New Claimant For Title of "Super Gaijin"

[Mulboyne]

Japan Times: Expat life in Japan - the good, the bad and the meaningful by Paul de Vries

I am a 46-year-old Caucasian male. I have lived in Japan for 17 years with an attitude toward assimilation that would not be looked upon favorably in my native Australia. I would feel worse about this were it not for an undeniable fact: Compared to the average Westerner in Japan, the moderate level of assimilation I have achieved is a standout performance. Westerners in Japan do not tend to assimilate to anywhere near the degree that foreigners do in the West. I would suggest there are two predominant reasons why. The first is that because of the culture of social obligation, the joys of mainstream Japanese life are felt to be less than totally enviable. The second is that the negative forms of discrimination that exist for the noncitizen population are more than compensated for by an impressive array of positives...more...

[Kaiju]

from one of the "Good Gaijins". If we would all just emulate his approach....

[Bucky]

I wonder if he knows OKLAHOMA?

[Yokohammer]

I noted this guy's modest, self-effacing comments on the JT site yesterday evening.

Apparently he doesn't get around much. At the very least he sure doesn't know some of the FGs I know. And this isn't the first time he's come over with a holier-gaijin-than-thou attitude in the Japan Times. His "Back to the Baths" article was just as patronizing.

I note that every one of his articles has the postscript: "Paul de Vries is putting the finishing touches to a book about what the world can learn from Japan." I can hardly wait.

[Number11]

I struggled to read his entire, uh, essay (?), and I'm still not clear what his point was. I found that line to be arrogant and annoying, too.

[Neo-Rio]

The Japanese don't want you to assimilate
Film at 11

[Iraira]

Read it, too....the point was at the end..."join the union".

[tev]

"Compared to the average Westerner in Japan, the moderate level of assimilation I have achieved is a standout performance."

Moderate level of assimilation? Slacker....

[BigInJapan]

Compared to the average Westerner in Japan, the moderate level of assimilation I have achieved is a standout performance.

This guy should start up a Super-Gaijin club with his Kyoto/Bangkok counterpart, Alex Kerr..

My life during the past 17 years has been one of never having to do a full share of the work, never having to fully pay my way, and always getting more than my share of attention.

Experienced that myself too, for about 3 months - 17 years ago.
This guy needs to Man Up.

[omae mona]

I don't know why the JT keeps publishing this guy's shtick. This is just another defense of the same, lame, antiquated thesis that has drawn angry reader letters several times. Dressed up with yet another few non-sequitur and illogical analogies.

The guy's main point, in all his opinion pieces, is that "group blame" is a good thing. Just like Shingo Katori needs to share the blame for fellow SMAP member Kusanagi's naked park romp, us foreigners need to take the hit for other foreigner's bad behavior, and that's all fair. Being banned from stores or apartment rentals because the proprietor had trouble with another gaijin in the past is natural, according to DeVries.

He suggests we stop whining and focus on improving our behavior and assimilating. I am waiting for the article where he tells me how to anticipate which gaijin is going to live in the apartment I choose to rent in 4 years, so I can convince said gaijin to behave well so I can get the apartment when it's my turn.

As letter writers pointed out after previous editorials, changing the words "racial discrimination" to "group responsibility" isn't fooling anybody. This guy is an apologist for a way of thinking that is a thing of the past in developed nations.

And I write this as somebody who does feel it's to gaijins' individual benefit to assimilate better, and who has never experienced meaningful discrimination here myself. Just because I think it's good to assimilate doesn't mean I think I should be blamed for somebody else's lack of assimilation, and I know this phenomenon does exist. Unlike the members of the rugby team this guy mentions in his editorial, or SMAP, I did not sign up for any team (a "gaijin team" or otherwise) when I came to Japan.

Fortunately I think guys like Devries and Debito, while on opposite sides of the issue, write so much about the topic that they make it seem this type of "Group blame" / "racial discrimination" is more prevalent than it actually is. I think it's fairly rare nowadays. But still, writing editorials encouraging good old-fashioned racism is not doing anybody any favors. I don't understand why the JT is still giving this guy a voice.. 2 times was enough already.

[Midwinter]

This guy should start up a Super-Gaijin club with his Kyoto/Bangkok counterpart, Alex Kerr..

I'm pretty sure you mean Wayne Kerr.

[Iraira]

He suggests we stop whining and focus on improving our behavior and assimilating. I am waiting for the article where he tells me how to anticipate which gaijin is going to live in the apartment I choose to rent in 4 years, so I can convince said gaijin to behave well so I can get the apartment when it's my turn.

I've done my part to set up my current place for you, mon. Just redid the lease and found that the rentaihoshounin (more liability than regular hoshounin) company I was using (half of one month's rent for the two year contract) went belly-up. Landlord said, "Iraira pays the rent on time, unlike many of the J-tenants, so he doesn't need a guarantor". I suppose that if I was to truly assimilate, I should be late paying the rent.

[dimwit]

I'm pretty sure you mean Wayne Kerr.

No, I pretty sure he means our sometimes Yosoko ambassator Alex.

[BigInJapan]

No, I pretty sure he means our sometimes Yosoko ambassator Alex.

