Haha! This is true, I have to admit I’ve seen some not nice interactions with my wife too. It’s definitely not limited to foreign tourists. Excellent point! Some people just suck at service 😂
My daughter has lived in Japan since 2006. She’s married now to a Japanese man that I love so much too. Once she told me that she loves her life in Japan but cannot understand why the old Japanese ladies were not very friendly. 😂😂
As a foreigner in Japan, I'm in the habit of making it known that I am comfortable with communicating in Japanese on my initial interaction with the staff in a restaurant, izakaya, etc. I've found that being confident and having a happy demeanour does go a long way here in Japan. And on the odd occasion where I have faced discrimination/felt like have (but haven't), I just simply shrug it off and get on with my day. Because not everyone in Japan behaves in that way, and as for the one a**hole that does behave in that way. Why allow that small interaction with them to ruin the rest of my day? Even when I had someone intentionally punch me on the chest area once when I was queuing at the ticket machine in Shimbashi Station. Gave him a few stern words in Japanese (which shocked him and made him scurry away), and then just got on with the rest of my day. It didn't make me think that everyone in Japan would be that way. Because the number of Japanese people who have helped me throughout the years far outnumbers that 1 person.
I have lived in Japan for a number of years. A few times I have had bad interactions with Japanese men who dislike foreigners being with Japanese women. It usually amounts to them either saying something rude or bumping into my shoulder while walking past. I've learned to just ignore them and keep going. Nothing they do will change the fact that I am who I am and I am happily married.
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news. If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
Unfortunately there are many ignorant and close minded people in this world and in each and every nation. We must be patient with these fools and go about our way.
Yes, we don’t have to be friends with them but often, to get what we want, we have to learn to maneuver past such people. It’s really a skill, next level skill to control feelings and use your mind to outsmart them hehehe😅
@@onlyinjapanGO Keep the Samurai spirit. Live in a simple way. Love all mankind. Train mind and body daily. Respect providence. Self seek fight is not allowed.
My wife and I travelled in Japan for about two weeks last month. We are a mixed couple from the United States, she is Caucasian while I am ethnically Chinese/Cambodian raised in the U.S. For the most part I didn't feel any kind of overt discrimination and sometimes locals thought I might be Japanese. One thing that did occur to my wife more than a couple of times is when she was around she would hear "kowai". For example we sat down in a coffee shop in Dotonbori and the table next to were already occupied by a late teens/early 20's Japanese couple. She kept picking up the word "kowai" and they got really quiet after we sat down. The couple were next to my wife's side of the table. Another memorable instance was on our plane leaving Japan to Hawaii there was a Japanese mom and her young infant baby behind us. The baby started to touch my wife's hair in a playful way. When my turned around to look she laughed because she thought it was a cute interaction with an baby. The mom pulled the baby back and said "kowai hito". I'm trying to understand, why is this a thing? When I spoke to my wife about it I did my best to brush it off as not a big deal but she did feel a little hurt by it. We felt like we tried to as respectful as we could while we traveled. Do the presence of foreigners intimate locals sometimes? I just want to understand this a little more.
Im in Kawasaki right now and yeah Im different, obviously European, but in the main Im finding that more people are accepting than say 3 or 4 years ago. I still get a seat to myself on a packed bus but I feel happy when a confident grandma comes and sits next to me and exchange a smile. I will always give up my seat to a woman my age or older and thy are always grateful. Treat people with respect and don't let them be convinced that you are the same as those they see in daily stories stirring up a divide.
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news. If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
Just visited Japan and my fiancé definitely got looks where people clearly had the expression of disgust or disapproval on their face. I definitely didn’t take it to heart and just kinda laughed it off because I knew I wasn’t doing anything wrong and was trying my best to act like I was a guest at someone I didn’t knows house and be as respectful as possible. Wish everyone the best of luck and hope everyone that wants to visit Japan does it because it’s an experience you’ll love and never forget.
Just back from spending five weeks in Japan, and my overall feeling, although quite positive, was that foreigners are mostly tolerated than liked. Same with most European countries. I had amazing interactions with wonderful Japanese people, but others seemed intent on ignoring that you even existed. Seems to me that the higher the level of homogeneity in any particular society, the higher the barrier will be between visitors and locals. This divide is no doubt aggravated by the language barrier, which not only impedes communication, but also leads to an over reliance on the interpretation of body language and other behavioral nuances. Inevitably, some of those interpretations will be true and some will be imagined. But not traveling anywhere because of such concerns is not the answer either. Go, behave well, dress well, and show good manners and respect for the ways of the locals. That will help all future travelers in the future. At least I hope so.
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news. If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
I just came back from Japan in November, as a large black male, I didn't face any type of discrimination. Besides sitting on a subway and there's an empty seat next to the guardrail and nobody wanted to sit. honestly, I wouldn't have either if a large person like myself was sitting there and I didn't want to get crammed in a seat). In regard to the hospitality, The Japanese hospitality is on a pedestal because it is so next level. Now, assuming ALL Japanese people are going to interact that way is just flat out ignorant but expecting that level of hospitality across numerous types of businesses isn't farfetched. And for the most part, that WAS my accurate experience in Japan. Ten stars all around, but 1 star to all the people I saw openly cough and sneeze in public without covering up, especially in heavily populated areas, IE subways, ques, busy streets. lol
Why do foreigners put Japanese people on a pedestal? Yes, they are mostly polite and kind but just like in any other country, there are nice and rude people. Japanese are human too, they have good days and bad days just like not all foreigners behave themselves. Please don't take it so personally and move on, chances are maybe that rude person had a bad day, a poor salary, and is not happy, can't analyze it. Focus on the positive side of human behavior wherever you are. Your day will be much more pleasant.
It's not putting them on a pedestal. Typically, particularly in a business environment, Japanese only show politeness, even if they despise you. They show their feelings in different ways than most foreigners. Of course, there are those who scream and shout, but that was not typical. This is changing. One of the attractions and charms of Japan is the culture of politeness.
Excellent question though I think Japanese hospitality is on a pedestal. It’s earned it, so when it fails, it’s a real shock. Japanese, as you say, are human like us all - have bad days, do well to hide it, normally. I think this shop has a lot of tourists and the job can be challenging. However, no reason to be rude to anyone - approach everyone as individuals not as a group. I didn’t ask him if he was having a bad day, it’s not my business - and I don’t know if I really want to hear the answer, but obviously he’s not good at his job which is a baito part-time thing. I’ll just shop online ^_^
I have these experiences almost every time I go to sentos or onsens because I have a tattoo body suit similar to what you see the Yakuza have. I expect it though because of the general public's perception of tattoos. It is nice when I do get Japanese people interested and ask questions about them. My last trip in October though, I had a very weird experience. I was at a tattoo friendly sento in Yokohama sitting against the wall trying not to make people uncomfortable. Out of the corner of my eye I see a guy standing near the entrance to the locker room staring at me for a decent amount of time. He then proceeded to get into the same bath as I was in, this bath is one of the larger ones at the sento. He walks to the left of me about 5 ft away and stands there with his hands on the wall just staring at me still. At no point did I make eye contact with him, I just slowly got up to go to another bath. I stayed for another 15 min. then I left. As I said previously, I do expect looks or people to leave a bath when I get in, but this one was a little uncomfortable.
Why do foreigners put Japanese people on a pedestal? I don't--but Japanese people love the service they provide, so much they won't take tips. That's also one of the reasons most of them come to Japan for...Not just politeness, but also their zen quality, and a host sort of novelty things.
On my last trip I had a Japanese aunty give me a full on evil eye when passing me on the escalator. I can’t work out why, I did have my suitcase with me but it was right in front of me and I was over to the left as far as I go, leaving plenty of space for people to move past.
Oddly enough, I was in a drugstore in Yokohama and the lady was obviously having a bad day and was being kind of nasty to people. After a couple weeks in Japan it was kind of refreshing to see someone actually expressing how they feel.
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news. If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
We caught a little anti tourist shade in Tokyo and Nagasaki at some restaurants, but by far and large people were more than willing to deal with us. ❤️
As of September/October the US Military in Japan is on alcohol lockdown. Off base drinking between 1:00am to 5:00am is prohibited. No liberty without prior sexual assault prevention training.
I’ve been to Japan for the last two summers and it’s been AMAZING. However, something I picked up on (especially the second time when I was a bit more familiar) is the distinction between being polite and being friendly. As an American when you encounter good service or during positive casual interactions with strangers, the two are usually intertwined. In Japan it’s not the same. I came to the realization that almost everyone I was interacting with was genuinely trying to be helpful and make sure I felt comfortable/had what I needed. But, they weren’t necessarily trying to be my friend.
Just returned from my 20th trip to Japan (was standing right there in fron to Tokyo Station last Friday...), hardly ever experienced anything I would consider discrimination. Worst would probably be the few times I got a knife and fork without ever asking, them assuming a gaijin like me can't use hashi. And yes, I have seen those "no foreigners" of "only Japanese speaking" a few times, but those were still extremely rare. In general: Be nice, and you'll be treated nice.
Our family (from Bangkok, Thailand) have been travelling to Japan specially tokyo every years. I personally have experience this a few times while stay in Japan. I always ignore those persons and walk away just like you because I do respected everyone who I interact with. So if they have a bad day or just don't like to interact with tourists. I totally understand. No one need to forced themselves to do what they don't like and whatever they did. The consequences will return to them anyway (like in your case, you walk away and don't buy anything. Shop who not trained employees well are lost money). This happen everywhere i guess, even in my home country. Bottom line is just walk away from people who not welcomed you. This is not a coward move, IMO it's a act of kindness and respect and understanding. Last before my comment is too long, I also have experienced some shop/restaurants are not welcome tourists in the past (in Shinjuku area) as I can't speak Japanese but understand a common words. Sometimes shop told me it's full booked or closed while they let other people in. I truly understand this as they may have problems with language barriers/bad tourists in the passed. But I also best customer service in the same area too. Long ago, I went to soba/udon local restaurant and one old lady who just open to restaurant speak long Japanese with smile and I totally don't understand a single words. With my hand language skill we finally understand each other and she smile back to me and keep speaking Japanese. The climax of my story is when she asked me which type of noodle I want (soba or udon) i don't understand her at all. Then she walked out of kitchen toward me and drag me near kitchen area and pull up her both hands. One hand is soba and other is udon and speaking to me with smile. At that point, I totally understand and her actions really warm my heart. Maybe because of this experience, it's made me really love Japanese culture and respect. When i met some rude/bad Japanese peoples. I just ignore them as I normally did when I met this in Thailand too. Sorry for very long comment. Good work and thanks for all of your video john, i hope one days I can able to get your "you found me" card. 😊
I was at a guesthouse locker area once when a staff member made a shoulder contact, didn't apologize, then turned around and proceeded to tell me with a rough tone how these lockers are for staff only (there's a big sign in English saying guests are allowed to use these lockers, if needed.) As he finished talking, he walked by me again, making another shoulder contact and went away. I was also shoved once by a store owner because I was accidentally standing on his old wooden board, which by the way was right in the middle of the road. On the flip side, I watched how badly a person was treated at a restaurant once (it seems that people from African origins have it the worst.) With that being said, I experienced similar things in just about any country I have been. It goes without saying that Japan is no exception. My take is that some people do not feel the need to practice politeness to foreigners. Those things never happen when I'm out with Japanese people. Also, whether the rules are enforced or not may come down to who they think you are. I do appreciate your perspective though because I usually forget that the person can simply be having a bad day. What I do not appreciate are those who stereotype Japanese people or respond by things such as "but but what about your country?" Two wrongs don't make a right.
I have been to Japan a couple of times over the years (Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto) and only had one negative interaction. It was on “memory lane” behind Shinjuku station at the BBQ eel stand. Went there twice, first time one of the chefs spoke some english, he seemed to think i would not like Unagi. But i assured him i love unagi and from there on it was fine and delicious. The second time it was a hard no. And a different chef was really hostile and made it clear they do not serve foreigners and I should go away. So i did. Otherwise, I have had nothing but outstanding interactions with every Japanese person or establishments i visited.
Thanks, John. As the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's fire. You've had to talk about this sort of thing a few times already. Sorry, you had to deal with that recently. Also, I noticed you kept your distance from the ichou. Smart man.^^
Increased tourism has really put certain areas under stress, it’s no excuse for poor service but it’s a reminder touristy places like the city I live in need to overcome a lot to maintain the success in tourism they have. Half the store was non-Japanese. (Probably why they don’t have my size!)
