他の外人に対する意見 - Foreigner's feelings toward other foreigners

Upon arriving in Japan, you have a sensory overload and you just give yourself over to the experience - everything is new, punctual, exotic, and interesting (alcohol in vending machines!!!). Then once you stay awhile, from 5 months up to 12 months, you begin to settle in, but it still maintains that hypnotic atmosphere and exoticism. While in my fugue state here in Osaka, I have been in constant awe of Japan, the Kansai area in particular, be it for its history, architecture, transportation system, fashion, etc. All this isn't really what I want to touch on in this post though; what I want to talk about is the way in which gaijin (foreigners, that is) perceive each other in Japan.

My interest in this niche of expatriate culture was piqued by this post over at Japan Probe. I think there are a lot of feelings of resentment among gaijin towards other gaijin in Japan, whether it is validated or not is another issue. I think the underpinning of this issue is the feeling that each gaijin here wants to have the perception(delusion?) that he/she is the only foreigner in Japan. This contempt for other foreigners can be evidenced by casting dispersions on men who date Japanese women, sending bad vibes and stares, possessing an inferiority complex (worrying about other gaijin getting women, wealth, friends, or even happiness instead of themselves), and limiting dialogue with other foreigners, among others.

Not all of the reasons for disliking other gaijin are baseless, however; my friends and I have come across several personfications of the quintessential delinquent (不良) gaijin that show no cultural barometer or perception of their ambassador status. What is even more depressing is the fact that the aforementioned foreigners are almost always Americans. These foreigners are the source of the persona non grata standing that some (not many, thankfully) Japanese people have of gaijin.

I guess the overall impetus for this post was to highlight the fact that this kind of jockish hostility, "MY Japan"ism, superiority/inferiority ridiculousness exists in Japan. I just hope that I don't fall prey to this kind of failed judgment, identity crisis drama, and chest-pumping.

From here on, I will focus on the good; I just wanted to get this off my chest.