HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: pascal@apd.cpg.sony.co.jp (Pascal Goguey)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Foreigner in Japan.
Date: 8 Sep 92 04:53:45 GMT
Distribution: soc.culture.japan
Organization: Sony Corporation,Communication Products Group Audio Products
	Div,Atsugi,Japan.


	Hi, everybody!

	I have a question to which noone of my Japanese colleagues could
give me a clear reply.
	I started living in Japan three years ago. My Japanese level, although
not very high, allows  me to communicate efficiently  in almost any situation,
and I'm able to read (slowly).
	However, every time I have something to ask to a Japanese person,
for example in the street, I get replied in English. Unfortunately, I'm not
English, neither American, and I was wondering why the Japanese think like :

	#define		white		American

	I know that there are a lot of Americans in Japan, maybe 50% of the
non-asian people (no idea), but even in this case, it means that the other
50% are not Americans.
	Furthermore, although I speak English as well, my Japanese s a lot
better.
	In England, although I must have a French accent, nobody replies to
me in French. In Germany as well. 

	Do the Japanese talk to me in English because they don't like that
foreigners speak their sacred language, or do they think that in any case,
their English is better than the Japanese of a yankee-like foreigner ?
        Is there (as I hope) another explanation ?
	What would Japanese think if they were systematically replied in
Chinese (which must be one of the first spoken languages in the world and
which must be the first spoken language of Asian people) when they go abroad.




	Just for fun : I found the following in a Mail :
	Save plants and animals. Eat a vegetarian today.
--
  Pascal Goguey  Sony Corporation  ($@GC9%7Z(J  $@8d7](J)
  Communication Products Group Audio Products Div
  Atsugi TEC, Japan

  Aucun homme n'est jamais assez fort pour ce calcul.
From: blamb@rodan.hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Attractive, Wealthy Japanese Woman Sought
Date: 10 Sep 92 15:10:02 GMT
Reply-To: blamb@rodan.hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Organization: Horizon Research


=> >In article <1992Sep9.062023.28070@usl.edu>, pssres12@ucs.usl.edu
=> >(Vignes Gerard M) writes:
=> >=> 
=> >=> 			     WANTED
=> >=> 
=> >=> ........
=> >=> 						Gerard
=> >=> 
=> >=> PS.	I tried sending this to Radio Japan,
=> >=> 	but they declined to air it.
=> >=> 	Does anyone know what Gajin means? 

=> blamb@rodan.hri.com (Bill Lambert - that's me) writes:
=> >Oh Gerard, you're such a card! Everyone knows "gaijin" is
=> >the Japanese word for "Cajun". Whatta guy!

In article <ricko.716116287@ee.uts.EDU.AU>, ricko@ee.uts.edu.au
(Rick Jelliffe) writes:
=> Gajin is a Japanese strong liqour made from juniper berries, and
=> much favoured by effeminate types. By extension it has come to
=> mean someone whose behaviour is erratic, proclivities suspect,
=> and morals poor. The tradition Japanes medicine for this involves
=> painting the thumbs black and smearing them onto special religious
=> paper (kami) which the sufferer must carry at all times, sealed
=> in plastic & with a photograph. This is often known as a Gajin card,
=> and it is like a cross between a Certificate of Insanity and a
=> good-luck charm.

Oh.... I stand corrected. Thanks for the info, Rick.

- Bill
From: kitagawa@will.ntt.jp (Masahiro Kitagawa)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Foreigner in Japan.
Date: 8 Sep 92 15:54:50 GMT
Distribution: soc.culture.japan
Organization: NTT Basic Research Labs., Tokyo, Japan

In article <PASCAL.92Sep8135345@ap22.apd.cpg.sony.co.jp> pascal@apd.cpg.sony.co.jp (Pascal Goguey) writes:

 |	  However, every time I have something to ask to a Japanese person,
 |for example in the street, I get replied in English. Unfortunately, I'm not
 |English, neither American, and I was wondering why the Japanese think like :
 |
 |	  #define		white		American

I think they reply in English NOT because they think you are English
or American. Most of junior high and high schools in Japan teach only
one foreign language --- English. Also they have a feeling that many
of foreigners in Japan can communicate in English even if they are not
English nor American nor white. I must confess that I share this
feeling and try English first. In academic community, it somehow
works. So, please don't take it too bad :-)

But if you are the first speaker and you speak in Japanese, I should
learn to reply in Japanese. And if it fails, try English, French,
Italian, Chinese and so on (if I could speak them at all :-)

Also there are some awkward occasions in telephone. Someone called me
up. I took a phone and answered to his question in great detail in
Japanese. It took me a minute or so until I finally noticed he didn't
understand my Japanese very well. I hadn't realized that he was not
Japanese because his first question was spoken in very natural
Japanese. I also had the similar experiences in opposite situation.
When I called up American professor, I spoke in English too fluently
because I practiced the same sentence again and again. (Otherwise I
couldn't :-). He thought I could understand English as well and spoke
at his full speed.

 |	  Furthermore, although I speak English as well, my Japanese s a lot
 |better.