I've studied Japanese for more than half my life and because my husband is Japanese, I've also spent a lot of time in Japan over the years. Although I don't see it as a micro aggression, when someone says something like, "I'm surprised that you can eat so much rice" or, "Your chopstick skills are really good", I use it as an opportunity to educate them about the fact that where I'm from, people do regularly use chopsticks and we also eat rice, even though it's a Western country. I think instead of taking offence and feeling sad, we can see an opportunity to teach other people about where we are from as well, because at the end of the day, I think that most people are simply curious and unaware of how they may come across. Also just a thought about the guy that you met in the clothing shop: I have noticed that in Australia, Japanese people who come here on working holidays don't apply the same level of customer service to their jobs as they would in Japan. I think it's because they think that foreigners don't expect that level of customer service. Maybe that guy wrongly thought that he could treat you rudely because he thinks that's what foreigners are used to. I'm sorry you had to experience that though John. 😢
Fascinating feedback and I’m so appreciative of it, I’ve noticed that too - the level of service by Japanese working abroad is not the same level as in Japan, the mother ship! I think the scrutiny by the “boss” is very high in Japan. Western “bosses” tend to be lax or western co-workers tend to care less about the job. There are exterior factors involved for sure that influence how they act in that job. After many years here, as a teach who also had to sell the lessons, I know it’s hard to suck in a sigh and put on a smile, swallow a complaint and say a compliment - smile when I’m upset 😂 that’s a good Japanese survival tactic. You’re right on with this though … what we perceive as micro aggressions or “discrimination” isn’t also so cut and dry or exactly what we think it is. Knowing what it is means confronting the person and boy oh boy do people not like that here hahaha!
Love your videos John. I have been to Japan 3 times from Australia over the last 18 years, most recently in April 2024. I love watching your videos as it makes me feel i am back there. Can't wait to visit again.
I remember checking out a vintage shop in Shunjuku Station. No greeting from the shop keep so that was weird. I was looking at a Gucci purse that I wanted to get a family member and I simply just checked the price and it was right up my alley. I reached into my wallet to double check my on hand cash and the shop keep rushes me yelling at me in japanese so I tell him I don't speak Japanese. He says "No Touch". I'm like oh okay and I left. Sometimes its better to take your business elsewhere, given I know it was a luxury bag but, every other store I went to I was greeted and asked if I wanted to touch and feel the merchandise. Of course I've had so much more positive experiences after that when I was shopping but, that was at the beginning of the trip and I was jet lagged and wasn't thinking straight. I don't know if this was a form of discrimination or if it was my fault but, I learned to ignore and go somewhere else. Better off going to Bookoff for better service I guess.
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news. If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
Next time you should test it out. Go back to the same person and see if they give u the same vibe and if they do, leave and have a local go to the same person.
Let me share this: Years ago as a young(er) dude, I've always had a dream of making enough money to one day visit Japan. Years later and after being married to a wonderful wife of 14 years, both of us finally achieved our lifelong dream of saving enough money (and off-time) to visit Japan at least once in our lifetime (we're pragmatic and unambitious) last year in 2023. But during the years since I've made it a point to visit Japan, times and people have changed, I've not retained my naivete enough to make broad assumptions about any one people. To me, as an ethnic Chinese (non-mainlander) I'm well aware of the more reserved and conservatively social behaviours of my fellow Asians, albeit with exceptions from all walks of life (obviously). In my visit to Japan, my wife and I have not personally encountered any overt discrimination towards us, and we made it a point to be respectful and not be demanding of anything to avoid inconveniencing the locals. That is not to say we have not perceived instances where some individuals exhibit subtle forms discrimination towards us, more mildly passive aggressive than anything... but that's generally par for the course for any country and people. We have no illusions about people tolerating us simply because we were tourists and spend money there... but at the minimum all things being equal, as long as everyone maintains an abundant level of respect for each other, not causing a ruckus and inconvenience others, discriminatory behaviour and flare ups can be kept to a minimum (sometimes even non-existent in one's interaction). I would not say most interactions are sincere (but a rather high percentage compared to other countries we visited) but as long as everything is cordial, I couldn't really care less. One thing though: I won't be visiting Kyoto again, not very friendly compared to Osaka and Tokyo. May just be us. But yeah, that's how I feel about our trip to Japan last year.
Indeed, the rule of mutual respect is so important when dealing with people in general. Respectfully insincere interactions though … kind of leave a bad taste in many people’s mouths. Being insincere is often taken as not being respectful. Zero effort, emotionless customer service in a country where customer is “God” is somewhat disrespectful. That’s a problem of Japan being so good towards customers in general. The standard perhaps is too high that it gets taken advantage of. When that happens, humans learn their lesson and it changes. That’s what worries me over time, how much with it change over the next 5-10 years. Anyhow, since these instances are still so rare to encounter, it’s not something to worry about. Just when it happens, don’t take it personally. Can’t let one bugger ruin one’s day!
@onlyinjapanGO completely agree. Would like to add that, in our time in Japan, I even seen and felt exasperation towards other inconsiderate and udderly selfish cows (obvious foreign tourists) that do stuff and act inappropriately towards local shopkeepers or service people... i even felt angry on the locals' behalf! But ultimately, not my place to do anything about it... that itself on occasion also soured abit of the experience, seeing inconsiderate tourists taking advantage of locals and their hospitality and politeness to not fight back. *sigh*
I have a Japanese friend that lives just outside of Kyoto. She has mentioned to me that even though she's lived and worked most of her life in Kyoto (her family is from Nagasaki area), she was never considered by locals as Kyoto-jin. According to her, because Kyoto was the center of high culture, locals generally see themselves as above the outsiders or other Japanese. In one word, she calls them snobbish. More snobbish than locals from Kanazawa. This topic was brought up because I told her that I find people from Kyoto (not all) just that, snobbish and standoffish compared to say Osaka or Hiroshima. So, you're not the only one that feels this way. Kyoto people are really good at tatamae though.
Ive been living in japan before for 12 years,i encounter some old lady maybe she dont like foreigner that was during onsen, what i do i keep on smiling at her, when ever i meet her in path way i greet her because for me i dont care uf she like me or not thats me and i will show it ,and will be going againh next year because my daughter will study there
Like it or not... perception is very powerful and outweighs reality. Tourists make plans based on reputation and it takes very little to tear down years worth of positive.
It’s good you bought nothing. Sadly that sort of thing happens everywhere, especially here in America. Over all though we have to remember no matter where we are, humans will be humans. I just don’t buy from who ever provides bad service. Also glad you talked about your experience, even if we “shrug it off” honestly keeping it on isn’t good for you either.
I have lived in Japan for a few years, starting in the late 90s. I also returned to stay in Tokyo for 3 months at the beginning of 2020, before things started shutting down. I went back again in winter 2023, and I experiences FAR more "microaggressions" in Japan on this most recent trip. Complete with an actual aggression of my, 5'2" - mid 40s, female, self getting smashed into by someone in Tokyo station, and causing me to fall into some other people at the shops near me. (for context, I'm very good at moving with the crowd and paying attention to my surroundings and watching what direction people are moving - I've never had this happen before.) I wondered if this time some of the weird looks and bad faces had to do with my rather large husband who was with me most of the time. It was our first trip to Japan together, or is this just how Japanese people treat many foreigners these days? One time on a train, I had a coffee can that I was trying to finish as the train pulled up. There was a lot of room for sitting, but this old man kept glaring at me. I wondered if he was angry that I had a can in my hand. Then I looked around and saw no less than 3 other (presumably Japanese) people also holding drinks. The lady just down from him even opened her green tea and drank it. So I just smiled at him and laughed a little. Another time my husband and I boarded a reasonably empty train. We entered and crossed to the door on the other side and stood out of the way. The lady who was already in that general area walked to the other side of the train to stand by that door. What is that?
I feel this increase too, I think Japan isn’t fully ready for mass western tourism but there’s no choice but to adapt over time since Japan’s decreasing population requires some kind of economy to employ citizens. Also seems to be somewhat generational, those under 40 are much more international open. Eventually Japan will get there but your examples show it’ll take time for sure. Perhaps internationals visiting were tolerated when numbers were low but it really does feel a bit much, even to me. I’m so caught between both worlds. I feel the tourist boom and stress and also feel the results of it. Thank you for sharing these experiences. Helps use comprehend how deep some of these issues go.
My friend and I visited from the US in April, booked a day tour through Viator. Our tour driver was from India and spoke very little Japanese, but took us to 5 amazing places with spectacular experiences and views of Mount Fuji. One place had a market where our guide was showing us around. Everything and everyone was so nice! It was obviously a high traffic for tourist kind of place. One proprietor was over the top aggressively ugly to our guide. He excused himself and told us to meet him back at our car when we were done. He told us not to buy anything from her, but that everyone else was fine to buy from. We had not seen Japanese people be ugly to anyone prior to this. It was awful for him and we felt so bad. This situation made us think it was because he was an immigrant from India serving as a Japanese tour guide.
What a story! I know there are people who do get agitated quite quickly when they think what they’re doing is just. The driver or alpha. In Japan as a teacher at an English school for private lessons with adults, I was told there were types of students. One type was the “driver” who had to control everything. Not everyone is passive in Japan. You’ll encounter human behavior across the spectrum here but overwhelmingly it’ll be a kind hearted person who you encounter. By the way, in India, I saw a lot of nasty people 😂 the tourists industry esp in the north around the Taj Mahal is next level rip off and scam so Japan is at the top in safety and honesty but it’s a fact that there is no 100% honest country.
This reminds me of that one time when i visit a Karaoke Booth (big echo or something like this) in Tokyo, when i asked the Staff (older Gentleman) at the counter in understandable japanese if he might understand English, he gave me a pretty unprofessional NO with some weird hand gesture and off vibes - he then proceed to speak in japanese but understood me perfectly when i said 30 minutes in English 😂 So far this was probably the only somewhat weird unwelcoming encounter i had on the few Japan Trips, that and the sometimes unprofessional foreign staff at some convenience stores.
Sounds about right 😂 that happens, esp at places where foreigners come in from time to time. Rare and hard to forget because it’s weird or awkward to encounter.
Last week my family and I were in Japan for the 2nd time and we enjoyed our trip. The first trip, I had no idea what to say in Japanese except for Thanku & sorry. This time, I had learnt more Japanese and I saw that the staff at restaurants and taxi drivers were super happy when they heard me talk a little Japanese. What did surprise me was the hotel staff. We stayed at a hotel in Ginza and they were just generally friends like smiling and welcoming. We are an Indian American family and the day we checked out after 8 days, there was another Japanese family next to us checking out. While we were asked to go down to get taxi to the airport, the same staff went with the other family all the way down to the street, found them a taxi and gave them a big bow and bid them goodbye. We were standing right there waiting for a large cab (since the staff got the first cab for the other family), the staff wouldn’t even turn and look at us. Not a big deal & we found a taxi by ourselves with an awesome driver but I was like humm.. why is the service so different? ;)
Odd, it does make you think about what caused that to happen. Me too … that hard part is sometime not letting that one instance ruin a day. A trip. Hard to get the flavor of disfavor out of the mouth, so to speak. There are stereotypes in Japan among the Japanese that are hard to shake, but most customer service now teaches to treat everyone individually.
What if that family was related to one of the owners? You cannot judge one off situations like that. Unless you sit across the street and make a record of every family they send off and chart a behavior pattern it is pointless to think about it. What your comment comes across as is the feeling of being entitled to such treatment even when you don't.
@@zam023 I don’t have to reply to you but I’ll just this once - ur comment comes across as a person who sits and judges everyone who says something according to the video & supporting nepotism. U were not there and I was so u cannot just give such lame excuses & assume the other family was related to the owner. If someone is into customer service, every single customer should be treated as a king/queen irrespective of who they are. Since we all pay the money to the hotel and no one goes there for free. I am in service industry and it’s very important to treat everyone equally. There is no “entitlement” in my reaction to the staff’s behavior but if you assume the other family was related to the owners & expected the staff to get them taxi and send them off, now that’s “entitlement”.
I’ve had a couple of experiences when I have visited Japan that taxis would not stop in local neighborhoods for us until a local waved them down for us.
When I travel abroad, and I come across someone who seems rude, I just remember a time in the states when I experienced someone as bad if not worse. Then I shrug off whatever I'm experiencing as not being a big deal in comparison.
I just mentioned this same exact encounter in a local ramen/tempura shop in katsushika. Some guy here in the comments was hard on for Japan told me to leave and stop being a liberal because Japan is based. I won't take discrimination laying down but at the same time I am a guest here. Doesn't mean Jim Crowe segregation laws need to be in effect either. I forgive and move on. God says we are all one nation one people one blood.
I never had any of these experiences when we were in Tokyo last week. We went to a lot of establishments, both food and clothing, but all of them were okay. I think the only time that me and my family experienced anything like that micro aggression thing is from an old lady, a local, that live just across where we stayed (AirBnB). We stayed at Seirai Rentals I believe, in Taito. We were waiting for our Coaster (bus) and my daughters were actually standing in front of her house I believe and she actually drove my two daughters away, lol. They were just standing there trying to get a selfie and weren’t even loud. We just apologized to her and the old lady didn’t even bother to look at us when we were talking. Anyway, thanks again for sharing the story, John. Hoping to see you do these streams of yours one day when we come back to Japan. Sending ❤ from Manila 🇵🇭🇯🇵
@ lol 😂, yeah that’s why we were like, what? Did we do something wrong to offend her, haha! What the heck was that all about. But that’s the only incident, nothing more. I hope!
