This is kind of an awkward question. You see, I'm a plain white guy from the US, but I have a strange interest in Japan. I dream of going there. I dream of speaking the language. I plan on taking a Japanese class this year in college. I watch jdoramas when nobody is around. I realize this is all kind of unusual. I don't really talk about any of it much, because people generally think I'm weird or they just don't understand. So, I guess what I'd like to ask is: Are there others like me? Am I just a freak? If I ever venture over to Japan in my life, could I possibly fit in?

TrigunX89 wrote:

This is kind of an awkward question. You see, I'm a plain white guy from the US, but I have a strange interest in Japan. I dream of going there. I dream of speaking the language. I plan on taking a Japanese class this year in college. I watch jdoramas when nobody is around. I realize this is all kind of unusual. I don't really talk about any of it much, because people generally think I'm weird or they just don't understand. So, I guess what I'd like to ask is: Are there others like me? Am I just a freak? If I ever venture over to Japan in my life, could I possibly fit in?

I have only visited, not resided, in Japan and I'm Asian, so someone will have to give you the advice you are seeking. However I just wanted to say that being fond of the Japanese culture, the people, and the country is nothing to be ashamed of. Just remember though in every culture there is good and bad, and one should always keep an open mind.

TrigunX89 wrote:

This is kind of an awkward question. You see, I'm a plain white guy from the US, but I have a strange interest in Japan. I dream of going there. I dream of speaking the language. I plan on taking a Japanese class this year in college. I watch jdoramas when nobody is around. I realize this is all kind of unusual. I don't really talk about any of it much, because people generally think I'm weird or they just don't understand. So, I guess what I'd like to ask is: Are there others like me? Am I just a freak? If I ever venture over to Japan in my life, could I possibly fit in?

while you might not be in the majority with re: to your recreational interests or hobbies ...i don't think you are a freak by any stretch of the imagination...perhaps 10-15 years ago it might have been even stranger for caucausians to be interested in japanese popular culture when japanese animation (anime) was a strange, different form of art uncommon and unknown to most....but now the global tour de force that anime has become (along with videogames) has allowed it to be a cultural ambassador for Japan throughout the world and what i call a "gateway" into other forms of Japanese entertainment such as Japanese music, Japanese doramas, fashion, etc. Now anime and videogames are BOTH multi-billion dollar industries in America in their own right.

i don't know what part of the country you come from...but if you were in California or New York, for example, where ppl are more lilberated in terms of acceptance of different ideas and cultures i don't think it would be considered so weird. there are a lot of students, caucasian or otherwise, who go abroad to study in japan...that is nothing new or weird....

so in my humble opinion ~ no you are not weird...i think you maybe think that way because maybe the ppl around you might not share your interests but trust me if you ever went to an animation convention were there are tens of thousands people that love Japanese popular culture you'd see that

as far as fitting in Japan...i've only visited Japan myself as well but fitting in is a subjective thing...i don't think you would necessarily feel rejected but you have to understand that Japan is one of the most racially homogenous societies in the world...that is Japan is almost exclusively Japanese...but you are bound to find a healthy number of Americans and other foreigners studying or working in Japan if you stay in Tokyo...i mean when i went to Japan my friend and I ran into some Americans on the subway and we even found out they were from Southern California too...a total chance meeting in Tokyo....


so in summary, don't be so hard on yourself...it's a big world out there and just because you may feel solitary in your recreational pursuits you are not alone.

Not too sure why this is in the Learn Japanese forum...

Moving.

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TrigunX89 wrote:

This is kind of an awkward question. You see, I'm a plain white guy from the US, but I have a strange interest in Japan. I dream of going there. I dream of speaking the language. I plan on taking a Japanese class this year in college. I watch jdoramas when nobody is around. I realize this is all kind of unusual. I don't really talk about any of it much, because people generally think I'm weird or they just don't understand. So, I guess what I'd like to ask is: Are there others like me? Am I just a freak? If I ever venture over to Japan in my life, could I possibly fit in?

You kinda just described me too. No, you aren't a freak. In short w/out *too* much detail, I always had an interest in j-language and culture which started over 12 years ago when I was briefly learning a Japanese martial art. I couldn't continue w/ the martial art nor find a resource to learn anything. Fast-forward to years later....

