Hey guys!
How's it going?
My name is Micaela and today I'm here with another talky-video blog on a subject that's
kind of hard to talk about.
By now I'm sure you're already familiar with the phrase "Gaijin", or "Gaikokujin".
This literally translates to "Outside Person," but it's a term we use to describe foreigners
in Japan!
Foreigners can for the most part be broken down into two different types: the "Kankoukyaku",
the tourist, or the "Zaijuugaikokujin", the resident foreigners, the people who generally,
either they are working, or they're in school, or, for whatever reason, they're here for
an extended period of time.
And for me, as a foreigner who has lived in Japan for almost 11 years, it's very very
easy to tell the difference between someone who is just visiting, and someone who has
lived here.
So I often get messages from people who are planning on visiting Japan long-term, they
want to be residents, they want to live here, and they're worried about certain habits or
things that they might do that will make them stand out as foreigners..
First, right off the bat, I have to say, obviously, um, if you look like me, if you've got the
pale white skin, and the fair hair, and you don't have any asian features, um, it's going
to be really hard to blend in physically, and that's just something that will never
change.
But I do have a list of a few "cringeworthy" things that foreigners who come to Japan,
who haven't really understood Japan, do, so hopefully this list will kind of help you
figure out what behaviors you need to kind of watch out for when you do visit Japan.
Now this is just a list based on my personal experience, and if you are just travelling
through Japan, if you are here on a vacation, having a nice time, I don't think you need
to worry too much about whether or not you stand out as a foreigner, because, if you
are a tourist, you're a tourist, there's nothing you can do about that.
All I have to say to YOU, is just be polite, be respectful, pay attention to your surroundings,
don't... be... a jerk.
And I'm sure you'll have a good time.
Cringeworthy behavior number one!
Talking too loudly on public transit, um, busses, trains, subways, are generally really
quiet places, people like to sit, and while it's normal to have a conversation maybe with
the person beside you, in a low voice, you definitely do not talk on the phone.
Talking on the phone is considered very offensive, and if you're with friends, you definitely
have to pay attention to the level of your voice.
When I was first came to Japan people would tell me that when I was getting really excited,
my volume, I would raise the volume of my voice.
If I was telling a story and I was getting excited, I would talk louder, and I remember
so many times I'd be on the bus or train and my friends would just be like, "SHHH.
Shut up.
Shut up."
"Keep going, but shut up, you're just, so loud!"
Sometimes you might witness bad behavior by a Japanese citizen, that does not mean that
it's okay.
If a guy is sitting on the train, talking on his phone, chances are everyone around
him thinks he's an asshole.
At the end of the day, you are a guest in another country, and it is not about YOU,
it's not about YOU all the time, but controlling these habits, no matter how essential they
seem to be to you in that moment, is actually just a huge sign of respect to the people
around you, and that's kind of one of the foundations of Japanese culture, is like,
respect, for one another, so, unfortunately that's a thing here.
So, please...
Obey.
Cringeworthy Behavior By Foreigners # 2!
Being inappropriately dressed for any sort of occasion, is a tell-tale sign that you
just haven't been here long enough.
Fashion is just oh it's such a headache in Japan, and I'm sorry about that, but um.
Nah, in Japan people do put a lot of time and effort into their appearance, and one
of the most embarrassing, and like, humbling experiences, is showing up to an event or
showing up to a party, meeting people for dinner, and realizing you're just like, incredibly
underdressed.
Like, you just threw on t-shirts and jeans, and they've got like, jackets, they've done
their hair, the girls have perfect makeup, and perfect hair, and you just feel like a
mop.
Not only that but everyone you will notice, they'll look at you and you'll stick out like
a sore thumb, as if you don't stick out enough, by looking like ya do.
When I first started teaching English living in Japan, as a worker, not a student, my boss
gave me the advice that whenever you go to an event, or a party, or you're meeting people
for dinner, you should always make a secret contest to be the best dressed person in the
room.
And if you do that, you know, you're kind of keeping up them, cause I bet that some
of them have the same goals as well.
As long as you put some effort into your appearance and you show up feeling like you're looking
great, you won't stand out as much.