The USA is often viewed as a generous country, especially when it comes to its willingness to overlook minor imperfections and issues, extending a sense of understanding and compassion rather than focusing on small, trivial matters.
This reminded me of my most recent trip to Tokyo. I attended an exhibition and purchased 2 keychains. Nobody wanted to serve me. Purchased a bento (which was lousy food imo) from a bento-ya store in Tokyo Station while waiting for my Shinkansen and the plump lady was rudely gesturing here and there at the menu. Lastly was a snobbish sales staff who looked at me up and down in Ura Harajuku. Naturally, I just walked out of the store. The funny thing is 20 degrees celsius and the Japanese are wrapping themselves up like sub zero temperatures. That temperature is air condition temperature in SG.
My experience with questionable reactions towards me. Three times in three different places happened at an intersection waiting for a walk light. A person came up beside me and stopped. Then they turned towards me and took a big side step away. I think they were just afraid but who knows. I had a few older people look at me, give me a straight up sneer and walked past me with indignation. No question about what that was.
Almost everyone in Kanazawa seemed to speak English. I think they made a big push for the sake of tourism, but that person found the 1 "Japanese speakers only" shop. That said, I dont blame anyone for not wanting to deal with the language barrier and a cultural divide, especially with some cultures have vastly different expectations from a restaurant.
I blame over tourism for making everyone here so tired of this all in the past 2 years. The second people find out you speak Japanese, their face lightens up, and the look of despair goes away as they realize you're probably not here to ruin their day. These days I speak Japanese ASAP just to avoid all of this.
We are all human. Respect and kindness goes both ways. People in the service industries interact with a lot more people than average people. They would unconsciously profile their customers, and if they see enough disrespectful and rude behaviors from certain types of people, you can imagine how they would treat those groups. Nobody like to be taken advantage of their kindness when it is not reciprocated. If you put Japanese people on a pedestal, you must behave accordingly for you to deserve being treated with omotenashi.
7:45 The fact that those people were unironically using the word "micro-aggression" is a dead giveaway that they woke up that morning determined to be offended and victimized by something. The people who can shrug off life's little bits of nonsense and rudeness and get on with their day can't be bothered to spend the effort to dignify those things with a high-sounding term.
I've been to some restaurants in Japan where they inform time needed for food to be served either verbally or written notices. Helps to manage expectations.
That’s a good idea! At popular times, it can be ridiculously long, for everyone. I’ve waited ages before. Sometimes when they serve the coffee after the dinner, it comes so late 😅I don’t want it anymore hahaha so I also make sure the bring it first. That’s a good tip for restaurant owners to give estimates on service time.
Was in Tokyo and Kyoto in October for a week and as a tourist and being a tourist, I don't pay attention to the nuances. After all I was among the other tourists and I would be gone in a week. So enjoy yourself and don't let little things bother you as long as you respect the people, culture, and way of doing things for what they are. I do miss the street vending machines though.
I was in Japanese with my wife and adult daughter and husband last year in October. All the Japanese were really friendly. I’m learning Japanese so only spoke Japanese. But there was an unfortunate incident with some tourists at our hotel. Some rooms had futons on the floor and that’s what we had . We expected a normal bed but just went with the flow, no point in complaining. This other couple got a room with a futon and were impolitely and loudly complaining. I felt bad for the staff. . I didn’t like this ,it makes tourists look bad. This is japan and you just have to be polite and accept whatever. Staff try really really hard to please. Also hotel was full so no option to change rooms!
i was stationed in Japan and Hawaii and there's a bit of Hypocrisy with Japanese, a couple times flying from Japan to Hawaii alot of Japanese Vacationers ( men & younger women acting routy & obnoxious, kicking seats, being disruptive, not staying seated etc..... but when they get back to Japan they never display that kind of behavior, but pretend to be perfect.
As time passes, there are increasingly closed-minded individuals traveling, which can be frustrating. In places like Spain, where locals may dislike tourists, they may express their feelings by telling visitors to go back home.
That's actually a good topic after all. Especially now when i have a co-worker that's set and planning to move there in 2026 as a Japanese language student. And most all of my other co-workers telling him "look out for the racism/discrimination that most(middle aged /seniors) are doing to the foreigners there". He was like "oh😅" but that didn't frightened him.
About a year ago, when I was in Tokyo, the zipper on my jacket broke and I went to a local tailor to ask if they could fix it. The taylor was an elderly man in his late 70s or early 80s, I was very polite and spoke to him in Japanese, instead he gave me the same 'off' vibe and just briefly said that it cannot be fixed, did not even apologize in the traditional omotenashi way like I would expect. I left feeling rejected and as if he just plain and simply didn't want to deal with me. 😅 I didn't let this get to me though, and I didn't take it personally, it takes a lot more than the rudeness of one person I will never meet again to ruin my day. 😁 I've only had one other incident, five years ago, when a Japanese lady sat on me because I was taking up too much space on a bench. 😅 Otherwise, nothing to complain about. Our overall experience in Japan has been great! While tailor-san was being rude to me, on another side of the city a local was buying my partner beer at a restaurant. 😂🥰 I love Japan and the Japanese people, I expect that some will dislike me for being a foreigner and I am prepared to embrace the situation regardless.
Why can't you just take no as an answer? Why do you expect the tailor to apologize for something he doesn't provide? You are putting the Japanese on a pedestal like others say.
@@johnsmith02 Interesting point. I don't think that I am putting the Japanese on a pedestal, I've been to other stores in Japan where the owners weren't friendly and I didn't think anything of it. I don't expect extraordinary customer service everywhere, I don't even expect the staff to go out of their way to be nice - though, in my experience, most of the times, they do. I think the occasional lack of basic courtesy like saying "hello" or "sorry, I cannot do that" really stands out. And that's it. _Basic_ courtesy. Did I feel like the person doesn't want to serve me, in particular? Yes. Do I think that it is the absolute truth and that no other explanation is possible? No. Did I care? Not really. He said no, I said thank you, and walked out. Easy.
@@johnsmith02 Also, why do I think that apologizing when they can't provide a service is basic courtesy? Sometimes it is a cultural thing. In my country, just like in Japan, I am used to hearing "no" accompanied by an apology all the time. On the complete opposite spectrum, there are countries where they'll mess up your order at a cafe or restaurant, and when you tell them, they'll be like "ok". 😂 Perhaps having expectations based on a country's reputation or culture doesn't have to mean putting that country or its people on a pedestal - it's pretty much normal and even healthy, if you wish to adhere to the rules of the local culture and not bother the people there. Without generalizations this would be impossible. But this is also why things that fall outside of the expected pattern stand out. And say what you will, but I think Japan's reputation in terms of hospitality is very well deserved.
Funny that you mention the chopstick skills comment. I was in Japan for two weeks in September by myself. I wandered into an okonomiyaki place in a non-touristy area, so there were no other noticeable foreigners around. The staff was all incredibly friendly, but the server complimented my chopstick skills. While I do think she was probably just trying to be friendly, I felt just a teeny bit like it might have been condescending. I'm from the U.S. but I've been using chopsticks my whole life! Of course I didn't actually get upset; I stayed friendly, and so did the service, and I had a pleasant time.
I've lived here for like 7 years and it's always the same old, tired 2 or 3 compliments that come off as if I'm a rube and I've somehow become "sophisticated" because I can use two pieces of wood to eat food lol. Irony is, I've used chopsticks to eat Chinese food my whole life. 🤷🏻♂️
No problems for me at all during my first trip to Japan, but in Kyoto I noticed a rude store clerk when a Japanese tour guide asked if something was for sale in the window.. 🤷♂️ just made me realize everyone has bad days wherever you are
Just afew days ago I had a very bad experience at Yokohama train station with one of the staff manning the counter at one of the gantries. I wasn't able to top up my Suica due to some issues. My nose was running very badly n have my mask on, so it made it very difficult for me to speak. I basically told that staff 'cannot top out'. I wasn't able to catch what his question was and seeing that i don't understand he replied that this is Japan n yet u can't speak japanese. That really irritated me, so i spent a good minute just standing there staring at him until his co-worker asked me whether i want to enter or exit, in which case i answered exit. He then settled the issue with my Suica , so i thanked him and walked away ignoring that 1st staff. It always takes awhile for me to remember how the train system works every new trip😅 Yokohama station is such a complicated station to me😂
I've experienced 2 minor events, both from men, waited on me but never really looked directly at me. Not a big deal, happens everywhere. I wasn dramatized by it and I do try to be polite.
Same, on the whole, so rare but when it happens, it sticks out 😂much more because it’s rare. It’s also rare because I very often just look the other way and forget it anyway.
Not to defend the people who walked out but if i order food at a sit-down restaurant and i don't get served after 20 minutes, i am not going to be a happy customer. This is especially true if i see other customers who came in after me, get their food first. After 20 minutes, you should at-least get some kind of appetizer or drink or acknowledgement that they haven't forgotten about you. In Japan they don''t do this and It may leave a bad impression on the customer, whose time is valuable.
They should have badges 😅 to tell their experience level. Or write on it “I’m grumpy today, beware” 😂 “I don’t like questions” etc. usually though, we can see that badge on their face!
it happens in every county you go. if people dont want your biz its there right to deny service everywhere. if they dont want your money there are other places that do! thanks fort the share! stay awesome!
Certain tourists from certain country have been misbehaving everywhere they go. Personally I won't hold anything against the Japanese service industry seeing how they need to handle such behavior on a daily basis. Being discriminated upon is nothing special in Asia. I know, considering I lived in it for my whole live. Personally, I will just forget it and move on.
Moving on from perceived discrimination is the best option. If one feels that way, no reason to spend money or spend time there. Smile and go. I always smile and apologize, makes more people wonder what they lost with their behavior than showing anger which makes them glad you left! 😂
Hi John, once again thank you for such useful post. I follow you since the beginning. Thanks to your post during pandemic I have visited now for my first time the hidden and little mount Fujisan in Shinagawa shrine. Related to the today´s topic let me jumping in. Yesterday 9th I came back from Japan. It´s been my 6th visit there since 2010. Thought this lapse of time I had the chance to meet many japanese and some of them have become friends. Yes, not only acquaintances... I mean long-standing friendship, gathering all together grabbing not only a beer but also the birth of their children, being invited to their home despite Honné- Tatemae... and a long so on. I am aware that that is not very common there. What I would like to express or add with that?. Attitude, behaviour, respect are the keys to be well welcome in Japan or in Antartica. Of course we can come across with weird, xenofobic attitudes everywhere... even in our own country depending on you are from Northern or Southers areas... you know what I mean. I can not stand with attitudes like those I have seen with my own eyes last 4 and 5th december in Hiroshima. Foreigners, tourist taking photos by the Genbaku Dom or Atomic Dom SMILING and even laughing!. Really?. Have you read the sad history behind this iconic city... like in Nagasaki?... Those attitudes can be perceived not only by japanese but also for any world-citizen as a highly unrespectul attitude. So,a probably silent or distant answer by locals could be expected. I would like to wrapping out this my opinion saying that if you give respect you are going to receive the 99% of the times the same answer. Arigato gozaimasu.
Sounds like the typical modern-day American customer service experience 😂 I've been to Japan 5 times and I was refused service once in Kyoto at a bakery. The woman said they were closed, and removed a tray from my hands, but the continued to allow Japanese customers to get trays and food. I just left. But overall, Japanese customer service has always been the best customer service experience compared to anywhere in America.
So when we get typical western service here, it is a shock 😂 I shop online these days so don’t have to worry about such things. Another reason why retail brands aren’t doing so well.
@onlyinjapanGO I'm sure it would be shocking over there lol. My wife and I made friends with a japanese family over there and they've taken us a couple of places in Japan. They are coming to visit us next year and they mentioned that they are a little worried about American customer service. I told them I'd take care of them and not to take anything personal 😅.
Well all of the people have their opinions about especially towards foreign people ,and they’re titled to that but discriminating people because of that is weird i would think🤔Thank you for sharing this John🙂👍!!!
Tokyo Midtown Ensemble lights were jaw droppingly amazing, worth the visit if you haven't been! Re, discrimination, I found it was wise to mute my western instincts a little when interacting in Japan, body language can also induce negative feedback, sometimes you don't realise you are doing it. Most Japanese would open up a little once they realise you aren't threatening, those that are curious, even more so. Still you get the odd bad apple, like your anecdote.
I haven’t been to midtown for Christmas in years! Thanks for the heads up. Right! Muting that side is a skill, takes practice, but saved my day so many times.
One thing I do disagree on far as “discrimination “ is how Japan sorts who is allowed to stay or join the work force in Japan. Having a degree doesn’t necessarily make you the best. I know plenty of good hard working individuals that would love to be part of the workforce in Japan. But, sadly cannot afford a college degree, since education in the America is at an astronomical high.
