Truth be told

[Mock Cockpit]

: I think getting a hobby or two or three and then hanging out with the Japanese you meet through those hobbies is a lot better than just being stuck with the ones you meet through work or in the neighborhood or through family connections.

And remember Jack, some may say wanking is not a hobby but it most certainly is and doing The Stranger counts as a whole separate hobby so there's two right there.

[Ikemen-of-d00m]

Although I don't like Jack, a small part of me agrees with him.

There are some Japanese guys I enjoy spending time with, but they are pretty rare. If I make 5 Japanese friends, 4 of them are sure to be girls. And no, it's not because I'm trying to get laid.

Since I'm a 22 year old guy, who's more or less only been around students my age, I guess my experiences will differ a little. But to me, there seems to be 3 types of J-Guys(around my age):

1. The extremely childish(the first sentence you hear is usually "you must have a big d*ck" or "you must be good with women! Hook me up with some")
2. The overly polite/and or awkward(boring as hell. Will never question you, and has nothing clever to say.)
3. The "Gaijin". (has many gaijin-friends and/or has studied abroad)

Most of the J-guys I get along with are number 3.

Off course I've met guys outside these 3 groups, who also are pretty cool. But you will not find these guys if you sit on your ass. You have to make an effort. Sadly, I haven't.

[Samurai_Jerk]

3. The "Gaijin". (has many gaijin-friends and/or has studied abroad)

Most of the J-guys I get along with are number 3.

Those guys are often pretty cool when they're young but they usually become the biggest douches of all once they make the transition to shakaijin.

[matsuki]

Those guys are often pretty cool when they're young but they usually become the biggest douches of all once they make the transition to shakaijin.

THIS

Some remain genuinely chill but I know a few that transformed into the "international douche"....talk shit about foreigners with Japanese, talk shit about Japanese with foreigners.

[Greji]

1. The extremely childish(the first sentence you hear is usually "you must have a big d*ck" or "you must be good with women! Hook me up with some")
2. The overly polite/and or awkward(boring as hell. Will never question you, and has nothing clever to say.)
3. The "Gaijin". (has many gaijin-friends and/or has studied abroad)

You forgot group #4. The boring obnoxious asshole, who knows all things gaijin and either through unsubstantiated belief, or massive inferiority complex, bends over backward to demonstrate how much more superior: he/wareware/or Japan in general, is than you, your country (which he probably couldn't find on a map), your culture and customs. These types invariabaly will sit down next to you in a bar, restaurant, ramenya, or even on the train and will not leave until you do and usually talk the entire time in English that would make Take sick.

[Coligny]

You forgot group #4. The boring obnoxious asshole, who knows all things gaijin and either through unsubstantiated belief, or massive inferiority complex, bends over backward to demonstrate how much more superior: he/wareware/or Japan in general, is than you, your country (which he probably couldn't find on a map), your culture and customs. These types invariabaly will sit down next to you in a bar, restaurant, ramenya, or even on the train and will not leave until you do and usually talk the entire time in English that would make Take sick.

I love them... with me it create a perfect storm of pompouseness... hey... not easy to beat an asshole from the coutry who make the fastest plane, the fastest car, the fastest train, didn't blow any nuke plant, make our own aricraft carrier, submarines, fighter planes, battletanks and space rockets, while having 5 weeks of paid vacation the best food, only 1 season and still few communists...

I certainly forget a shitloads of other accomplishments showing how awesome we are...

But I watched the french evening news yesterday... and vomitted for 20 minutes straight seeing what the society had become...

[Jack]

I love them... with me it create a perfect storm of pompouseness... hey... not easy to beat an asshole from the coutry who make the fastest plane, the fastest car, the fastest train, didn't blow any nuke plant, make our own aricraft carrier, submarines, fighter planes, battletanks and space rockets, while having 5 weeks of paid vacation the best food, only 1 season and still few communists...
...

France is the only country in the world other than the U.S. that can build/manufacture absolutely everything and anything.

[Russell]

I love them... with me it create a perfect storm of pompouseness... hey... not easy to beat an asshole from the coutry who make the fastest plane, the fastest car, the fastest train, didn't blow any nuke plant, make our own aricraft carrier, submarines, fighter planes, battletanks and space rockets, while having 5 weeks of paid vacation the best food, only 1 season and still few communists...

I certainly forget a shitloads of other accomplishments showing how awesome we are...

You forgot to mention your country's language...

[Russell]

France is the only country in the world other than the U.S. that can build/manufacture absolutely everything and anything.

Except German cars...

[Coligny]

Except German cars...

Check the Bugatti Veyron's origin...

We ALSO MAKE GERMAN CARS...

Time for my meds...

[Russell]

Check the Bugatti Veyron's origin...

We ALSO MAKE GERMAN CARS...

Time for my meds...

I somehow suspected it would be dangerous to argue about cars with you. But you are right: it is indeed designed by Germans and manufactured in France.

[Coligny]

For the administrative and technical stuff... yeah...