If you show up with the confidence in what you're wearing, and you're like, "yeah I'm
totally killing it!"
Then other people will kind of like, accept it.
I feel like the more insecure you feel, the more insecure you look, so that's a thing
too.
But yeah, definitely Japanese people are a little more fashion conscious.
If you don't want to stick out like a sore thumb, you kind of have to try to keep yourself
groomed, keep yourself clean, and keep up with what the people around you are doing
and wearing and stuff like that.
Alright, so, Cringeworthy Habit #3,
This is something that I've witnessed so many times, that gives me second hand embarrassment,
um.
When you live overseas it can be kind of hard to get your hands on relevant Japanese music
or Japanese dramas, or Japanese movies, or anime, or any sort of pop culture material,
and something that you need to keep in mind about Japan, is that the turnover rate, for
entertainers in the industry is insanely fast.
So you may have found something funny on the internet, like some comedian, or a cetain
movie, or you know, some sort of song, but just because it was relevant two or three
years ago, doesn't mean it's going to be relevant today.
And, Japanese comedians will get popular and then they will just disappear, they just disappear!
I don't even know where they go!
Maybe you saw a video of Hard Gay on the internet, and you thought he was hilarious, but I guarantee
you that a lot of young people now, if you talk to them about it, they're not going to
know who he is.
So just be careful about that, something that you saw in some obscure form of Japanese media
isn't necessarily relevant in Japan, and oddly enough, things that are not relevant in Japan
at all become like, really, famous overseas, for some reason, but I dunno, that's like,
a whole different story.
Alright, and Cringeworthy Behavior #4
This is something that actually is a huge problem and I need to talk to you about it.
Anyone who has been in Japan for a long time will know that Japanese are very very protective
about their own privacy, this means that they'll avoid television cameras because they don't
want to be on TV, they don't want their face on TV, they'll wear masks in public so that
people can't see their face, it's even part of why YouTube didn't catch on for so long
in Japan, because people were not down with the idea of broadcasting their face and their
opinions over the internet.
So, when you whip out your cell phone, or your camera, and you take a picture of that
guy who fell asleep on the train, if you're taking a photo of someone eating a bento in
the park, or, even worse, if you're taking photos of young girls in their school uniforms,
it's just an invasion of privacy!
It's an invasion of privacy, and it's rude, and, even if they don't say anything, because
they're afraid to confront you, they don't feel comfortable about it.
If you absolutely must take a photo of someone or something and you're not sure if it's okay,
and you don't speak Japanese well enough to ask, you can always do the "cameraman nod".
The "Cameraman Nod", is really simple, because you don't have to need to speak the same language
to understand what you're asking.
Usually maybe you'll show the camera, maybe point to it, and like, ask, ask with your
eyes, like this!
If they look at you and they nod back, chances are they are aware that the big giant camera
in your hand is going to be used to take a photo of them, and they're cool with it.
So, if you can get that kind of communication down then that's fine, but what I really don't
like to see is people taking pictures of young girls in school outfits, because it's cute,
or because it looks just like the anime, because, at the end of the day those girls are just
trying to go to school and go about their daily lives, and they're not there to entertain
foreigners.
So, please, just out of respect to the people, don't take pictures of young, underaged girls,
or, even other citizens in Japan without at least getting permission.
So those are four of the worst habits that I've seen from foreigners that haven't quite
"assimilated" with the Japanese culture yet, so maybe you can keep those in mind when you
come to visit.
If it does seem kind of like a hassle and it's stressing you out, and you're really
worried about not fitting in, ultimately don't worry about it.
Don't worry about it, and just try not to be a jerk, just be the best version of yourself
that you possibly can be.
Be respectful, be polite, be courteous, be kind, and don't forget to smile!
And if you can just keep on top of those things, I'm sure your trip will go absolutely fine
without a hitch!
Thank you so much for watching, don't forget to check out my second channel, if you're
interested in more like, daily life style videos, cause I've started updating there
now, and that's a thing, and I promise I'm going to try and keep it up, even though I'm
really bad at promising, and I'm really bad at keeping things up.
Check it out if you're interested, alright, so I'll make another video soon!
Talk to you later, bye friends!