Rules are rules, even if it doesn’t make sense. This is not specifically a Japanese thing. More Asian - having a degree isn’t about the degree but that you could finish something of significance in your life. I don’t think it means as much these days, but having one in the eyes of employers reduces risk that you’ll fail because you’ve completed something like that. There are scholarships. There are inventive people who find a way. There are people who take out loans, people who saved up working to pay tuition, people who went to community college for 2 years and then transferred etc and there are people who are in tough spots they can’t get out of. That’s ultra simplified and not my opinion but an example of how people think and judge someone for employment here. Its competitive. Employers need a way to separate people, a degree isn’t one way. 25 years ago, Japan wasn’t popular and it was still competitive. Now, it’s next level competitive and pay is about the same as 25 years ago. Supply and demand, if they need more people and can’t get them, they’ll build robots or change the rules. So far, Japan hasn’t hit that wall yet. There are some who will hire without a degree, it requires doing footwork. Again, finding a way to get it done. I hope that’s encouraging, if you want something like a job, an opportunity, if you can see it, you can often get it but it requires that hard work.
@it’s difficult to believe that my local Konvini store clerk has a bachelors to do that job lol. It’s why I’m convinced, to make a foot hole in Japan. I am going to have to be my own boss. Just need that wife from Japan haha. A lot of people I know, not saying all. Don’t even use their degree in the field they majored. Just look at one of the top NFL’s offensive coordinators. He majors in computer programming but guides one of the top NFL’s team instead haha. I don’t have a degree and my annual exceeds some of those that do. My motto is “where there’s a will, there’s a way” I understand each person’s thought process is different, but it’s hard to argue with the proof at hand.
If the sign said “Japanese speakers” only I personally don’t think that seems discriminatory at all. I live in Japan and went into the same kind of store once and a waitress came up to me and told me that the menu is only in Japanese and none of the employees could speak foreign languages, and asked me if that was ok, and I said it was and she and all the other people there were really nice. I can see how some people that might not understand the language that well could misinterpret that as racism if they didn’t fully understand the situation, but the employees were generally just trying to confirm if I understood enough Japanese to order, so I think that is completely normal.
I was turned away at a girls bar for not speaking Japanese. She was apologizetic about it so it wasn't a big deal. It's really only the *adult* business that might deny you.
I recently was on a trip to Japan and i went in Izakaya with a friend and the moment we opened yhe door the lady started saying " No no no" . Another day we went to a cafe and we got rejected again. On many places they accept up to 2 people only. And thats also in many restaurants. I guess thats because the spaces are small. I don't know but I felt the discrimination.
Could be the time of day? It does sound quite odd - I hope only 2 of many instances. I usually see in Japanese faces when I walk into some restaurants a look of nerves than a quick shift when I speak Japanese to them 😂 so I know what you’re saying. We don’t know if it’s discrimination but it *feels* like that to us so that is our takeaway, right? As the customer, that’s the feeling you’d never want to give as a *successful* business owner.
I feel for you getting bad service. I think this is mostly an anomaly, but I agree with that there are any number of factors that could cause a bad reaction. But the advice of not letting it deter you is right. There are plenty of friendly people and polite service industry workers who go above and beyond.
I think it depends on the race and country A white person from America wouldn’t like the discrimination compared to a minority, like a black or Hispanic, from America in Japan or are more accepting. Usa has the same signs and discrimination with minorities while white people from USA do not. There’s even some cities where if you are a minority, you can’t go out in evenings and being profiled. Japan profiling everyone based on the country can feel refreshing compared to being profiled and you was born in that country.
I have experienced direct racism in Japan. We went to a kaiseki oyster restaurant in Hiroshima very near the bomb park. They did everything to avoid our reservation. After i had the desk clerk make it, They left us for an hour and skipped three courses until i complained. Unfortunately for them I knew to contact the tourist bureau and explain in a very Japanese way how they had brought shame to the introduction they made by prominently featuring them in the tourist literature. They were not there the following year. When I was there last year I found a lovely little restaurant with six tables that not only treated my friend and I like gold, but had superior food near the train station
From Japanese The number of Chinese tourists began to increase after 2010, and as we now know, the number of foreign visitors to Japan is on the rise. The Japanese people, who had been relaxed about their guests until then, have gradually lost their feelings. The Japanese have also realized that the spirit of “Omotenashi” that once existed is now “not worth it. The number of foreigners coming to Japan has increased too much. Unfortunately, the days when one could enjoy traveling around Japan have passed.😓
Someone here's language of perception makes them feel a certain way about foreigners/tourists. Theres a multitude of YT channels that highlighs americans(or "westerners") experience of living in japan & it has been very successful road for some of them, some are attorneys, cafe shop owners, harvard graduates, some that have started from scratch, despite the culture shock. Obsessing about how foreigners perceive or are being perceived indicates anxiety. I dont see ANY japanese channel talking down on ALL westernersbexcept ONE. "Cough cough".
In 33+ years here 2 incidents in particular stand out. Not necessarily discrimination, but being ignored. I needed a new suit one day and went to a men’s clothing store and was totally ignored by staff who welcomed about 10 Japanese customers who arrived after me. So, speaking Japanese, I yelled loudly: “Excuse me, I need some help. I want to buy the cheapest suit you have!” Staff quickly came to assist me. (I hate suits). Another time I went to a car dealership to look at a car that I was planning to buy. Again everyone ignored me. Mostly because they were taking care of customers. However, one salesman wasn’t busy and seemed to do everything to avoid me. Finally, I approached him (speaking Japanese) and started asking him questions about the car. I explained that I would be coming in the next day to buy the car. He looked at me with a look that said, yeh right and barely answered my questions. The next day I went in with my wife and ordered a new car with a different salesman. The other guy looked on in disbelief. BTW, I wasn’t angry in either situation. In the first situation I yelled only to get attention, but I had a big smile while doing so. Other customers seemed to get a good chuckle out of it. In the 2nd instance I smiled politely at the salesman while asking my questions.
This has happened to me so many times, I’m used to smiling and taking the initiative. We need badges that say we can speak Japanese sometimes 😂 but it’s not really discrimination. Maybe fear. Fear they can’t communicate, will fail etc. but by avoiding you, they are already failing!
I have often seen complaints from Westerners who are all too eager to feel wronged and to interpret everything in self-centered ways. People from such confrontational Western cultures tend to jump to conclusions about Japanese people’s actions and are quick to label them as discrimination when they’re usually nothing of the sort. Don’t blow it out of proportion, get upset and spoil your own day. Just grow up, brush it off and go elsewhere. It’s usually no big deal at all anyway. As you say in the video, it’s easy to give people the benefit of the doubt, realizing the person has what they think is a perfectly good reason for behaving as they do.
Too many foreigners (and Westerners in particular) come here expecting the Japanese to treat them like movie stars. Tourists often behave poorly. Then they complain about discrimination. (Full disclosure: I've lived most of my adult life here and have never really felt discriminated against.)
This is true, especially 25 years ago. I remember a teacher who replaced me, she was American American, female, tall, gorgeous - she was treated like Beyoncé! Eventually started to sign and make big money at a jazz club, even though she had really no talent. It sounded good to Japanese though 😂 she had passion. Gosh, forget her name. Her father was an Olympic hurdler like 40 years ago. I have to admit that the kids I taught looked up to me, gave me confidence! I didn’t have that through college. It also made me level up to try to meet their “superstar” standards! Hahaha, not a bad thing!
To me that sounded like discrimination. Lots of small things add up. Like leaving your bag outside. It also doesn't seem like what you were asking was complicated or unreasonable. If you want to boil it down to the most basic at the very least the guy was really rude. The way I deal with these things is walk away and take my business elsewhere. A situation like this just happened to me at the barber shop. I've been going to this place for a couple years. This time I got a different barber who was not listening to what I wanted and gave me a bad haircut and didn't seem to care. So i paid my bill, no tip and I'm not going back there again.
Japanese costumer service is by far the best in the world, from what I have experienced anyway. By saying that pretty much is a testament to your pinned statement isn’t it? Lol. Their motto of “customer is god” is a testament to their excellent service. But, I get you. When you feel snubbed sort of speak, it’s hard not to go into the realm of dark thoughts. I experience this in 2 locations in Tokyo. 1 in a very influential sneaker store in Harajuku and in the other being the biggest chain of stores in all of Japan. I didn’t really put much thought into it though. I looked at it this way: if it was back home it would have been 20x worst. One thing I do think about is, the holidays aren’t always good for everyone. Bad experiences or memories might come to play. So it’s why I try not to think too much into it. Another thought that I was thinking about your experience is, possibly could be all the things going on in Tokyo/Japan are starting to finally culminate. Issues with all the bad tourist or even possibly the Kurd situation that’s creeping up within Japan. As the saying goes one bad apple ruins it for the rest of us. Sadly…
So many reasons, more than we think in the moment, a reason to stop and think before reacting - observe the other person, read the air … often it’s not the exact way we think we see it. (Sometimes it is though 😂) service is so good, when it’s bad, it’s like a slap in the face haha
Small Local Okonomiyaki shop! tried to speak in english right as i popped my head into the shop, (no one in the shop) but like one words things, saying, " no, full, sorry, ah, ah, table no " while i'm telling him , japanese is okay, i understand japanese. its like he couldn't hear or something , kept going with the " table full, ah, no today " . I had to tell him a few times I can speak japanese haha. Asked him how long would the wait be. can I make a reservation? but he didnt get it lol. then he caught a glimpse of my ( not obviously american ) asian looking friend. kept try to speak to them over my shoulder (friend doesn't speak japanese btw ) So I just left lol.
That’s happened to me. These days, I smile, I apologize for the intrusion … sometimes that makes them feel guilty IF they were being rude and go some place else. I do think as tourism increases, we’ll have more issues with this for a couple of years before those people who can’t take it get rooted out and the I distrust matures. Tourism on a mass scale for westerners here is still relatively new.
It doesnt help people like Johnny Somali and other nuisance streamers are worsening the image people have of tourists and foreigners in general, so we have to strive to be polite and respectful even if the locals arent happy to show we come to learn and enjoy what they love. Sure some wont be nice either, there are good and bad everywhere u go, but as long as we remain true and treat with care what THEY care about, i believe it will make any experience good.
As a foreigner living in Japan for about a month now, I always want to give the extra effort to show courtesy and respect. For the vast majority of the time, it is reciprocated with sincere appreciation and consideration. The Japanese people are overall awesome this way. I have only rarely encountered outright rudeness or micro aggressive behavior, like a checkout person speaking super fast and quiet, asking countless needless questions beyond the norm, knowing I am having a hard time understanding. My wife is Japanese (who I was repeatedly turning to and asking for help) and she got pissed at her, lol. I've been bumped a few times too, but my wife said those people were just Chinese. 😂
microaggressions aren't really a thing. it's a very new term that appeared very recently. it's basically just people being too soft and getting offended at everything or very small basically insignificant things.
Maybe this thought is way too early for our society and how we humans see the world we have built but why are we always talking about "foreign" people. It sounds like people don´t belong to certain places and are bound by where they were born and raised. I would be very interested to see how the world will look like in 100-200 years regarding societal structures and if we still put physical boundaries geographically If you think about it and recapitulate how things changed over history the status quo in pretty much every aspect of life, science and culture etc always changed
That kind of person treats Japanese people the same way. There are all kinds of weird people in Japan too. I know. I’m Japanese.
Haha! This is true, I have to admit I’ve seen some not nice interactions with my wife too. It’s definitely not limited to foreign tourists. Excellent point! Some people just suck at service 😂
My daughter has lived in Japan since 2006. She’s married now to a Japanese man that I love so much too. Once she told me that she loves her life in Japan but cannot understand why the old Japanese ladies were not very friendly. 😂😂
As a foreigner in Japan, I'm in the habit of making it known that I am comfortable with communicating in Japanese on my initial interaction with the staff in a restaurant, izakaya, etc.
I've found that being confident and having a happy demeanour does go a long way here in Japan.
And on the odd occasion where I have faced discrimination/felt like have (but haven't), I just simply shrug it off and get on with my day. Because not everyone in Japan behaves in that way, and as for the one a**hole that does behave in that way. Why allow that small interaction with them to ruin the rest of my day?
Even when I had someone intentionally punch me on the chest area once when I was queuing at the ticket machine in Shimbashi Station. Gave him a few stern words in Japanese (which shocked him and made him scurry away), and then just got on with the rest of my day. It didn't make me think that everyone in Japan would be that way. Because the number of Japanese people who have helped me throughout the years far outnumbers that 1 person.
I have lived in Japan for a number of years. A few times I have had bad interactions with Japanese men who dislike foreigners being with Japanese women. It usually amounts to them either saying something rude or bumping into my shoulder while walking past. I've learned to just ignore them and keep going. Nothing they do will change the fact that I am who I am and I am happily married.