Yep, I did indeed mean our shining gaijin rep, Alex Kerr, of Dogs and Demons infamy, I mean fame...

Quote from one Dogs and Demons review:
"As for always being the source of accurate information, that's another matter...."

[Midwinter]

No, I pretty sure he means our sometimes Yosoko ambassator Alex.

Yes, but, oh never mind. I'm sure there's a Brit somewhere who got that :P

[Mulboyne]

Yes, but, oh never mind. I'm sure there's a Brit somewhere who got that :P

Yes, this one did.

[Ketou]

What load of toss.

So discrimination is not being able to get shat on by schoolies, some landlords and the otaru onsen, which was 'resolved'. Jeez thanks for clearing that up, all that shit on public transport, restaurants and in the workforce I have experienced was just a facking fantasy.

He is right about one thing though.....( 'assimilation that would not be looked upon favorably in my native Australia.') ...........ya grovelling brown nose poof!!

[dimwit]

Yes, this one did.

I had to google this one and I assume the Wayne Kerr being refered to is the Irish rugby player. (note to self -next time find some obscure hockey reference to confound 'em)

[amdg]

I'm suprised at all of you for your narrow-mindedness. Paul de Vries is an accomplished whiskey slinger, ski-guide, cock-smoker and retired goods reseller. He also has accreditation as a three-times published author (on Japan Today and associated forums) and as a certified cock-smoker before the JETRO organisation.

Please people, respect where respect is due.

[Typhoon]

Japan Times: Expat life in Japan - the good, the bad and the meaningful by Paul de Vries

Seems that there are two types of FG wankers in Japan:

1/ the J-wannabes such as author of the above article type - overly respectful of Japan and the Japanese - usually comes across as smug twits as in the article.

2/ the gaijin-smashers - overly disrespectful of the country and people in which they live - usually comes across as obnoxious assholes who believe that Japan should cater to them simply because they are gaijins

and somewhere in between these two pathological personality types are the people that just take things in stride and get along and on with their lives

[Midwinter]

I had to google this one and I assume the Wayne Kerr being refered to is the Irish rugby player. (note to self -next time find some obscure hockey reference to confound 'em)

This is priceless

Greensnot for you dimwit old boy! I just googled it and couldn't believe how many Wayne Kerrs there are out there.

[Mulboyne]

One of my favourite parts in his strangled prose is where he argues that Japanese are unsettled by the random boisterousness of foreigners because they traditionally have restricted such activity to festivals.

[sublight]

One of my favourite parts in his strangled prose is where he argues that Japanese are unsettled by the random boisterousness of foreigners because they traditionally have restricted such activity to festivals.

Yes, it's a little known fact that all the bosozoku and drunken salarymen are actually disguised foreigners engaging in off-season trick-or-treating.

and somewhere in between these two pathological personality types are the people that just take things in stride and get along and on with their lives

Well, I sent in my two cents to the Japan Times a while back, but they never asked me to become a regular columnist. Rational goodwill and calmly-worded constructive suggestions don't sell papers, after all. Maybe next time I critique high school curricula I should toss in more comparisons to Auschwitz.

[omae mona]

I've done my part to set up my current place for you, mon. Just redid the lease and found that the rentaihoshounin (more liability than regular hoshounin) company I was using (half of one month's rent for the two year contract) went belly-up. Landlord said, "Iraira pays the rent on time, unlike many of the J-tenants, so he doesn't need a guarantor". I suppose that if I was to truly assimilate, I should be late paying the rent.

Yeah, but I bet you have been making smelly homemade kimchi in your apartment or walking on the tatami mats with high heel shoes!

You will not be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

[Greji]

Yeah, but I bet you have been making smelly homemade kimchi in your apartment or walking on the tatami mats with high heel shoes!

You will not be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

Remember that!

[kusai Jijii]

I don't understand why the JT is still giving this guy a voice.. 2 times was enough already.

This thread is a long time coming.

I'm gunna cancell my JT subscription. It really has astounded me how low the JT has gone on over the past year or so. Uncle Greg vs Debito. enough is enough. That lunatic, Grant Piper. He gets a letter in, on average, once a week. I mean,is the JT so desperate for letters... that guy is...out there, so out there we dont need to print his opinions. As is that homophobic bitch who has ben getting her dribble printed of late.
Length: 16 pages. For the increased price. 4 or so of which are 'informercials' about MA / MA programs or 'nation days' with paid messages from trading co.s etc.
How many trees have to be pulped in order for the retarded editors at JP to retain their jobs?
JT, lift your game!

[Iraira]

Yeah, but I bet you have been making smelly homemade kimchi in your apartment or walking on the tatami mats with high heel shoes!

You will not be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

How the hell do you know all this about me? Ok, what color is the t-back that I'm presently wearing?

[Behan]

I think it has a brown stain on it, Iraira. Sorry, I didn't clean them before I put them back in your drawers.

[Iraira]

I think it has a brown stain on it, Iraira. Sorry, I didn't clean them before I put them back in your drawers.

Trick question, not wearing a t-back presently....does that excite any of you...aside from Greji?

[Behan]

Trick question, not wearing a t-back presently....does that excite any of you...aside from Greji?

Your avatar is a picture of you, isn't it?