For the driving stuff... better phear Chokonen...

(love cars... hates driving... SO WHAT!)

[matsuki]

You forgot to mention your country's language...

Struggling with that (again) now....maybe I need to bribe Coligny sensei to give me private lessons.

For the administrative and technical stuff... yeah...

For the driving stuff... better phear Chokonen...

(love cars... hates driving... SO WHAT!)

Don't be so sure, my google-fu is strong!

[Dreamy_Peach]

I love anything Japanese, I am just not enjoying their company]

Debito writes a lot of crap, but I tended to agree with his assessment of Japanese men.

I tried too much to blend in with the Japanese.

It's all very well learning the language and being able to communicate, but there is nothing more nauseating than the gaijin who does all the "sou desu ka's" and "ano's", head nodding, tooth sucking and all that crap.

You should never forget that you're a gaijin, especially if you're from a proper country.

[Coligny]

Struggling with that (again) now....maybe I need to bribe Coligny sensei to give me private lessons.

Only if you are a bad... bad... bad... student and like to be spanked...

[6810]

Debito writes a lot of crap, but I tended to agree with his assessment of Japanese men.



It's all very well learning the language and being able to communicate, but there is nothing more nauseating than the gaijin who does all the "sou desu ka's" and "ano's", head nodding, tooth sucking and all that crap.

You should never forget that you're a gaijin, especially if you're from a proper country.

You poor, monolingual thing... if only you knew...

[Dreamy_Peach]

You poor, monolingual thing... if only you knew...

Who said anything about being monolingual? I have JLPT2, which is more than enough to get by.

If I only knew what exactly? It's not as if I'm missing great conversations down the pub, missing great tv programmes etc.

The point is that you should maintain a distinct aloofness from Japanese mannerisms that look foolish on a gaijin. Speak the language by all means, but never pretend to do the things that only a Japanese can do.

[Yokohammer]

Who said anything about being monolingual? I have JLPT2, which is more than enough to get by.

If I only knew what exactly? It's not as if I'm missing great conversations down the pub, missing great tv programmes etc.

The point is that you should maintain a distinct aloofness from Japanese mannerisms that look foolish on a gaijin. Speak the language by all means, but never stoop to the things that only a Japanese can do.

You're starting to sound like McToothfairy, which in itself is reason enough to stop. Telling people how they should behave in Japan is probably not a good idea.

But you are almost right about one thing: JLPT2 is enough to get by, but not quite enough to really "get" Japan.

[Greji]

Who said anything about being monolingual? I have JLPT2, which is more than enough to get by.

If I only knew what exactly? It's not as if I'm missing great conversations down the pub, missing great tv programmes etc.

The point is that you should maintain a distinct aloofness from Japanese mannerisms that look foolish on a gaijin. Speak the language by all means, but never pretend to do the things that only a Japanese can do.

You obviously have never worked for a Japanese company. Some of those things come natural after time and are even expected....

[Coligny]

Some of those things come natural after time and are even expected....

Even just regular shopping...

My local hobby shops are all staffed by 60+ obachans... acting like a 5yo is crucial part of the communication... Despite my 10 words of vocabulary never had a single problem or wrong order. And even get me some milk-tchokluts and cookies when I get stuck in the shop by heavy rains.

Most usefull words to get by:

onto...
ano ne...
onto da...
so kaaa...
and ohh... with matching 0 mouth and wide surprised eyes...

(and I don't even know what they really mean)

[Yokohammer]

onto...

You darned French will never learn to pronounce an "h" properly, will you!

[Coligny]

yeah... how am i supposed to pronounce a silent letter anyway !?

[Iraira]

yeah... how am i supposed to pronounce a silent letter anyway !?

same way you do math with imaginary numbers...you just have to square them for thems to mean anything.

[Jack]

You darned French will never learn to pronounce an "h" properly, will you!

It took me a long while to stop saying "Hi ave a eadache". French-Canadians put an H in front of any vowel and not pronounce the H when there is one.

[Coligny]

It took me a long while to stop saying "Hi ave a eadache". French-Canadians put an H in front of any vowel and not pronounce the H when there is one.

that'll teach you to stop misplacing the aspirin...

[Russell]

Struggling with that (again) now....maybe I need to bribe Coligny sensei to give me private lessons.

Just put a laundry clip on your nose and speak any of the world's languages (except Dutch), and you'll be difficult to distinguish from the average French sound-wise.

[Coligny]

Just put a laundry clip on your nose and speak any of the world's languages (except Dutch), and you'll be difficult to distinguish from the average French sound-wise.

And as a bonus, it makes zee ladies HHHorny...

[Russell]

And as a bonus, it makes zee ladies HHHorny...

With your powertools, you won't need that, would you?

[Coligny]

Everything you say can AND WILL be used against youz...

[dimwit]

that'll teach you to stop misplacing the aspirin...

Well I always remember the Bell boy in 'There's a Girl in my Soup' wishing Peter Sellers 'a penis'