I just happened upon a webpage that discusses an interesting occurance when you live as a foreigner in Japan: the urge to acknowledge a fellow foreigner when you see them. There's always a question of whether to nod their way or not. Always. The page as a bunch of different people's take on the "gaijin problem": http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=846
Personally, I nod or smile when I see another foreigner (gaijin)- at least when I catch their eye. Living here, you just know that another gaijin living in Japan is sharing similiar experiences, so there's a weird connection. On the other hand, if you see them in your own small town, you sometimes feel as if they're encroaching on your territory, like, "hel-lo! I'm the token gaijin of this here county, got it??"
Steve has dubbed this urge to make eye contact with other gaijin as the "gaijin stare". However, (according to Steve) it can also refer to the way the Japanese tend to stare at any and all gaijin. Since most people (Japanese and otherwise) assume Steve is Japanese, he doesn't get 'the stare'. I know that (at least when he first arrived), this was odd for him. When he went out alone, no one would look at him, and he felt they should be looking, because, after all, he was just as much a foreigner as me. When we'd walk down the street together, he'd always notice how much people stared at me, though I can't say I have ever noticed this that much. He also feels the same urge as me to smile at his fellow gaijin, but they assume he's Japanese too! So he misses out sometimes on the weird connection you can make with just a moment of eye contact with other gaijin.
Once, when I was walking down the street in Osaka, I saw this middle-aged guy (a 'traveler type') and he caught my eye and just smiled and gave me a 'thumbs up'. It sounds so corny, but it really made me smile. In two seconds- and a single gesture- we both knew exactly where the other person was coming from.
On the webpage I mentioned above, someone says that they have lived in other Asian countries, but only experienced this 'gaijin' issue in Japan and that there was something unique about the country that makes you feel the need to acknowledge fellow foreigners. I'd believe it. It's one of the reasons I can't quite feel at home here, but its interesting nonetheless.
Personally, I nod or smile when I see another foreigner (gaijin)- at least when I catch their eye. Living here, you just know that another gaijin living in Japan is sharing similiar experiences, so there's a weird connection. On the other hand, if you see them in your own small town, you sometimes feel as if they're encroaching on your territory, like, "hel-lo! I'm the token gaijin of this here county, got it??"
Steve has dubbed this urge to make eye contact with other gaijin as the "gaijin stare". However, (according to Steve) it can also refer to the way the Japanese tend to stare at any and all gaijin. Since most people (Japanese and otherwise) assume Steve is Japanese, he doesn't get 'the stare'. I know that (at least when he first arrived), this was odd for him. When he went out alone, no one would look at him, and he felt they should be looking, because, after all, he was just as much a foreigner as me. When we'd walk down the street together, he'd always notice how much people stared at me, though I can't say I have ever noticed this that much. He also feels the same urge as me to smile at his fellow gaijin, but they assume he's Japanese too! So he misses out sometimes on the weird connection you can make with just a moment of eye contact with other gaijin.
Once, when I was walking down the street in Osaka, I saw this middle-aged guy (a 'traveler type') and he caught my eye and just smiled and gave me a 'thumbs up'. It sounds so corny, but it really made me smile. In two seconds- and a single gesture- we both knew exactly where the other person was coming from.
On the webpage I mentioned above, someone says that they have lived in other Asian countries, but only experienced this 'gaijin' issue in Japan and that there was something unique about the country that makes you feel the need to acknowledge fellow foreigners. I'd believe it. It's one of the reasons I can't quite feel at home here, but its interesting nonetheless.
posted by riverdaughter at
9:50 PM
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