Well, Orientation started today. We spent the day being herded from place to place by very determined elderly women from the YWCA. I'm sure you don't want to to listen to the 2 hour lecture we got, so here is a little explanation of some of the reactions Gaijin(foreigners) receive when meeting a Japanese person. This list is a group work, as we all do our part to make the locals lives a little more exotic.
The stare(awe).
Happens most on the train. You look up from your book and there are at least three people across from you just staring. This is a favorite of school children, and should be greeted with a friendly smile
The stare(disdain).
Also happens most one trains, but only when you have left and they are slowly moving away, still on-board. This happens most with businessmen in the morning. You can react to this however you want, I always suggest a friendly smile and a big wave.
You speak Japanese!?!
Whenever you speak Japanese in this country, there is always the risk of this happening. You say something simple like “ko-ni-chi-wa”(good afternoon) and suddenly you are expected to know the entire language. The person in front of you will start to talk very fast. Don't Panic. This is perfectly normal, I think, just wait until they have calmed down and start talking in English, they will understand.
Taken aback.
This happens in one place, and one place only. When you start to round a corner there is about 60% chance that there will be a middle aged woman trying to round that corner as well. Eye contact happens, and its almost as if their first instinct is to freeze. All emotion drains from her face for a split second and it's as if the very animate person who you were about to crash into has become some wax figurine in a museum. The best reaction to this is to freeze yourself, but bow slightly in order to reassure her that you meant no harm. This entire transaction lasts about three seconds.
Lost bodily control.
Sometimes people here are so shocked by your appearance that they lose temporary control of themselves. I think this reaction is best illustrated by two recent examples. The first takes place over this weekend. We were walking along, minding our own business, when we see a group of locals walking towards us. One guy had been talking to a girl next to him, and hadn't noticed us. When he turned it was if we had actually pushed him, he just went down. He quickly got up and joined his now laughing friends. The second was today when Zack, Victor, and I were walking at the head of the NUPACE students going to get our alien registration cards. Now, it should be said that Victor and Zack are not short, both over six feet and thus a good bit taller then me and certainly taller then most of the Japanese we have been seeing. Much the same as before, this guy had no idea we were coming until he looked straight at Zack and Victor. He dropped everything and a look of surprise crossed his face. Unfortunately the thing in his hand was a reasonably expensive looking phone, and a look of pain crossed his and everyone's face at the sound it made as it hit the cement. This reaction should, like all of these, be treated with a smile and if necessary a short bow.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the Japanese are racist or anything and that the mere sight of a foreigner is shocking to them. I'm simply saying that in a nation that, according to the CIA world fact book, is 98.5% “native” Japanese it is a novelty to see different people.
I can't count the amount of people I've waved at and I seem to have a permanent smile on my face. Nothing bad has come of greeting complete strangers in this jovial way, and sometimes people return the favor.
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I've had quite a few people say they like these Japanese sayings, so here's another.
English: How much was that phone?
Japanese: これでんわはいくらでしたか？
Pronunciation: koh-reh den-wa wa ii-koo-rah de-shta kah?
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Best wishes,
Dan