One Japanese old man over 75 told me on the Meet up even that I am Old. I am 56
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news.
If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm
I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
Unfortunately there are many ignorant and close minded people in this world and in each and every nation. We must be patient with these fools and go about our way.
Yes, we don’t have to be friends with them but often, to get what we want, we have to learn to maneuver past such people. It’s really a skill, next level skill to control feelings and use your mind to outsmart them hehehe😅
@@onlyinjapanGO Keep the Samurai spirit. Live in a simple way. Love all mankind. Train mind and body daily. Respect providence. Self seek fight is not allowed.
My wife and I travelled in Japan for about two weeks last month. We are a mixed couple from the United States, she is Caucasian while I am ethnically Chinese/Cambodian raised in the U.S. For the most part I didn't feel any kind of overt discrimination and sometimes locals thought I might be Japanese. One thing that did occur to my wife more than a couple of times is when she was around she would hear "kowai". For example we sat down in a coffee shop in Dotonbori and the table next to were already occupied by a late teens/early 20's Japanese couple. She kept picking up the word "kowai" and they got really quiet after we sat down. The couple were next to my wife's side of the table. Another memorable instance was on our plane leaving Japan to Hawaii there was a Japanese mom and her young infant baby behind us. The baby started to touch my wife's hair in a playful way. When my turned around to look she laughed because she thought it was a cute interaction with an baby. The mom pulled the baby back and said "kowai hito". I'm trying to understand, why is this a thing? When I spoke to my wife about it I did my best to brush it off as not a big deal but she did feel a little hurt by it. We felt like we tried to as respectful as we could while we traveled. Do the presence of foreigners intimate locals sometimes? I just want to understand this a little more.
Im in Kawasaki right now and yeah Im different, obviously European, but in the main Im finding that more people are accepting than say 3 or 4 years ago. I still get a seat to myself on a packed bus but I feel happy when a confident grandma comes and sits next to me and exchange a smile. I will always give up my seat to a woman my age or older and thy are always grateful. Treat people with respect and don't let them be convinced that you are the same as those they see in daily stories stirring up a divide.
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news.
If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm
I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
Foreigners expect perfect politeness from Japanese people, but I think that's discrimination against Japanese people.
Just visited Japan and my fiancé definitely got looks where people clearly had the expression of disgust or disapproval on their face. I definitely didn’t take it to heart and just kinda laughed it off because I knew I wasn’t doing anything wrong and was trying my best to act like I was a guest at someone I didn’t knows house and be as respectful as possible. Wish everyone the best of luck and hope everyone that wants to visit Japan does it because it’s an experience you’ll love and never forget.
Just back from spending five weeks in Japan, and my overall feeling, although quite positive, was that foreigners are mostly tolerated than liked. Same with most European countries. I had amazing interactions with wonderful Japanese people, but others seemed intent on ignoring that you even existed. Seems to me that the higher the level of homogeneity in any particular society, the higher the barrier will be between visitors and locals. This divide is no doubt aggravated by the language barrier, which not only impedes communication, but also leads to an over reliance on the interpretation of body language and other behavioral nuances. Inevitably, some of those interpretations will be true and some will be imagined. But not traveling anywhere because of such concerns is not the answer either. Go, behave well, dress well, and show good manners and respect for the ways of the locals. That will help all future travelers in the future. At least I hope so.
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news.
If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm
I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
I just came back from Japan in November, as a large black male, I didn't face any type of discrimination. Besides sitting on a subway and there's an empty seat next to the guardrail and nobody wanted to sit. honestly, I wouldn't have either if a large person like myself was sitting there and I didn't want to get crammed in a seat). In regard to the hospitality, The Japanese hospitality is on a pedestal because it is so next level. Now, assuming ALL Japanese people are going to interact that way is just flat out ignorant but expecting that level of hospitality across numerous types of businesses isn't farfetched. And for the most part, that WAS my accurate experience in Japan. Ten stars all around, but 1 star to all the people I saw openly cough and sneeze in public without covering up, especially in heavily populated areas, IE subways, ques, busy streets. lol
Why do foreigners put Japanese people on a pedestal? Yes, they are mostly polite and kind but just like in any other country, there are nice and rude people. Japanese are human too, they have good days and bad days just like not all foreigners behave themselves. Please don't take it so personally and move on, chances are maybe that rude person had a bad day, a poor salary, and is not happy, can't analyze it. Focus on the positive side of human behavior wherever you are. Your day will be much more pleasant.
It's not putting them on a pedestal. Typically, particularly in a business environment, Japanese only show politeness, even if they despise you. They show their feelings in different ways than most foreigners. Of course, there are those who scream and shout, but that was not typical. This is changing. One of the attractions and charms of Japan is the culture of politeness.
Excellent question though I think Japanese hospitality is on a pedestal. It’s earned it, so when it fails, it’s a real shock. Japanese, as you say, are human like us all - have bad days, do well to hide it, normally. I think this shop has a lot of tourists and the job can be challenging. However, no reason to be rude to anyone - approach everyone as individuals not as a group. I didn’t ask him if he was having a bad day, it’s not my business - and I don’t know if I really want to hear the answer, but obviously he’s not good at his job which is a baito part-time thing. I’ll just shop online ^_^
I have these experiences almost every time I go to sentos or onsens because I have a tattoo body suit similar to what you see the Yakuza have. I expect it though because of the general public's perception of tattoos. It is nice when I do get Japanese people interested and ask questions about them.
My last trip in October though, I had a very weird experience. I was at a tattoo friendly sento in Yokohama sitting against the wall trying not to make people uncomfortable. Out of the corner of my eye I see a guy standing near the entrance to the locker room staring at me for a decent amount of time. He then proceeded to get into the same bath as I was in, this bath is one of the larger ones at the sento. He walks to the left of me about 5 ft away and stands there with his hands on the wall just staring at me still. At no point did I make eye contact with him, I just slowly got up to go to another bath. I stayed for another 15 min. then I left.
As I said previously, I do expect looks or people to leave a bath when I get in, but this one was a little uncomfortable.
Why do foreigners put Japanese people on a pedestal? I don't--but Japanese people love the service they provide, so much they won't take tips. That's also one of the reasons most of them come to Japan for...Not just politeness, but also their zen quality, and a host sort of novelty things.
On my last trip I had a Japanese aunty give me a full on evil eye when passing me on the escalator. I can’t work out why, I did have my suitcase with me but it was right in front of me and I was over to the left as far as I go, leaving plenty of space for people to move past.
Oddly enough, I was in a drugstore in Yokohama and the lady was obviously having a bad day and was being kind of nasty to people. After a couple weeks in Japan it was kind of refreshing to see someone actually expressing how they feel.
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news.
If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm
I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
Sounds like regular customer service here in England 😅
😂 having “enjoyed” customer service in England, I have to smile. Happy Christmas 🎄
We caught a little anti tourist shade in Tokyo and Nagasaki at some restaurants, but by far and large people were more than willing to deal with us. ❤️
As of September/October the US Military in Japan is on alcohol lockdown. Off base drinking between 1:00am to 5:00am is prohibited. No liberty without prior sexual assault prevention training.
I’ve been to Japan for the last two summers and it’s been AMAZING. However, something I picked up on (especially the second time when I was a bit more familiar) is the distinction between being polite and being friendly. As an American when you encounter good service or during positive casual interactions with strangers, the two are usually intertwined. In Japan it’s not the same. I came to the realization that almost everyone I was interacting with was genuinely trying to be helpful and make sure I felt comfortable/had what I needed. But, they weren’t necessarily trying to be my friend.
Just returned from my 20th trip to Japan (was standing right there in fron to Tokyo Station last Friday...), hardly ever experienced anything I would consider discrimination. Worst would probably be the few times I got a knife and fork without ever asking, them assuming a gaijin like me can't use hashi. And yes, I have seen those "no foreigners" of "only Japanese speaking" a few times, but those were still extremely rare. In general: Be nice, and you'll be treated nice.
Our family (from Bangkok, Thailand) have been travelling to Japan specially tokyo every years. I personally have experience this a few times while stay in Japan. I always ignore those persons and walk away just like you because I do respected everyone who I interact with. So if they have a bad day or just don't like to interact with tourists. I totally understand.
No one need to forced themselves to do what they don't like and whatever they did. The consequences will return to them anyway (like in your case, you walk away and don't buy anything. Shop who not trained employees well are lost money).
This happen everywhere i guess, even in my home country. Bottom line is just walk away from people who not welcomed you. This is not a coward move, IMO it's a act of kindness and respect and understanding.
Last before my comment is too long, I also have experienced some shop/restaurants are not welcome tourists in the past (in Shinjuku area) as I can't speak Japanese but understand a common words. Sometimes shop told me it's full booked or closed while they let other people in. I truly understand this as they may have problems with language barriers/bad tourists in the passed.
But I also best customer service in the same area too. Long ago, I went to soba/udon local restaurant and one old lady who just open to restaurant speak long Japanese with smile and I totally don't understand a single words. With my hand language skill we finally understand each other and she smile back to me and keep speaking Japanese.
The climax of my story is when she asked me which type of noodle I want (soba or udon) i don't understand her at all. Then she walked out of kitchen toward me and drag me near kitchen area and pull up her both hands. One hand is soba and other is udon and speaking to me with smile. At that point, I totally understand and her actions really warm my heart.
Maybe because of this experience, it's made me really love Japanese culture and respect. When i met some rude/bad Japanese peoples. I just ignore them as I normally did when I met this in Thailand too.
Sorry for very long comment. Good work and thanks for all of your video john, i hope one days I can able to get your "you found me" card. 😊
I was at a guesthouse locker area once when a staff member made a shoulder contact, didn't apologize, then turned around and proceeded to tell me with a rough tone how these lockers are for staff only (there's a big sign in English saying guests are allowed to use these lockers, if needed.) As he finished talking, he walked by me again, making another shoulder contact and went away. I was also shoved once by a store owner because I was accidentally standing on his old wooden board, which by the way was right in the middle of the road. On the flip side, I watched how badly a person was treated at a restaurant once (it seems that people from African origins have it the worst.) With that being said, I experienced similar things in just about any country I have been. It goes without saying that Japan is no exception. My take is that some people do not feel the need to practice politeness to foreigners. Those things never happen when I'm out with Japanese people. Also, whether the rules are enforced or not may come down to who they think you are. I do appreciate your perspective though because I usually forget that the person can simply be having a bad day. What I do not appreciate are those who stereotype Japanese people or respond by things such as "but but what about your country?" Two wrongs don't make a right.
I have been to Japan a couple of times over the years (Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto) and only had one negative interaction. It was on “memory lane” behind Shinjuku station at the BBQ eel stand. Went there twice, first time one of the chefs spoke some english, he seemed to think i would not like Unagi. But i assured him i love unagi and from there on it was fine and delicious. The second time it was a hard no. And a different chef was really hostile and made it clear they do not serve foreigners and I should go away. So i did. Otherwise, I have had nothing but outstanding interactions with every Japanese person or establishments i visited.
Thanks, John. As the saying goes, where there's smoke, there's fire. You've had to talk about this sort of thing a few times already. Sorry, you had to deal with that recently. Also, I noticed you kept your distance from the ichou. Smart man.^^
Increased tourism has really put certain areas under stress, it’s no excuse for poor service but it’s a reminder touristy places like the city I live in need to overcome a lot to maintain the success in tourism they have. Half the store was non-Japanese. (Probably why they don’t have my size!)
I've studied Japanese for more than half my life and because my husband is Japanese, I've also spent a lot of time in Japan over the years. Although I don't see it as a micro aggression, when someone says something like, "I'm surprised that you can eat so much rice" or, "Your chopstick skills are really good", I use it as an opportunity to educate them about the fact that where I'm from, people do regularly use chopsticks and we also eat rice, even though it's a Western country. I think instead of taking offence and feeling sad, we can see an opportunity to teach other people about where we are from as well, because at the end of the day, I think that most people are simply curious and unaware of how they may come across. Also just a thought about the guy that you met in the clothing shop: I have noticed that in Australia, Japanese people who come here on working holidays don't apply the same level of customer service to their jobs as they would in Japan. I think it's because they think that foreigners don't expect that level of customer service. Maybe that guy wrongly thought that he could treat you rudely because he thinks that's what foreigners are used to. I'm sorry you had to experience that though John. 😢
Fascinating feedback and I’m so appreciative of it, I’ve noticed that too - the level of service by Japanese working abroad is not the same level as in Japan, the mother ship! I think the scrutiny by the “boss” is very high in Japan. Western “bosses” tend to be lax or western co-workers tend to care less about the job. There are exterior factors involved for sure that influence how they act in that job. After many years here, as a teach who also had to sell the lessons, I know it’s hard to suck in a sigh and put on a smile, swallow a complaint and say a compliment - smile when I’m upset 😂 that’s a good Japanese survival tactic. You’re right on with this though … what we perceive as micro aggressions or “discrimination” isn’t also so cut and dry or exactly what we think it is. Knowing what it is means confronting the person and boy oh boy do people not like that here hahaha!
