What Foreigners Don't Get About Japan

[Mulboyne]

[D.]

I don't think you'll get very far asking the objects of the discussion this question (regardless of the country concerned). There are a few items which sound about right (e.g. belittling a gift before you receive it) but it misses many more (e.g. belittling your children to others, although admittedly this is an old school practice). Now if they ran a parallel survey asking foreigners the same question and compared the results, that might be interesting.

[baka tono]

"What part of Japanese culture/tradition do you think foreigners have difficulty understanding?"

The kancho.
Public slippers.

[kamome]

The premise of the question plays into the whole wareware nihonjin philosophy. It starts with the assumption that Japanese culture is hard for foreigners to understand, then asks Japanese to identify those hard-to-understand aspects of the culture.

[Jack]

That's a fair question to ask because foreigners don't know what they don't know. Japanese people know their culture so they are in a position to determine if foreigners understand or do not understand their culture. If you ask a forigner the same question he/she may not even know the culture to effectively respond. Sure gaijins may know about bowing but they may not know how to bow for the right occasion and so on.

[Oradea]

Ummm. I think what we really have to consider here, is the fact that how many of those questioned, actually know a foreigner well enough to truthfully say which parts of Japanese culture Foreigners dont understand. If we are talking about foreigners living in Japan for example, I think we all understand that we dont wear shoes in the house.

Of course there is no point asking the question the other way around, IE which part of foreign culture do Japanese not understand, cos the answer would be everthing.

[kamome]

I just think they're asking the wrong question if the goal is to increase the number of tourists visiting Japan. Wouldn't it be better to just ask foreigners why Japan isn't an attractive tourist destination? I could make a sample list right now:

1) high prices
2) distance from Narita Airport to city
3) English is not generally spoken
4) distance from countries that typically send tourists
5) the ideal of Japanese beauty has been replaced by concrete
6) perception that ordinary J-citizens have an overall negative attitude toward foreigners
7) it's not a typical resort/beach destination

I'm not trying to be critical of Japan here, but I'm sure many Americans would cite some or all of these as reasons why they'd rather go to the Caribbean or Europe than Japan.

[Adhesive]

I just think they're asking the wrong question if the goal is to increase the number of tourists visiting Japan. Wouldn't it be better to just ask foreigners why Japan isn't an attractive tourist destination? I could make a sample list right now:

1) high prices
2) distance from Narita Airport to city
3) English is not generally spoken
4) distance from countries that typically send tourists
5) the ideal of Japanese beauty has been replaced by concrete
6) perception that ordinary J-citizens have an overall negative attitude toward foreigners
7) it's not a typical resort/beach destination

I'm not trying to be critical of Japan here, but I'm sure many Americans would cite some or all of these as reasons why they'd rather go to the Caribbean or Europe than Japan.

BINGO. I've never met an American who said I would have went to Japan but I just don't understand how to sit there correctly.

Sadly, most Americans aren't too concerend with how they'll fit in to another culture, so what to do with omiyage and their host's reservedness isn't realy a deal breaker.

[Greji]

".....6) perception that ordinary J-citizens have an overall negative attitude toward foreigners...."

Perception?
Didn't they run a survey after Koizumi announced his big push on tourism and the results showed that over 50% of the J-people asked, responded that it would be better if gaijins didn't come to the land of the rising sun?

[D.]

Foreigners don't know what they don't know, but Japanese know what the foreigners don't know!? I hate that Rumsfeldian crap. Jack I'm new to the FG, but your reflexive defense of any and all real or perceived slights of Japan or the Japanese is well, so predictable.
Anyway, even if the Japanese had perfect knowledge of their culture, it does not follow that ergo the Japanese "know" what foreigners don't "know." There's a huge difference between ignorance of something and not understanding it. And as an observer, it's damn near impossible to know the difference (especially talking about huge group of peoples such as the Japanese and foreigners). That was the question anyway, "what part of j. culture & traditions do you think foreigners have difficulty understanding?"
This survey just perpetuates the idea that there elements of Japanese culture/traditions that outsiders can't understand. I mean c'mon, many foreigners in Japan "know" some Japanese eat natto, but just because the foreigner doesn't like natto, doesn't mean understanding is impossible or even difficult (they eat it because they like it! This is rocket science?!). What's difficult to understand about taking a bath?! Foreigners may disagree with the process but what the !@$! is so hard to understand about the ultimate aim of taking a bath (to get clean and relax). Every "foreign" culture has elements that are difficult to understand. Hell, that's half the reason people travel to foreign cultures, to get exposed to different cultures.

[james]

The premise of the question plays into the whole wareware nihonjin philosophy. It starts with the assumption that Japanese culture is hard for foreigners to understand, then asks Japanese to identify those hard-to-understand aspects of the culture.

agreed 100%. this is the typical ethnocentric bullshit that turns me off this country at times. if the world were a classroom, japan would be the vain little kid that's always admiring him/herself in the mirror, trying to get praise from others while at the same time talking exclaiming "you just wouldn't understand me!".

i've also found that many japanese don't know shit from miso when it comes to aspects of their "own" culture and language.

as for the whole bit with the shoes, i've often wondered - is this a regional thing to wear shoes in the house? growing up (eastern ontario) i never did and neither did my friends. we always took our shoes off at the front door before going in the house.

maybe i'll start a poll..

[james]

Foreigners don't know what they don't know, but Japanese know what the foreigners don't know!? I hate that Rumsfeldian crap. Jack I'm new to the FG, but your reflexive defense of any and all real or perceived slights of Japan or the Japanese is well, so predictable.

i'm beginning to wonder if jack isn't one of those cbc/abc (canadian / american born chinese or 2nd/3rd gen) with a grudge against white people.

i've met their kind in canada, though thankfully not often. remarks overheard such as "i hate it when white people use the word kanji " (outside of toronto).

i've also met chinese people here (from mainland china) prattling on in very broken japanese to me how my japanese has gotten so good, in much the same way some bonehead japanese would after hearing 2 or 3 words. it's as though by virtue of my being white they felt they were somehow in a position to make this judgement. it certainly came across as condescending and insincere.

anyway, back on topic. i'm not a wordly traveller by any means, but i think if the people of a country want to make their country attractive to tourists, tone the ethnocentrism down a notch. you can introduce your culture to others without it being a national obsession of constant comparisons.

[CrankyBastard]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brE2AhPRZ1Y:nihonjin:

[Captain Japan]

anyway, back on topic. i'm not a wordly traveller by any means, but i think if the people of a country want to make their country attractive to tourists, tone the ethnocentrism down a notch. you can introduce your culture to others without it being a national obsession of constant comparisons.

I did some brief consulting for the Tokyo Tourism Board last year. It was to get a foreigner's perspective on how to get more tourists to come to Tokyo. Ishirahara's name came up during the course of the meeting. Afterwards, one of the lady's with the TTB said very quietly to me that Ishirhara really wants the TTB to fail. I thought that was pretty entertaining.