degenerate quite like the other one.

Speaking of cheese (not Brie though http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaAfGm6FHJk )

Ahahahaha, so cute...go the camembert chu!