Love your videos John. I have been to Japan 3 times from Australia over the last 18 years, most recently in April 2024. I love watching your videos as it makes me feel i am back there. Can't wait to visit again.
Same for me.
I remember checking out a vintage shop in Shunjuku Station. No greeting from the shop keep so that was weird. I was looking at a Gucci purse that I wanted to get a family member and I simply just checked the price and it was right up my alley. I reached into my wallet to double check my on hand cash and the shop keep rushes me yelling at me in japanese so I tell him I don't speak Japanese. He says "No Touch". I'm like oh okay and I left. Sometimes its better to take your business elsewhere, given I know it was a luxury bag but, every other store I went to I was greeted and asked if I wanted to touch and feel the merchandise. Of course I've had so much more positive experiences after that when I was shopping but, that was at the beginning of the trip and I was jet lagged and wasn't thinking straight. I don't know if this was a form of discrimination or if it was my fault but, I learned to ignore and go somewhere else. Better off going to Bookoff for better service I guess.
If a Japanese man was killed by a white man in America, it wouldn't even make the news.
If a white person gets bad customer service in Japan, it's Racizm
I'm white, why do they discriminate against me?
Next time you should test it out. Go back to the same person and see if they give u the same vibe and if they do, leave and have a local go to the same person.
Let me share this: Years ago as a young(er) dude, I've always had a dream of making enough money to one day visit Japan. Years later and after being married to a wonderful wife of 14 years, both of us finally achieved our lifelong dream of saving enough money (and off-time) to visit Japan at least once in our lifetime (we're pragmatic and unambitious) last year in 2023.
But during the years since I've made it a point to visit Japan, times and people have changed, I've not retained my naivete enough to make broad assumptions about any one people.
To me, as an ethnic Chinese (non-mainlander) I'm well aware of the more reserved and conservatively social behaviours of my fellow Asians, albeit with exceptions from all walks of life (obviously).
In my visit to Japan, my wife and I have not personally encountered any overt discrimination towards us, and we made it a point to be respectful and not be demanding of anything to avoid inconveniencing the locals.
That is not to say we have not perceived instances where some individuals exhibit subtle forms discrimination towards us, more mildly passive aggressive than anything... but that's generally par for the course for any country and people. We have no illusions about people tolerating us simply because we were tourists and spend money there... but at the minimum all things being equal, as long as everyone maintains an abundant level of respect for each other, not causing a ruckus and inconvenience others, discriminatory behaviour and flare ups can be kept to a minimum (sometimes even non-existent in one's interaction).
I would not say most interactions are sincere (but a rather high percentage compared to other countries we visited) but as long as everything is cordial, I couldn't really care less.
One thing though: I won't be visiting Kyoto again, not very friendly compared to Osaka and Tokyo. May just be us. But yeah, that's how I feel about our trip to Japan last year.
Indeed, the rule of mutual respect is so important when dealing with people in general. Respectfully insincere interactions though … kind of leave a bad taste in many people’s mouths. Being insincere is often taken as not being respectful. Zero effort, emotionless customer service in a country where customer is “God” is somewhat disrespectful. That’s a problem of Japan being so good towards customers in general. The standard perhaps is too high that it gets taken advantage of. When that happens, humans learn their lesson and it changes. That’s what worries me over time, how much with it change over the next 5-10 years. Anyhow, since these instances are still so rare to encounter, it’s not something to worry about. Just when it happens, don’t take it personally. Can’t let one bugger ruin one’s day!
@onlyinjapanGO completely agree. Would like to add that, in our time in Japan, I even seen and felt exasperation towards other inconsiderate and udderly selfish cows (obvious foreign tourists) that do stuff and act inappropriately towards local shopkeepers or service people... i even felt angry on the locals' behalf! But ultimately, not my place to do anything about it... that itself on occasion also soured abit of the experience, seeing inconsiderate tourists taking advantage of locals and their hospitality and politeness to not fight back. *sigh*
I have a Japanese friend that lives just outside of Kyoto. She has mentioned to me that even though she's lived and worked most of her life in Kyoto (her family is from Nagasaki area), she was never considered by locals as Kyoto-jin. According to her, because Kyoto was the center of high culture, locals generally see themselves as above the outsiders or other Japanese. In one word, she calls them snobbish. More snobbish than locals from Kanazawa. This topic was brought up because I told her that I find people from Kyoto (not all) just that, snobbish and standoffish compared to say Osaka or Hiroshima. So, you're not the only one that feels this way. Kyoto people are really good at tatamae though.
Audio is fine, the DJI mic was working great
Appreciate that! I’ll trust the mic next time. Probably was the signal or viewer’s phone.
It's a bit on the lower volume side, I had to raise my volume unusually high to hear him.
Ive been living in japan before for 12 years,i encounter some old lady maybe she dont like foreigner that was during onsen, what i do i keep on smiling at her, when ever i meet her in path way i greet her because for me i dont care uf she like me or not thats me and i will show it ,and will be going againh next year because my daughter will study there
Like it or not... perception is very powerful and outweighs reality.
Tourists make plans based on reputation and it takes very little to tear down years worth of positive.
It’s good you bought nothing. Sadly that sort of thing happens everywhere, especially here in America. Over all though we have to remember no matter where we are, humans will be humans. I just don’t buy from who ever provides bad service. Also glad you talked about your experience, even if we “shrug it off” honestly keeping it on isn’t good for you either.
I have lived in Japan for a few years, starting in the late 90s.
I also returned to stay in Tokyo for 3 months at the beginning of 2020, before things started shutting down.
I went back again in winter 2023, and I experiences FAR more "microaggressions" in Japan on this most recent trip. Complete with an actual aggression of my, 5'2" - mid 40s, female, self getting smashed into by someone in Tokyo station, and causing me to fall into some other people at the shops near me. (for context, I'm very good at moving with the crowd and paying attention to my surroundings and watching what direction people are moving - I've never had this happen before.)
I wondered if this time some of the weird looks and bad faces had to do with my rather large husband who was with me most of the time. It was our first trip to Japan together, or is this just how Japanese people treat many foreigners these days?
One time on a train, I had a coffee can that I was trying to finish as the train pulled up. There was a lot of room for sitting, but this old man kept glaring at me. I wondered if he was angry that I had a can in my hand. Then I looked around and saw no less than 3 other (presumably Japanese) people also holding drinks. The lady just down from him even opened her green tea and drank it. So I just smiled at him and laughed a little.
Another time my husband and I boarded a reasonably empty train. We entered and crossed to the door on the other side and stood out of the way. The lady who was already in that general area walked to the other side of the train to stand by that door.
What is that?
I feel this increase too, I think Japan isn’t fully ready for mass western tourism but there’s no choice but to adapt over time since Japan’s decreasing population requires some kind of economy to employ citizens. Also seems to be somewhat generational, those under 40 are much more international open. Eventually Japan will get there but your examples show it’ll take time for sure. Perhaps internationals visiting were tolerated when numbers were low but it really does feel a bit much, even to me. I’m so caught between both worlds. I feel the tourist boom and stress and also feel the results of it. Thank you for sharing these experiences. Helps use comprehend how deep some of these issues go.
My friend and I visited from the US in April, booked a day tour through Viator. Our tour driver was from India and spoke very little Japanese, but took us to 5 amazing places with spectacular experiences and views of Mount Fuji. One place had a market where our guide was showing us around. Everything and everyone was so nice! It was obviously a high traffic for tourist kind of place. One proprietor was over the top aggressively ugly to our guide. He excused himself and told us to meet him back at our car when we were done. He told us not to buy anything from her, but that everyone else was fine to buy from. We had not seen Japanese people be ugly to anyone prior to this. It was awful for him and we felt so bad. This situation made us think it was because he was an immigrant from India serving as a Japanese tour guide.
What a story! I know there are people who do get agitated quite quickly when they think what they’re doing is just. The driver or alpha. In Japan as a teacher at an English school for private lessons with adults, I was told there were types of students. One type was the “driver” who had to control everything. Not everyone is passive in Japan. You’ll encounter human behavior across the spectrum here but overwhelmingly it’ll be a kind hearted person who you encounter. By the way, in India, I saw a lot of nasty people 😂 the tourists industry esp in the north around the Taj Mahal is next level rip off and scam so Japan is at the top in safety and honesty but it’s a fact that there is no 100% honest country.
This reminds me of that one time when i visit a Karaoke Booth (big echo or something like this) in Tokyo, when i asked the Staff (older Gentleman) at the counter in understandable japanese if he might understand English, he gave me a pretty unprofessional NO with some weird hand gesture and off vibes - he then proceed to speak in japanese but understood me perfectly when i said 30 minutes in English 😂
So far this was probably the only somewhat weird unwelcoming encounter i had on the few Japan Trips, that and the sometimes unprofessional foreign staff at some convenience stores.
Sounds about right 😂 that happens, esp at places where foreigners come in from time to time. Rare and hard to forget because it’s weird or awkward to encounter.
Last week my family and I were in Japan for the 2nd time and we enjoyed our trip. The first trip, I had no idea what to say in Japanese except for Thanku & sorry. This time, I had learnt more Japanese and I saw that the staff at restaurants and taxi drivers were super happy when they heard me talk a little Japanese. What did surprise me was the hotel staff. We stayed at a hotel in Ginza and they were just generally friends like smiling and welcoming. We are an Indian American family and the day we checked out after 8 days, there was another Japanese family next to us checking out. While we were asked to go down to get taxi to the airport, the same staff went with the other family all the way down to the street, found them a taxi and gave them a big bow and bid them goodbye. We were standing right there waiting for a large cab (since the staff got the first cab for the other family), the staff wouldn’t even turn and look at us. Not a big deal & we found a taxi by ourselves with an awesome driver but I was like humm.. why is the service so different? ;)
Odd, it does make you think about what caused that to happen. Me too … that hard part is sometime not letting that one instance ruin a day. A trip. Hard to get the flavor of disfavor out of the mouth, so to speak. There are stereotypes in Japan among the Japanese that are hard to shake, but most customer service now teaches to treat everyone individually.
What if that family was related to one of the owners? You cannot judge one off situations like that. Unless you sit across the street and make a record of every family they send off and chart a behavior pattern it is pointless to think about it. What your comment comes across as is the feeling of being entitled to such treatment even when you don't.
@@zam023 I don’t have to reply to you but I’ll just this once - ur comment comes across as a person who sits and judges everyone who says something according to the video & supporting nepotism. U were not there and I was so u cannot just give such lame excuses & assume the other family was related to the owner. If someone is into customer service, every single customer should be treated as a king/queen irrespective of who they are. Since we all pay the money to the hotel and no one goes there for free. I am in service industry and it’s very important to treat everyone equally. There is no “entitlement” in my reaction to the staff’s behavior but if you assume the other family was related to the owners & expected the staff to get them taxi and send them off, now that’s “entitlement”.
I’ve had a couple of experiences when I have visited Japan that taxis would not stop in local neighborhoods for us until a local waved them down for us.
When I travel abroad, and I come across someone who seems rude, I just remember a time in the states when I experienced someone as bad if not worse. Then I shrug off whatever I'm experiencing as not being a big deal in comparison.
I just mentioned this same exact encounter in a local ramen/tempura shop in katsushika. Some guy here in the comments was hard on for Japan told me to leave and stop being a liberal because Japan is based. I won't take discrimination laying down but at the same time I am a guest here. Doesn't mean Jim Crowe segregation laws need to be in effect either.
I forgive and move on. God says we are all one nation one people one blood.
I never had any of these experiences when we were in Tokyo last week. We went to a lot of establishments, both food and clothing, but all of them were okay. I think the only time that me and my family experienced anything like that micro aggression thing is from an old lady, a local, that live just across where we stayed (AirBnB). We stayed at Seirai Rentals I believe, in Taito. We were waiting for our Coaster (bus) and my daughters were actually standing in front of her house I believe and she actually drove my two daughters away, lol. They were just standing there trying to get a selfie and weren’t even loud. We just apologized to her and the old lady didn’t even bother to look at us when we were talking. Anyway, thanks again for sharing the story, John. Hoping to see you do these streams of yours one day when we come back to Japan. Sending ❤ from Manila 🇵🇭🇯🇵
I’m happy to hear that, I think it’s very rare which is why when it occurs it’s shocking 😂 … like *what was that all about* moments.
@ lol 😂, yeah that’s why we were like, what? Did we do something wrong to offend her, haha! What the heck was that all about. But that’s the only incident, nothing more. I hope!
The USA is often viewed as a generous country, especially when it comes to its willingness to overlook minor imperfections and issues, extending a sense of understanding and compassion rather than focusing on small, trivial matters.