In college I found we oddly had Japanese language courses (few, just intro), and a couple Japanese culture classes. In the end I minored in Japanese b/c my teacher (a native Japanese) was new to the school and pushed for a Japanese minor b/c we barely had anything like that. I was one of the first @ my school to complete it. My intermediate classes had only 4 people in it: Me (average caucasian female...people wouldn't pin me as "the type"), another caucasian female (honor's student, "Japanese culture = anime, I know all about Japan from anime"), a Korean girl, and a native Japanese girl looking for an easy A.

3 summers ago, I studied abroad in Tokyo for 3 months (yeah, uh, a summer). Fun times. I miss studying and using Japanese a LOT. I was able to get by day to day but of course got stuck sometimes and needed help. I could do basic convo and reading, but I can easily say that my ability was much more than was expected from me by natives, sadly. I *barely* pulled off buying a cell phone and choosing a contract for me and 2 other non-Japanese speaking people. I totally winged it though....bwahaha. I could do just about everything in basic daily life, sometimes w/ preparation w/ a dictionary though

I started watching subbed dramas a tiny bit before taking the language. I never told anybody, and I kinda kept it secret for a LONG time. I collected tons of it over the years. My close friends know and I'm more open about it now. My friends have become accepting of it but they don't join in to watch with me or anything. They do like hearing random tidbits about culture and my experiences over there though.

But, you should be well prepared before you go to Japan or anything because obviously, it's a different country. You never know what to expect. Take a few language and culture classes first. Also, talk to people who have been there. I would never tell just any random person "Go to Japan!", b/c not everybody can handle/understand some of the ways/things there. Sometimes you just go "Japan is so weird", lol. I had no problems and few surprises, but I was fairly well-prepared before going and had a great time. Please do learn basic Japanese and use it there. It was so frustrating seeing foreigners not even make an effort. Many of the students I studied abroad with were NOT able to speak more than 10 words of Japanese. I knew 2 others who were able to function as I could (one kid was better).

This is sadly nostalgic for me. Now I'm in the working world and am done school.......I haven't been in a Japanese class for almost 3 years now and work full-time where I never use Japanese and don't have time for much else other than work. I haven't spoken the language in probably over a year as well. Yeesh. I used to be able to watch most raw shows and pull out 80% of the dialogue from watching shows and my language classes. T__T

I'll probably post in this thread again.

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate the feedback. And might I say that you have a very interesting story, Kou.

There's one thing I've noticed in several tv shows. That is, a foreigner will approach, and the Japanese person will get freaked out. It's usually funny, but it makes me wonder. I'm used to being minority (I don't have any white friends) but this is America. People of all backgrounds come here, and rascism is still ever present. It's a whole different story in Japan, and I just don't know how gaijin are accepted there. I'm not talking about just packing up and moving there or anything. I just want to visit. And before I go, I'll need a lot of education. But sometimes I wonder about this stuff.

I'm drunk.

I wish I could relate and give advice however, unfortunately I can't. Being that I'm of Japanese decent and not being able to 'experience' what people of other ethnicities go through with in terms of embracing the Japanese culture.

Perhaps Kokuou could shed some of his experiences on this topic?
That dude is a white cat who mastered the Japanese language, and lived in Japan for quite some time.

However, as I said, I'm drunk. So if the substance of my post is of low quality or of little relevance, please disregard. I just skimmed through the whole thread (in my current drunken state of mind) because I couldn't read it in its entirety. haha, for a while I was triple, which is why I just skimmed through whatever I could.
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Like Kou said, you sound a lot like me. I don't know where you live, but one advantage of living in L.A. is that you can jump over to Little Tokyo and some places in O.C. and Gardena and run into nothing but Japanese people.(when I get done here I'm going over to Mitsuwa in Torrance) But there's nothing wrong with you, hell, EVERYBODY is weird in one way or another.

Edit: Just got back from Mitsuwa and there were 2 other points I wanted to make:

1) If you think you're weird, check out some of triky's posts! and 2) Look at me, I'm in love with an alien!!!

LOL Now I don't feel so "weird" or different. Nice to see there are other people like me around.

I'm a 43 year old Australian male, and like you, I would love to go to Japan someday. I started getting interested in Japan when my son got interested in anime, and I did some research into it. Now, i'm an anime fan and he has lost interest lol. From anime sites I discivered J Drama, and i've now downloaded and watched a few J Dramas (All of GTO, and some others). That's how I found this site.I'm currently learning to speak Japanese with the Pimsleur CD's, which isn't easy for me, but fortunately I can do the lessons while driving to/from work (1 hour each way). The company I work for has many Japanese suppliers, and i'm hoping I can converse with them next time one of them comes to visit. What I would REALLY like is to get sent to Japan on a business trip.... that would be cool.

