Questions for the Japanese here - who are gaijin?

[AET 0]

Japanese dudes and dudettes on here - who do you classify as gaijin?

 

Do you feel all Caucasian Westerners gaijin, or anyone who isn't Japanese. Are Korean people still "gaijin"?

 

What are your thoughts?

[slow 0]

I have no idea about this...

 

Maybe people who don't look like or sound like Japanese??

[woywoy 0]

I think we might have covered this topic somewhere before but I cant be bothered to do a search. I find it strange how Japanese people living overseas still refer to "white" people especially as gaijin. Surely they are the gaijin in that situation but they do not understand that at all. Classifying all non-Japanese under the one umbrella name of "gaijin" is a terrible thing I think and is at the roots of the xenophobia that goes on in Japan even today.

[indosnm 0]

but we who are not Japanese are gaijin wether we like it or not!

But I do love to point out to J crew when they are out of Japan that they are also gaijin!!

[scouser 4]

The most common image of the gaijin is the white westerner, I asked a few Japanese once if they considered Koreans "gaijin" and the answer was a sucking of air and a muzukashii.

[Ocean11 0]

The obvious point is that gaijin doesn't literally mean 'foreigner'.

 

At root it means anybody who is not Japanese or of a race close to Japanese (ie Korean). That's why Japanese are never gaijin even when they go abroad. It's how words are used that determines their actual meaning, not what people might say about the words.

 

Actual usage is similar to the Jewish use of 'goy' which can be disparaging or not, depending on the situation.

[xxx 2]

Well put!

[zwelgen 0]

I think its funny when Im talking to little kids and when I get them to guess where Im from someone will ALWAYS say "gaikoku!". I think its so odd that 9 year olds think that gaikoku is a country.

[MistaSparkle 0]

The meaning and use of gaijin is such a weird concept, but it makes sense. I first thought that it meant "foreigner," but I agree with Ocean. I think the real meaning is "non-japanese."

 

I think I understand why Japan views the world as Japanese and everyone else based on its history, but I can't help think that theres just something a little bit archaic about that kind of thinking in such a modern country.

[damian 0]

I am sure it all has to do with Samurai Spirit.

 

After all, if I ask a Japanes person about something that I do not understand regarding Japan... and they do not understand why I dont understand.... 99.9% of the time they manage to mention Samurai Spirit, regardless of the original topic.

[nagpants 1]

yamato damashi??

[indosnm 0]

isn't non japanese a foreigner??

[Ocean11 0]

No, a Japanese in the US is a foreigner, but all the Americans in America are still gaijin.

 

Hence the sort of statement you hear that goes;

"He was walking around Losu on his own and two gaijin robbed him and beat him up."

 

Japanese people are never gaijin, wherever they may go.

 

Sing along now;

"Oh I'd rather be a gaijin than a naijin..."

[bobby12 0]

this is kinda daft though cos we say just the same things.

 

if you dont know someones nationality, then you say 'foriegner' 'our foriegn friend' 'non-english' or whatever. it all means the same thing (i dont know their nationality, but they are not from this country).

 

can someone point out to me what the japanese are doing differently to us english or americans or whatever?

[MistaSparkle 0]

I can tell you coming from New York, it really is a melting pot of races and cultures, and I've never categorized people as being Americans or foreigners... I suppose if you go to more rural areas like in any country, perople have a much stronger sense of what a "foreigner" is. I think most people in Japan if not all, have a very clear sense of "us and them(everyone else)".

 

Another strange thing I've noticed is how people take criticism or praise about Japan personally. I've had conversations with coworkers and friends where I said I really loved and enjoyed Japan, and their replies were "arigatou gozaimasu." I know it comes from the same way of thinking that separates Japanese people from gaijin, but it's jusk kinda strange.

[slow 0]

When I was kid gaijin=American for me.

Because I was born and brought up in American Navy town and I only saw Americans in my town.

This is related to a historical background, isn't this?

 

I think Japanese people are interested in only domestic things and not so interested in the world. Experience of living abroad changes our mind. Nice!!

 

BTW, I saw Japanese girls who speak English and Japanese fluently on the train. Maybe they are American, I don't know. But they use English when they talk about Japanese people, and use Japanese talk about something else. It was strange for me.

[kintaro 0]

Waikiki pretty much is Japan, in a way, but I remember the first time I learned the word 'gaijin' I was called it by a Japanese citizen in waikiki. But I can't call them a 'haole'. Anyone who knows Hawaii knows what I'm talking about.

[indosnm 0]

Kintaro, I don't know Hawaii so why?

It seems ok for the surfers to call everyone who isn't from Hawaii a Haole... not that I take any offence to that...

[hide 0]

You are all right I think.

 

Many Japanese don't think about the meaning of word and if ask them they can't answer well I think. Please try it!

 

For many it is just popular image of Western people.

[rajeem 0]

I still fit into the gaijin word.

 

Also, for some people it seems, terrorist - because of my skin color and background.

[enderzero 0]

I personally tend to like to use the term, as it gives us a way to identify with each other even if we are from different countries. I don't particularly like the term "Western" and I cringe at the thought of saying "white," but we are all gaijin.

[MistaSparkle 0]

I thought I'd dig this thread up instead of starting a new one, but I had a pretty funny experience at a soubetsukai (coworker going away party) this past weekend...

 

One of the airhead OL's at my company had previously moved to a new company, and one of my coworkers casually asked her "are there any gaijin at your new company?" Her answer was "No, but there's a disabled person."

I was like "WTF! What's the connection there??"

 

(No offense to any disabled people here on the forum)

[xxx 2]

Thats outrageous!

[Stefan 0]

That's terrible, PC JUST DOESN'T exist in the Land of the Rising Sun. Annoys me too

 

No excuses for that kind of ignorance and stupidity!!!

[Ocean11 0]

"Are there any gaijin at your new company?"

"No, but there's a disabled person. And there's a tank of tropical fish in the lobby."

 

I think that's quite funny. She's obviously thinking in terms of 異物. The fly in the ointment.