This reminded me of my most recent trip to Tokyo. I attended an exhibition and purchased 2 keychains. Nobody wanted to serve me. Purchased a bento (which was lousy food imo) from a bento-ya store in Tokyo Station while waiting for my Shinkansen and the plump lady was rudely gesturing here and there at the menu. Lastly was a snobbish sales staff who looked at me up and down in Ura Harajuku. Naturally, I just walked out of the store. The funny thing is 20 degrees celsius and the Japanese are wrapping themselves up like sub zero temperatures. That temperature is air condition temperature in SG.
My experience with questionable reactions towards me. Three times in three different places happened at an intersection waiting for a walk light. A person came up beside me and stopped. Then they turned towards me and took a big side step away. I think they were just afraid but who knows. I had a few older people look at me, give me a straight up sneer and walked past me with indignation. No question about what that was.
Almost everyone in Kanazawa seemed to speak English. I think they made a big push for the sake of tourism, but that person found the 1 "Japanese speakers only" shop.
That said, I dont blame anyone for not wanting to deal with the language barrier and a cultural divide, especially with some cultures have vastly different expectations from a restaurant.
I blame over tourism for making everyone here so tired of this all in the past 2 years. The second people find out you speak Japanese, their face lightens up, and the look of despair goes away as they realize you're probably not here to ruin their day.
These days I speak Japanese ASAP just to avoid all of this.
We are all human. Respect and kindness goes both ways. People in the service industries interact with a lot more people than average people. They would unconsciously profile their customers, and if they see enough disrespectful and rude behaviors from certain types of people, you can imagine how they would treat those groups. Nobody like to be taken advantage of their kindness when it is not reciprocated. If you put Japanese people on a pedestal, you must behave accordingly for you to deserve being treated with omotenashi.
7:45 The fact that those people were unironically using the word "micro-aggression" is a dead giveaway that they woke up that morning determined to be offended and victimized by something. The people who can shrug off life's little bits of nonsense and rudeness and get on with their day can't be bothered to spend the effort to dignify those things with a high-sounding term.
I've been to some restaurants in Japan where they inform time needed for food to be served either verbally or written notices. Helps to manage expectations.
That’s a good idea! At popular times, it can be ridiculously long, for everyone. I’ve waited ages before. Sometimes when they serve the coffee after the dinner, it comes so late 😅I don’t want it anymore hahaha so I also make sure the bring it first. That’s a good tip for restaurant owners to give estimates on service time.
Was in Tokyo and Kyoto in October for a week and as a tourist and being a tourist, I don't pay attention to the nuances. After all I was among the other tourists and I would be gone in a week. So enjoy yourself and don't let little things bother you as long as you respect the people, culture, and way of doing things for what they are. I do miss the street vending machines though.
I was in Japanese with my wife and adult daughter and husband last year in October. All the Japanese were really friendly. I’m learning Japanese so only spoke
Japanese. But there was an unfortunate incident with some tourists at our hotel. Some rooms had futons on the floor and that’s what we had . We expected a normal bed but just went with the flow, no point in complaining. This other couple got a room with a futon and were impolitely and loudly complaining. I felt bad for the staff. . I didn’t like this ,it makes tourists look bad. This is japan and you just have to be polite and accept whatever. Staff try really really hard to please.
Also hotel was full so no option to change rooms!
i was stationed in Japan and Hawaii and there's a bit of Hypocrisy with Japanese, a couple times flying from Japan to Hawaii alot of Japanese Vacationers ( men & younger women acting routy & obnoxious, kicking seats, being disruptive, not staying seated etc..... but when they get back to Japan they never display that kind of behavior, but pretend to be perfect.
As time passes, there are increasingly closed-minded individuals traveling, which can be frustrating. In places like Spain, where locals may dislike tourists, they may express their feelings by telling visitors to go back home.
That's actually a good topic after all. Especially now when i have a co-worker that's set and planning to move there in 2026 as a Japanese language student. And most all of my other co-workers telling him "look out for the racism/discrimination that most(middle aged /seniors) are doing to the foreigners there". He was like "oh😅" but that didn't frightened him.
Yes, service in Japan is mostly good! Only time I saw a less than friendly service was due to a payment mixup, the staff was a bit on the harsh side.
About a year ago, when I was in Tokyo, the zipper on my jacket broke and I went to a local tailor to ask if they could fix it. The taylor was an elderly man in his late 70s or early 80s, I was very polite and spoke to him in Japanese, instead he gave me the same 'off' vibe and just briefly said that it cannot be fixed, did not even apologize in the traditional omotenashi way like I would expect. I left feeling rejected and as if he just plain and simply didn't want to deal with me. 😅 I didn't let this get to me though, and I didn't take it personally, it takes a lot more than the rudeness of one person I will never meet again to ruin my day. 😁 I've only had one other incident, five years ago, when a Japanese lady sat on me because I was taking up too much space on a bench. 😅
Otherwise, nothing to complain about. Our overall experience in Japan has been great! While tailor-san was being rude to me, on another side of the city a local was buying my partner beer at a restaurant. 😂🥰 I love Japan and the Japanese people, I expect that some will dislike me for being a foreigner and I am prepared to embrace the situation regardless.
Why can't you just take no as an answer? Why do you expect the tailor to apologize for something he doesn't provide? You are putting the Japanese on a pedestal like others say.
@@johnsmith02 Interesting point. I don't think that I am putting the Japanese on a pedestal, I've been to other stores in Japan where the owners weren't friendly and I didn't think anything of it. I don't expect extraordinary customer service everywhere, I don't even expect the staff to go out of their way to be nice - though, in my experience, most of the times, they do. I think the occasional lack of basic courtesy like saying "hello" or "sorry, I cannot do that" really stands out. And that's it. _Basic_ courtesy. Did I feel like the person doesn't want to serve me, in particular? Yes. Do I think that it is the absolute truth and that no other explanation is possible? No. Did I care? Not really. He said no, I said thank you, and walked out. Easy.
@@johnsmith02 Also, why do I think that apologizing when they can't provide a service is basic courtesy? Sometimes it is a cultural thing. In my country, just like in Japan, I am used to hearing "no" accompanied by an apology all the time. On the complete opposite spectrum, there are countries where they'll mess up your order at a cafe or restaurant, and when you tell them, they'll be like "ok". 😂 Perhaps having expectations based on a country's reputation or culture doesn't have to mean putting that country or its people on a pedestal - it's pretty much normal and even healthy, if you wish to adhere to the rules of the local culture and not bother the people there. Without generalizations this would be impossible. But this is also why things that fall outside of the expected pattern stand out. And say what you will, but I think Japan's reputation in terms of hospitality is very well deserved.
Funny that you mention the chopstick skills comment. I was in Japan for two weeks in September by myself. I wandered into an okonomiyaki place in a non-touristy area, so there were no other noticeable foreigners around. The staff was all incredibly friendly, but the server complimented my chopstick skills. While I do think she was probably just trying to be friendly, I felt just a teeny bit like it might have been condescending. I'm from the U.S. but I've been using chopsticks my whole life! Of course I didn't actually get upset; I stayed friendly, and so did the service, and I had a pleasant time.
I would take it as a compliment because many people use it incorrectly, even Japanese.
I've lived here for like 7 years and it's always the same old, tired 2 or 3 compliments that come off as if I'm a rube and I've somehow become "sophisticated" because I can use two pieces of wood to eat food lol. Irony is, I've used chopsticks to eat Chinese food my whole life. 🤷🏻♂️
No problems for me at all during my first trip to Japan, but in Kyoto I noticed a rude store clerk when a Japanese tour guide asked if something was for sale in the window.. 🤷♂️ just made me realize everyone has bad days wherever you are
Kyotoites have a reputation for being stuck up in Japan. It's the old capital and they still have that sense of superiority.
Just afew days ago I had a very bad experience at Yokohama train station with one of the staff manning the counter at one of the gantries.
I wasn't able to top up my Suica due to some issues. My nose was running very badly n have my mask on, so it made it very difficult for me to speak. I basically told that staff 'cannot top out'. I wasn't able to catch what his question was and seeing that i don't understand he replied that this is Japan n yet u can't speak japanese. That really irritated me, so i spent a good minute just standing there staring at him until his co-worker asked me whether i want to enter or exit, in which case i answered exit. He then settled the issue with my Suica , so i thanked him and walked away ignoring that 1st staff.
It always takes awhile for me to remember how the train system works every new trip😅
Yokohama station is such a complicated station to me😂
I've experienced 2 minor events, both from men, waited on me but never really looked directly at me. Not a big deal, happens everywhere. I wasn dramatized by it and I do try to be polite.
99% of Japan and the people of Japan are nice and welcoming. I focus on that.
I've lived much of my adult life in Japan and experience little negative discrimination.
Same, on the whole, so rare but when it happens, it sticks out 😂much more because it’s rare. It’s also rare because I very often just look the other way and forget it anyway.
Not to defend the people who walked out but if i order food at a sit-down restaurant and i don't get served after 20 minutes, i am not going to be a happy customer. This is especially true if i see other customers who came in after me, get their food first. After 20 minutes, you should at-least get some kind of appetizer or drink or acknowledgement that they haven't forgotten about you. In Japan they don''t do this and It may leave a bad impression on the customer, whose time is valuable.
That happens everywhere I would think it’s discrimination I would think they haven’t been trained in customer service properly.
They should have badges 😅 to tell their experience level. Or write on it “I’m grumpy today, beware” 😂 “I don’t like questions” etc. usually though, we can see that badge on their face!
@ Great idea!
it happens in every county you go. if people dont want your biz its there right to deny service everywhere. if they dont want your money there are other places that do! thanks fort the share! stay awesome!
Certain tourists from certain country have been misbehaving everywhere they go.
Personally I won't hold anything against the Japanese service industry seeing how they need to handle such behavior on a daily basis.
Being discriminated upon is nothing special in Asia. I know, considering I lived in it for my whole live.
Personally, I will just forget it and move on.
Moving on from perceived discrimination is the best option. If one feels that way, no reason to spend money or spend time there. Smile and go. I always smile and apologize, makes more people wonder what they lost with their behavior than showing anger which makes them glad you left! 😂
Exactly. Shrug it off. That's excellent advice.
Hi John, once again thank you for such useful post. I follow you since the beginning.
Thanks to your post during pandemic I have visited now for my first time the hidden and little mount Fujisan in Shinagawa shrine.
Related to the today´s topic let me jumping in. Yesterday 9th I came back from Japan. It´s been my 6th visit there since 2010. Thought this lapse of time I had the chance to meet many japanese and some of them have become friends. Yes, not only acquaintances... I mean long-standing friendship, gathering all together grabbing not only a beer but also the birth of their children, being invited to their home despite Honné- Tatemae... and a long so on.
I am aware that that is not very common there.
What I would like to express or add with that?. Attitude, behaviour, respect are the keys to be well welcome in Japan or in Antartica.
Of course we can come across with weird, xenofobic attitudes everywhere... even in our own country depending on you are from Northern or Southers areas... you know what I mean. I can not stand with attitudes like those I have seen with my own eyes last 4 and 5th december in Hiroshima. Foreigners, tourist taking photos by the Genbaku Dom or Atomic Dom SMILING and even laughing!. Really?. Have you read the sad history behind this iconic city... like in Nagasaki?... Those attitudes can be perceived not only by japanese but also for any world-citizen as a highly unrespectul attitude. So,a probably silent or distant answer by locals could be expected. I would like to wrapping out this my opinion saying that if you give respect you are going to receive the 99% of the times the same answer.
Arigato gozaimasu.
Sounds like the typical modern-day American customer service experience 😂 I've been to Japan 5 times and I was refused service once in Kyoto at a bakery. The woman said they were closed, and removed a tray from my hands, but the continued to allow Japanese customers to get trays and food. I just left. But overall, Japanese customer service has always been the best customer service experience compared to anywhere in America.
So when we get typical western service here, it is a shock 😂 I shop online these days so don’t have to worry about such things. Another reason why retail brands aren’t doing so well.
@onlyinjapanGO I'm sure it would be shocking over there lol. My wife and I made friends with a japanese family over there and they've taken us a couple of places in Japan. They are coming to visit us next year and they mentioned that they are a little worried about American customer service. I told them I'd take care of them and not to take anything personal 😅.
Well all of the people have their opinions about especially towards foreign people ,and they’re titled to that but discriminating people because of that is weird i would think🤔Thank you for sharing this John🙂👍!!!
Tokyo Midtown Ensemble lights were jaw droppingly amazing, worth the visit if you haven't been! Re, discrimination, I found it was wise to mute my western instincts a little when interacting in Japan, body language can also induce negative feedback, sometimes you don't realise you are doing it. Most Japanese would open up a little once they realise you aren't threatening, those that are curious, even more so. Still you get the odd bad apple, like your anecdote.
I haven’t been to midtown for Christmas in years! Thanks for the heads up. Right! Muting that side is a skill, takes practice, but saved my day so many times.
Off Topic…Out of curiosity have you run across or met Patrick Harlan in your travels?