Wow, this is cool! Now I don't feel so alone.

hiya there
i've got a male caucasian friend who's very much into japanese culture. we used to learn japanese together. at that time, i realized that caucasians find it harder to learn japanese than asians, but he learnt it anyway. well, he ended up going to japan to teach english about 2 yrs ago. his japanese is now much better than mine and he seems to be enjoying life over there ~

so i guess even tho i myself can't relate to your problem, i can say that you're not a freak at all. just do whatever you want to do and enjoy life ...

gaijin mark wrote:

I don't know where you live, but one advantage of living in L.A. is that you can jump over to Little Tokyo and some places in O.C. and Gardena and run into nothing but Japanese people.(when I get done here I'm going over to Mitsuwa in Torrance) But there's nothing wrong with you, hell, EVERYBODY is weird in one way or another. [/list]

Living in Washington DC, there are groups of JPNese living here. Altho not as big a population as California, there is a significant amount. Also, having lived in JPN about 3 yrs, i noticed that the JPNese people, in general are kinda different from, say, JPNese-americans. Not a good meaning, not a bad meaning, but I think that is just the way it should be.

The mores and attitudes that are involved in living in JPN is totally different from living in America. Ask anyone who has been to JPN for a signinificant amount of time and they will concur as well.

Just my 2 yen,

- niko
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niko2x wrote

Quote:

noticed that the JPNese people, in general are kinda different from, say, JPNese-americans. Not a good meaning, not a bad meaning

Yeah, I've noticed at Dodger games Japanese tourists are different from Japanese-Americans, which I think is cool!

gaijin mark wrote:

Like Kou said, you sound a lot like me. I don't know where you live, but one advantage of living in L.A. is that you can jump over to Little Tokyo and some places in O.C. and Gardena and run into nothing but Japanese people.(when I get done here I'm going over to Mitsuwa in Torrance) But there's nothing wrong with you, hell, EVERYBODY is weird in one way or another. Edit: Just got back from Mitsuwa and there were 2 other points I wanted to make: 1) If you think you're weird, check out some of triky's posts! and 2) Look at me, I'm in love with an alien!!!

nice...

niko2x wrote:

Just my 2 yen, - niko

2 yen? anta ga takai desu.

Jeez-oh bud. You make it sound like watching Japanese dramas and being interested in Japan is almost the same thing as watching and being interested in porn.

Something to be hidden away from those who would shun you if they found out.

I'm about as white a guy as you're gonna find. I love Japanese Drama. (I started watching movies and moved onto TV dramas when I'd cleared the racks at the local video stores. Never got into anime.)

I don't speak Japanese... though I've picked up a little bit (a very little bit)over the years of watching the shows.

I've become more interested in the Japanese culture simply because the more I watch, the more I learn.

And as for going to Japan... I doubt I ever will. I suspect the Japanese don't come equipted with subtitles in real life.

Are we alone in liking this stuff? Well, check d-addicts to see how many people who don't speak Japanese watch this stuff.

You might also check the Norwegian, Spanish, French, and German threads of d-addicts to see how many people from other countries gobble up Japanese TV.
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Geezer wrote:

I suspect the Japanese don't come equipted with subtitles in real life.

true but that never stopped you from watching the occasional RAW episodes did it? in any event, althougth the ppl don't come equipped with subs, you can definitely get by in japan without "subs."

tee hee you arent strange at all. i am japanese black and white so talk about a weird combo. anyway! just b/c you like these things doesnt make you weird. you should be pride of who you are and shout out to the world you are a JDORAMA FAN AND PROUD!! tee hee.


anyway! i am an eyeshine fan as well! i met them and am friends with the drummer lol

Japan, ah..the memories...hmm....damn house of mirrors..i was lost for 3 hours. Im a mut, im mixed with many things. Part american, part japanses, some black o.o..don't ask, irish, british, german, and other stuff. -eats pocky-

Tu_triky

Should I ever get the urge to visit a foreign country, I'll get my shots, my passport, a couple of phrase books, take a stiff shot of whiskey... and risk a short trip to Western Canada. (Adventure is not my middle name.)

gaijin mark

Quote:

Yeah, I've noticed at Dodger games Japanese tourists are different from Japanese-Americans, which I think is cool!

Might have something to do with the fact that one group is Japanese and the other are Americans.
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