The guy who runs the site called The Daily Top 10, a Canadian who has lived in Japan for over seven years, has put out a list of the top ten ways that foreigners perceive the Japanese.
Here is his list. . . Anything missing?
10. The Japanese are some of the coolest, kindest and most hospitable people on the planet.
9. The Japanese exist in their own little orbit and don’t really care about anything outside their own little world.
8. Japanese people are incredibly dedicated and hardworking.
7. Japanese people work hard, but not smart.
6. Japanese women are so hot.
5. I can’t figure out if they’re either really shy or just incredibly racist.
4. Compared to North America, no one in Japan is fat.
3. God forbid they should eat something other than Japanese food!
2. For the Japanese, appearances are everything.
1. The Japanese can’t think outside the box.
How prevalent is number three in people’s minds? There’s no shortage of foreign foods available in Japan, albeit it modified to fit local tastes (i.e. less spicy).
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Number six is wrong. Japanese women look like they only made it halfway through puberty, and orthodontics seems to be foreign to them. They’re not totally keen on dental hygiene either. Floss shouldn’t come with instructions, but in Japan it does. I know Americans are a bit too concerned with hygiene, but come on!
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When was the last time you were in Japan, Paul? This is a serious question–just curious.
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What’s missing is the fact that there is at least a grain of truth in every statement, but also that no country’s citizens are all the same so each is also a misrepresentation when you look at individuals. Also, most of these are statements the Japanese themselves perpetuate as myths or “facts”, including the negative ones.
here is a funny twist on this list..put a blank on every line that says “Japanese”, and you can paint a picture of the entire world through the eyes of small mind
Paul, it’s not about “right” or “wrong,” these are supposed perceptions of Japan that are common in foreigners. And I certainly know plenty of American men who believe all Japanese women are hot (I’m inclined to agree with them, usually).
@feitclub #3 is not something I would think of the japanese, except perhaps the elderly. Otherwise those are if I am to be truthful all prejudices I also hold to some degree (well, I’m leaning towards racist on #5)
I think feitclub is correct. The list is not saying this is the way Japanese people are, it is a list of common perceptions that people outside of Japan hold about the Japanese.
I would argue that there is more than a grain of truth behind #3. It’s not that Japanese don’t like different cuisines, because there is tremendous variety in Japan, it’s more of the exceptionalist tendencies one sees in Japanese abroad. It’s pretty hard to find a business standard hotel in Asia that doesn’t have a Japanese restaurant and I think that’s largely because a lot of Japanese travelers prefer Japanese food.
@rubytarbles Doesn’t those same hotels have a western style restaurent? I believe it’s much more common for the business traveller to try and seek out familiar food than it is a regular traveller or how they would eat at home. Mostly because when you are abroad, you do not wish to take any chances on food that can ompact the business you are abroad to attend to. Not that I have any facts to back up this theory.