Need advice...

[hanasims]

I have been with my Japanese girlfriend for 5 years now and we plan to get married and move to Japan for at least a year or two. Her mother is divorced from her father and her mother is half Japanese and half Taiwanese. She has 3 sisters and there are no male children to carry on her Family name on her mother's side. The family name was created for my girlfriends grandfather who was Taiwanese, so he would be more accepted into Japanese society. It is very important to her mother and everyone else in the family that the name lives on. She has already told me that she is going to change her name from the name on her fathers side, to the family name created for her grandfather. When we marry, would it be socially acceptable for me, an American, to take her last name? How about our kids? I know I have to make boys, but that is no problem, because I am too much of a man to make a girl. LOL

[NeoNecroNomiCron]

In some asian countries the female keeps her original name anyway. But the children from the marrage get the fathers name. You could always give them a double barrel name(some of my extended family do it all the time) so your children could have a name like harry kondo-potter or mary j bleigh-terashima. Usualy in japan people take nick names in school so its unlikely to cause to much of a problem.

I want my japanese nickname to be oni mura but its not catching on lol.

[Taro Toporific]

[kurohinge1]

Wise words from Taro.

Or you could call your first sprog "Rising".

As Rising-san, he/she could then claim Japan as their own - land of the Rising-san.




Back to the medication ...

[Caustic Saint]

I know I have to make boys, but that is no problem, because I am too much of a man to make a girl. LOL

Are you sure you're not Japanese?

[devicenull]

take her name.. you score bonus points with the family, make life easier for the kids, and if it is your official name, you can shock the hell out of places you make reservations at when you show up

[GomiGirl]

Agreed. I know a few people that have changed their names to Japanese names. It just makes it easier and especially in this age of emails etc, people hardly ever meet face to face until they know you fairly well.

I have had a few shocks meeting people who look nothing like what I expected them to. These types of shocks are good for the system as they challenge our own stereotypes..

[Steve Bildermann]

Unless you happen to be (like my friend) an Irish citizen who met a beautiful Japanese girl who was married at the time.

She agreed to divorce and marry him if he took her family name. He loved the idea of having a Japanese family name and she just wanted to get out of her loveless arranged marriage.

Well I never saw them for a few months until I bumped into him downtown one Sunday with his now new bride. I congratulated Sean on his marriage and politely asked if he had indeed taken her Japanese family name. He sort of avoided the question but his wife jumped in and said Sean had indeed changed his last name to her family name. OHARA.

I am still laffing and laffing 30 years later........