It's not infallible....

One of my friends introduced me to a blog about a Black American living in Yokohama (which is actually, right up the way from Yokosuka!) This man has published a book called, "Hi, my name is Loco and I am a racist!" about his experiences in Japan.

When I speak of the good things of Japan (which I often do), I am in no way saying that Japan is so much better than the US and I have discovered some secret utopian society to which I think everyone should move. Far from it. While Japan is safer, politer and generally cleaner than the US, it does have it's problems. I've skimmed over them before in my blog, but perhaps I should delve into detail a bit so no one has the wrong idea that coming to Japan will be all peaches, daises and fighting robots.

Racism - Racism is alive and well in Japan. The Japanese don't have laws that say that everyone must be included, employed or served regardless of their race. I'm not talking Black vs White, although by reading the blog "Loco in Yokohama", one could argue that perhaps Blacks are more discriminated against, but there are restaurants, stores and even beaches that refuse to allow gaijin (foreigners) into their establishments. A foreigner is simply someone who doesn't look Japanese. Sure, you could have lived in Japan for 15 years and speak fluently, but you will still not be allowed at these establishments. In addition some shops may refuse to sell certain items to you because of the simple fact you are a foreigner.Let me stress that is is generally not like this, most people are friendly and welcoming, however, don't be alarmed when you come across the one place in one hundred that does discriminate. There's literally nothing you can do about it except walk away. Also, be prepared to see politically incorrect words and images. At the skating rink I went to in Tokyo, the R&B DJ mix was clearly labelled as, "Old Black People Mix."

Weight and Appearance - I've said it before, but I will re-stress. The topic of your physical appearance is not taboo in Japan. Most Japanese will not openly make a comment to you, but if you are shopping in a store and you are a large-sized person (or even slightly on the large-side), the store keepers may make comments like, "Nothing here will fit you!" or "Perhaps you need larger sizes!" Girls that are big and tall may possibly have it the worst because the Japanese want to take pictures with you and say things like, "You the biggest person I've ever seen! Godzilla!" The same thing goes for any facial features you may have that are different, freckles, blonder hair, blue eyes, large nose, etc.They may comment, stare or laugh. Again, there's not much you can do. Flying into a tirade about a cultural difference is like spitting into the wind. You can't change the mind of hundreds of years of thinking.

Drunks - If it's one thing the Japanese do very very well is drink. There are no public intoxication laws in Japan, so seeing drunk people on the street is a regular occurrence. I don't mean "fun drunk" I mean so drunk they have pee'd on themselves, spilled all their money out of their wallet and are stumbling along the sidewalk. That type of drunk. They're generally harmless, but may follow you or ask you questions. The trains stop running at midnight and start running again at five in the morning. Many of these drunks will make their way to the train station in the wee hours of the morning, sleep, wake up, get on a train, puke on the train, then go home.

Public body functions - Don't ask me to explain it, but the Japanese are not nearly as bothered by bodily functions as us Americans. I saw a man encourage his grandson (I assume) to pee at a bus stop because he had to go to the bathroom. I've seen a person duck into the bushes of a busy sidewalk and take a number two. This person was very well dressed, so it wasn't like some homeless crazy person. I've seen people puke into their laptop bags on the train while the Japanese sitting around him barely blink an eye. Of course, as an American, this behavior startles me, sometimes even frightens me, but that's culture shock, I guess.

I could go on. I could talk about the girls who pester guys to buy a "massage" as they walk down the street (they're very aggressive), I could talk about the bars where men are expected to buy the girl employees drinks in exchange for lewd favors. I could talk about the perverts on the train who watch some really graphic pornography......the list just goes on...

To conclude, I'm not saying Japan is a bad place. As a whole, it is much safer than the US. There's really not a lot of randomized crime. When there is crime it is usually committed by someone the victim knows or a family member. It is unheard of for someone to walk into a mall and just start randomly open firing because they were fired from a job. On a whole, the people are much more pleasant here than in the US. They always say "hello" or "good morning" when they see me. Most enjoy talking to Americans and enjoy the exchange of ideas an culture. They are quiet and considerate, which is a far cry from us loud Americans. Most people (including the guy whose blog I previously mentioned) very much enjoy their stay in Japan.

You also can't really compare Japan to the US. It is like apples to oranges. The cultures are so drastically different you are often grasping at straws to try to find a way to fit your Japan experience into an American mind-frame. That really doesn't work. You need to first acquire a Japan mind-frame and then put your Japanese experiences into that and you'll see that things are simply different. Good and bad, they're just different.