By Claytonian
According to a book I ran across, named Tanegashima-The Arrival of Europe in Japan, the first impression of foreigners was not all that flattering. To paraphrase, there was a trading ship that came to Japan around the early 1500s with some Portuguese traders aboard. The local Japanese leader pulled a Chinese trader (who was also on the ship and could converse with Japanese people via writing kanji) aside and said, "Dude, what country are those guys from? They look totally strange."
To which the Chinese trader replied, "Ah, those are Southern Barbarians. They're a little ignorant about manners. Like, they don't even use chopsticks and they can't read. But it's all good. They aren't strange at all once you get used to the smell."
A little while later, the ship arrived at another port and one Lord Tokitaka saw a couple of the so-called barbarians shooting their guns. Tokitaka was like, "That is so awesome. Can you teach me?" And the barbarians were down with it. Thus was established a general attitude towards foreigners that can still be seen today: Foreigners are a little odd, and they stick out like sore thumbs, but they are totally cool too. The attitude that it can be cool to imitate or learn from a foreigner goes hand in hand with this precedent.
Fast forward to the present day, and you have people like me. People that shouldn't by any sane measure be considered cool or good looking, and yet we totally are. Last time I talked about how incredibly awkward I am, and how being in a foreign country multiplies the awkwardness by about 4, but this time I'm admitting it: I'm big in Japan. Cue the groans at an old joke--what is the origin of the phrase "big in Japan" anyways?*-- but it's true that around here, in stature and in presence, I and others like me (non-Asian-looking foreigners**) leave a huge impression, and if one is not careful, all the attention foreigners get can really go to the head.
First there is the most common occupation for English-speaking foreigners: English teaching--something I still do on the side right now. Imagine a career where you get constant praise, money, and attention for doing something that comes naturally to you. Now of course if you are a good teacher you will be a little more dedicated and study your own language's grammar, idioms, etc., but it is all too easy for many English teachers to coast on the adulation of their students and never really put effort into teaching. In addition, many foreigners take no effort to get off or at least improve upon the eikaiwa gravy train. Few learn the local lingo either, staying wrapped in their English ego-bubble.
Even though many people have horrible Japanese, the natives take efforts to protect our feelings here. All to often have I heard, "Nihongo jyouzu desu ne!" (you speak Japanese well) in response to a mere word or two from me. The thing is, if you hear that, it most likely means one of two things: a) "look, it spoke! I wasn't expecting that" or b) "their Japanese is pretty bad, but I will compliment them so they don't get discouraged." Foreigners that don't hear this nuance may never think that they need to improve their linguistic skills.
Then there is the attention foreigners get for their looks. Expatriates, with their minor physical differences, often get compliments that are a little creepy when one thinks about them, like "hana ga takai" (more or less=the bridge of your nose is not flat and therefore beautiful) or "hada ga shiroi ne" (you're white, which is beautiful***). It's undeniably cool to be suddenly considered attractive just because your DNA is .0001% different and you never work on your tan, but when kids tug on my knuckle hairs and pronounce them cool, I can't help but remember that this attention is more than a little ridiculous and undeserved.
In conclusion, I think each foreigner--especially the ones from America or one of the other "cool" countries-- needs to strike a balance: on the one hand, bask a bit in the ego boost that comes your way and enjoy it while you can, but on the other, remember that you are a strange, hairy barbarian. Now you may be saying to yourself, I'm not that awkward, or cool, or that different looking, but hey, aren't we all hairy barbarians... on the inside?
--
*: Wikipedia to the rescue
**: Asian-looking foreigners have their own bag of awkward interactions with the locals here. For instance, there is the story of my friend and his face.
***: The grass is always tanner on the other side.
According to a book I ran across, named Tanegashima-The Arrival of Europe in Japan, the first impression of foreigners was not all that flattering. To paraphrase, there was a trading ship that came to Japan around the early 1500s with some Portuguese traders aboard. The local Japanese leader pulled a Chinese trader (who was also on the ship and could converse with Japanese people via writing kanji) aside and said, "Dude, what country are those guys from? They look totally strange."
To which the Chinese trader replied, "Ah, those are Southern Barbarians. They're a little ignorant about manners. Like, they don't even use chopsticks and they can't read. But it's all good. They aren't strange at all once you get used to the smell."
A little while later, the ship arrived at another port and one Lord Tokitaka saw a couple of the so-called barbarians shooting their guns. Tokitaka was like, "That is so awesome. Can you teach me?" And the barbarians were down with it. Thus was established a general attitude towards foreigners that can still be seen today: Foreigners are a little odd, and they stick out like sore thumbs, but they are totally cool too. The attitude that it can be cool to imitate or learn from a foreigner goes hand in hand with this precedent.
Fast forward to the present day, and you have people like me. People that shouldn't by any sane measure be considered cool or good looking, and yet we totally are. Last time I talked about how incredibly awkward I am, and how being in a foreign country multiplies the awkwardness by about 4, but this time I'm admitting it: I'm big in Japan. Cue the groans at an old joke--what is the origin of the phrase "big in Japan" anyways?*-- but it's true that around here, in stature and in presence, I and others like me (non-Asian-looking foreigners**) leave a huge impression, and if one is not careful, all the attention foreigners get can really go to the head.
First there is the most common occupation for English-speaking foreigners: English teaching--something I still do on the side right now. Imagine a career where you get constant praise, money, and attention for doing something that comes naturally to you. Now of course if you are a good teacher you will be a little more dedicated and study your own language's grammar, idioms, etc., but it is all too easy for many English teachers to coast on the adulation of their students and never really put effort into teaching. In addition, many foreigners take no effort to get off or at least improve upon the eikaiwa gravy train. Few learn the local lingo either, staying wrapped in their English ego-bubble.
Even though many people have horrible Japanese, the natives take efforts to protect our feelings here. All to often have I heard, "Nihongo jyouzu desu ne!" (you speak Japanese well) in response to a mere word or two from me. The thing is, if you hear that, it most likely means one of two things: a) "look, it spoke! I wasn't expecting that" or b) "their Japanese is pretty bad, but I will compliment them so they don't get discouraged." Foreigners that don't hear this nuance may never think that they need to improve their linguistic skills.
Then there is the attention foreigners get for their looks. Expatriates, with their minor physical differences, often get compliments that are a little creepy when one thinks about them, like "hana ga takai" (more or less=the bridge of your nose is not flat and therefore beautiful) or "hada ga shiroi ne" (you're white, which is beautiful***). It's undeniably cool to be suddenly considered attractive just because your DNA is .0001% different and you never work on your tan, but when kids tug on my knuckle hairs and pronounce them cool, I can't help but remember that this attention is more than a little ridiculous and undeserved.
In conclusion, I think each foreigner--especially the ones from America or one of the other "cool" countries-- needs to strike a balance: on the one hand, bask a bit in the ego boost that comes your way and enjoy it while you can, but on the other, remember that you are a strange, hairy barbarian. Now you may be saying to yourself, I'm not that awkward, or cool, or that different looking, but hey, aren't we all hairy barbarians... on the inside?
--
*: Wikipedia to the rescue
**: Asian-looking foreigners have their own bag of awkward interactions with the locals here. For instance, there is the story of my friend and his face.
***: The grass is always tanner on the other side.
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