One thing I do disagree on far as “discrimination “ is how Japan sorts who is allowed to stay or join the work force in Japan. Having a degree doesn’t necessarily make you the best. I know plenty of good hard working individuals that would love to be part of the workforce in Japan. But, sadly cannot afford a college degree, since education in the America is at an astronomical high.
Rules are rules, even if it doesn’t make sense. This is not specifically a Japanese thing. More Asian - having a degree isn’t about the degree but that you could finish something of significance in your life. I don’t think it means as much these days, but having one in the eyes of employers reduces risk that you’ll fail because you’ve completed something like that. There are scholarships. There are inventive people who find a way. There are people who take out loans, people who saved up working to pay tuition, people who went to community college for 2 years and then transferred etc and there are people who are in tough spots they can’t get out of. That’s ultra simplified and not my opinion but an example of how people think and judge someone for employment here. Its competitive. Employers need a way to separate people, a degree isn’t one way. 25 years ago, Japan wasn’t popular and it was still competitive. Now, it’s next level competitive and pay is about the same as 25 years ago. Supply and demand, if they need more people and can’t get them, they’ll build robots or change the rules. So far, Japan hasn’t hit that wall yet.
There are some who will hire without a degree, it requires doing footwork. Again, finding a way to get it done. I hope that’s encouraging, if you want something like a job, an opportunity, if you can see it, you can often get it but it requires that hard work.
@it’s difficult to believe that my local Konvini store clerk has a bachelors to do that job lol. It’s why I’m convinced, to make a foot hole in Japan. I am going to have to be my own boss. Just need that wife from Japan haha.
A lot of people I know, not saying all. Don’t even use their degree in the field they majored. Just look at one of the top NFL’s offensive coordinators. He majors in computer programming but guides one of the top NFL’s team instead haha. I don’t have a degree and my annual exceeds some of those that do. My motto is “where there’s a will, there’s a way” I understand each person’s thought process is different, but it’s hard to argue with the proof at hand.
If the sign said “Japanese speakers” only I personally don’t think that seems discriminatory at all. I live in Japan and went into the same kind of store once and a waitress came up to me and told me that the menu is only in Japanese and none of the employees could speak foreign languages, and asked me if that was ok, and I said it was and she and all the other people there were really nice.
I can see how some people that might not understand the language that well could misinterpret that as racism if they didn’t fully understand the situation, but the employees were generally just trying to confirm if I understood enough Japanese to order, so I think that is completely normal.
1:20 I think he was commenting on the bad sound quality. I thought I had a problem with my earphones too.
I was turned away at a girls bar for not speaking Japanese. She was apologizetic about it so it wasn't a big deal. It's really only the *adult* business that might deny you.
I recently was on a trip to Japan and i went in Izakaya with a friend and the moment we opened yhe door the lady started saying " No no no" . Another day we went to a cafe and we got rejected again. On many places they accept up to 2 people only. And thats also in many restaurants. I guess thats because the spaces are small. I don't know but I felt the discrimination.
Could be the time of day? It does sound quite odd - I hope only 2 of many instances. I usually see in Japanese faces when I walk into some restaurants a look of nerves than a quick shift when I speak Japanese to them 😂 so I know what you’re saying. We don’t know if it’s discrimination but it *feels* like that to us so that is our takeaway, right? As the customer, that’s the feeling you’d never want to give as a *successful* business owner.
I feel for you getting bad service. I think this is mostly an anomaly, but I agree with that there are any number of factors that could cause a bad reaction. But the advice of not letting it deter you is right. There are plenty of friendly people and polite service industry workers who go above and beyond.
I think it depends on the race and country
A white person from America wouldn’t like the discrimination compared to a minority, like a black or Hispanic, from America in Japan or are more accepting. Usa has the same signs and discrimination with minorities while white people from USA do not. There’s even some cities where if you are a minority, you can’t go out in evenings and being profiled. Japan profiling everyone based on the country can feel refreshing compared to being profiled and you was born in that country.
I have experienced direct racism in Japan. We went to a kaiseki oyster restaurant in Hiroshima very near the bomb park. They did everything to avoid our reservation. After i had the desk clerk make it, They left us for an hour and skipped three courses until i complained. Unfortunately for them I knew to contact the tourist bureau and explain in a very Japanese way how they had brought shame to the introduction they made by prominently featuring them in the tourist literature. They were not there the following year. When I was there last year I found a lovely little restaurant with six tables that not only treated my friend and I like gold, but had superior food near the train station
Calling the peace park the bomb park shows your attitude toward the people of Hiroshima.
From Japanese
The number of Chinese tourists began to increase after 2010, and as we now know, the number of foreign visitors to Japan is on the rise.
The Japanese people, who had been relaxed about their guests until then, have gradually lost their feelings.
The Japanese have also realized that the spirit of “Omotenashi” that once existed is now “not worth it.
The number of foreigners coming to Japan has increased too much.
Unfortunately, the days when one could enjoy traveling around Japan have passed.😓
What store was it?? Very curious lol
Not so important 😂 because I think it’s not good to tarnish a company because of one worker. There are mare other good people there.
Those kinds of people you can't please..they thought the answer to having to wait for food was to go wait some more somewhere else.
Someone here's language of perception makes them feel a certain way about foreigners/tourists. Theres a multitude of YT channels that highlighs americans(or "westerners") experience of living in japan & it has been very successful road for some of them, some are attorneys, cafe shop owners, harvard graduates, some that have started from scratch, despite the culture shock. Obsessing about how foreigners perceive or are being perceived indicates anxiety. I dont see ANY japanese channel talking down on ALL westernersbexcept ONE. "Cough cough".
In 33+ years here 2 incidents in particular stand out. Not necessarily discrimination, but being ignored. I needed a new suit one day and went to a men’s clothing store and was totally ignored by staff who welcomed about 10 Japanese customers who arrived after me. So, speaking Japanese, I yelled loudly: “Excuse me, I need some help. I want to buy the cheapest suit you have!” Staff quickly came to assist me. (I hate suits). Another time I went to a car dealership to look at a car that I was planning to buy. Again everyone ignored me. Mostly because they were taking care of customers. However, one salesman wasn’t busy and seemed to do everything to avoid me. Finally, I approached him (speaking Japanese) and started asking him questions about the car. I explained that I would be coming in the next day to buy the car. He looked at me with a look that said, yeh right and barely answered my questions. The next day I went in with my wife and ordered a new car with a different salesman. The other guy looked on in disbelief.
BTW, I wasn’t angry in either situation. In the first situation I yelled only to get attention, but I had a big smile while doing so. Other customers seemed to get a good chuckle out of it. In the 2nd instance I smiled politely at the salesman while asking my questions.
This has happened to me so many times, I’m used to smiling and taking the initiative. We need badges that say we can speak Japanese sometimes 😂 but it’s not really discrimination. Maybe fear. Fear they can’t communicate, will fail etc. but by avoiding you, they are already failing!
Not sure if thats misunderstanding when we got turned away by two or three restaurants in Yamagata as soon as we asked Eigo de ii desu ka? 😂😂😂
I have often seen complaints from Westerners who are all too eager to feel wronged and to interpret everything in self-centered ways. People from such confrontational Western cultures tend to jump to conclusions about Japanese people’s actions and are quick to label them as discrimination when they’re usually nothing of the sort.
Don’t blow it out of proportion, get upset and spoil your own day. Just grow up, brush it off and go elsewhere. It’s usually no big deal at all anyway.
As you say in the video, it’s easy to give people the benefit of the doubt, realizing the person has what they think is a perfectly good reason for behaving as they do.
He was totally a large and was gonna buy himself those slacks with his Xmas bonus
Too many foreigners (and Westerners in particular) come here expecting the Japanese to treat them like movie stars. Tourists often behave poorly. Then they complain about discrimination. (Full disclosure: I've lived most of my adult life here and have never really felt discriminated against.)
This is true, especially 25 years ago. I remember a teacher who replaced me, she was American American, female, tall, gorgeous - she was treated like Beyoncé! Eventually started to sign and make big money at a jazz club, even though she had really no talent. It sounded good to Japanese though 😂 she had passion. Gosh, forget her name. Her father was an Olympic hurdler like 40 years ago. I have to admit that the kids I taught looked up to me, gave me confidence! I didn’t have that through college. It also made me level up to try to meet their “superstar” standards! Hahaha, not a bad thing!
I have been the victim of a couple of ‘You do not belong here’ stares while traveling through Japan. I just choose to ignore it.
To me that sounded like discrimination. Lots of small things add up. Like leaving your bag outside. It also doesn't seem like what you were asking was complicated or unreasonable. If you want to boil it down to the most basic at the very least the guy was really rude. The way I deal with these things is walk away and take my business elsewhere. A situation like this just happened to me at the barber shop. I've been going to this place for a couple years. This time I got a different barber who was not listening to what I wanted and gave me a bad haircut and didn't seem to care. So i paid my bill, no tip and I'm not going back there again.
Japanese costumer service is by far the best in the world, from what I have experienced anyway. By saying that pretty much is a testament to your pinned statement isn’t it? Lol. Their motto of “customer is god” is a testament to their excellent service. But, I get you. When you feel snubbed sort of speak, it’s hard not to go into the realm of dark thoughts. I experience this in 2 locations in Tokyo. 1 in a very influential sneaker store in Harajuku and in the other being the biggest chain of stores in all of Japan. I didn’t really put much thought into it though. I looked at it this way: if it was back home it would have been 20x worst.
One thing I do think about is, the holidays aren’t always good for everyone. Bad experiences or memories might come to play. So it’s why I try not to think too much into it.
Another thought that I was thinking about your experience is, possibly could be all the things going on in Tokyo/Japan are starting to finally culminate. Issues with all the bad tourist or even possibly the Kurd situation that’s creeping up within Japan. As the saying goes one bad apple ruins it for the rest of us. Sadly…
So many reasons, more than we think in the moment, a reason to stop and think before reacting - observe the other person, read the air … often it’s not the exact way we think we see it. (Sometimes it is though 😂) service is so good, when it’s bad, it’s like a slap in the face haha
@@onlyinjapanGO lmao! I like that one. “Service so good, even when it’s bad “ 🤣🤣🤣
Small Local Okonomiyaki shop!
tried to speak in english right as i popped my head into the shop, (no one in the shop)
but like one words things, saying, " no, full, sorry, ah, ah, table no " while i'm telling him , japanese is okay, i understand japanese.
its like he couldn't hear or something , kept going with the " table full, ah, no today " . I had to tell him a few times I can speak japanese haha. Asked him how long would the wait be. can I make a reservation?
but he didnt get it lol. then he caught a glimpse of my ( not obviously american ) asian looking friend. kept try to speak to them over my shoulder (friend doesn't speak japanese btw ) So I just left lol.
I'm confused, you said you speak japanese but yet you spoke english ?
That’s happened to me. These days, I smile, I apologize for the intrusion … sometimes that makes them feel guilty IF they were being rude and go some place else. I do think as tourism increases, we’ll have more issues with this for a couple of years before those people who can’t take it get rooted out and the I distrust matures. Tourism on a mass scale for westerners here is still relatively new.
Listening to u ,I feel I’m in school listening to my teacher of philosophy 😅👏👏
I can't blame the Japanese for dissing on Gaijin.
Thanks for sharing your story
It doesnt help people like Johnny Somali and other nuisance streamers are worsening the image people have of tourists and foreigners in general, so we have to strive to be polite and respectful even if the locals arent happy to show we come to learn and enjoy what they love. Sure some wont be nice either, there are good and bad everywhere u go, but as long as we remain true and treat with care what THEY care about, i believe it will make any experience good.
Well John, I can't say about this but Thanks for the stream. I will catch you real soon. -crmsnc
If white people experienced discrimination, expect more discrimination for non white or Asia even for a Japanese speaker .
That's when you roll up the sleeves and show the tattoos 😅
Hehe 😉 definitely!!
As a foreigner living in Japan for about a month now, I always want to give the extra effort to show courtesy and respect. For the vast majority of the time, it is reciprocated with sincere appreciation and consideration. The Japanese people are overall awesome this way. I have only rarely encountered outright rudeness or micro aggressive behavior, like a checkout person speaking super fast and quiet, asking countless needless questions beyond the norm, knowing I am having a hard time understanding. My wife is Japanese (who I was repeatedly turning to and asking for help) and she got pissed at her, lol. I've been bumped a few times too, but my wife said those people were just Chinese. 😂
microaggressions aren't really a thing. it's a very new term that appeared very recently. it's basically just people being too soft and getting offended at everything or very small basically insignificant things.
Maybe this thought is way too early for our society and how we humans see the world we have built but why are we always talking about "foreign" people. It sounds like people don´t belong to certain places and are bound by where they were born and raised. I would be very interested to see how the world will look like in 100-200 years regarding societal structures and if we still put physical boundaries geographically
If you think about it and recapitulate how things changed over history the status quo in pretty much every aspect of life, science and culture etc always changed
Woohoo did the 800th thumb up! A well-deserved thumb up!