Then, it would be better to tell "Eigo yorimo Nihongo no houga
hanasiyasui desu." rather than wondering why he/she speak in English.

 |	  In England, although I must have a French accent, nobody replies to
 |me in French. In Germany as well. 

In what language do you speak to them and in what language do they
reply ? Just wondering.

 |	  What would Japanese think if they were systematically replied in
 |Chinese (which must be one of the first spoken languages in the world and
 |which must be the first spoken language of Asian people) when they go abroad.

When I visited HongKong, I was often spoken in Cantonese (I guess).
Since I couldn't understand it at all, I replied in English. Some of
them seemed to believe that I was Chinese American. Not so bad :-)

It is difficult to judge the nationality from the appearance or even
from languages.

Oops, I remember you can read Japanese. I would have written in
Japanese if your article had been posted somewhere in fj newsgroups.

masa
					*--- **** ***-- *--* *-* *-*
Masahiro Kitagawa			$@KL@n(J $@>!9@(J	NTT$@4pAC8&5f=j(J
NTT Basic Research Labs.		kitagawa@will.NTT.JP
From: ntetsuya@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Nishimura)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Troublesome words (was Re: Mythology Gods)
Date: 12 Sep 92 06:11:49 GMT
Organization: Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO  80523


	Besides Yebi** in Russian, I heard that "katsuo (= bonito)" in Japanese
	is also troublesome in Italian (meaning a "male chicken" in English).

	Any other example of strange words that share the similar sounds in two
	langauges, i.e. between Japanese and English or whatever?

	For example:
		the name of the actress who was starring in "Flashdance"
		Jennifer Beals 
			 ^^^^^in Japanese reading "Bi^rusu" which is also the 
			      reading of an English word "virus" in Japanese.
			      (waa bi^rusu datte, byo^ki ni nariso^ :my friend)
 	
	I am a half curious and a half careful not to make someone embarassed.
	(Well, it might be 99% of curiousity??)  :->

					Tetsuya Nishimura
					(hope this does not offend anyone)
From: harkcom@spinach.pa.yokogawa.co.jp (Alton Harkcom)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Reentry permits (wasRe: registering marriages)
Date: 6 Sep 92 23:09:06 GMT
	<1992Sep3.071230.11803@westford.ccur.com>
	<WPM.92Sep3181916@exile.is.morgan.com>
	<1992Sep3.184220.15360@hamblin.math.byu.edu>
Organization: Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Tokyo, Japan
In-reply-to: luke@wombat.ee.byu.edu's message of 3 Sep 92 17:42:10 GMT

In article <1992Sep3.184220.15360@hamblin.math.byu.edu> luke@wombat.ee.byu.edu
   (David Luke) writes:

 =}According to info from the Immigration office at TCAT in Hakozaki (as of
 =}about three weeks ago), the single-entry permit now costs Y4000.

   I was wondering how the government would cover the 80 billion or so
they're shelling out for public spending to help stop the recession...  :)
[just kidding]

   Anyway, I'm glad I picked up my re-entry permit early (when it was still
3000 yen)...

 =}That was my impression.  I was in Japan for the summer with a 1-year visa,
 =}but my gaijin reg card was valid for 5 years.  I think that if you give up
 =}the card (which equates to leaving without a re-entry permit), that your
 =}visa is rendered null and void, and the only way to get back into the 
 =}country on a visa is to re-apply at the neighborhood consulate for a new
 =}visa.  

   If you do not apply for a re-entry permit then you have shown your
intention of leaving Japan.  Technically this is the end of your visa
as it is good for one stay in Japan (though possibly with multiple
re-entries).  This would mean having to apply for a new visa to get
back in (unless you can get away with it of course :)...  We have the
same thing in the US (I-20 or something like that).
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: sala8864@hgc.edu (gustavo salas)
Subject: Re: Any Japanese Pussy Available?
Organization: The Hartford Graduate Center
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 14:52:07 GMT

In article <17tq4jINN8o9@agate.berkeley.edu> lindaa@omen.Berkeley.EDU (Linda Absher) writes:
>In article <1992Aug31.031359.12423@ccu.umanitoba.ca> umsalte2@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Mystery) writes:
>>
>>
>>I really need a virgin Japanese, hightec cunt!!!!!!
>>
>
>I find this little comment unbelievably offensive...
>
>Go away.....

Yea, buzz off 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: k3amichi@student.business.uwo.ca (Kentaro Nakamichi)
Subject: Re: Kanemaru's Resignation
Organization: University of Western Ontario
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 23:22:08 GMT

I heard through the grapevine that Kanemaru just resigned for taking 
bribes in the Sagawa Transportation scandal.  Since I don't get any 
Japanese papers, maybe somebody will be so polite as to fill me in on the 
particulars.  Thanks in advance.


k3amichi@student.business.uwo.ca (Kentaro Nakamichi)
Western Business School  --  London, Ontario
From: kanekawa@oahu.cs.ucla.edu (Nobuyasu Kanekawa)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Troublesome words (was Re: Mythology Gods)
Date: 12 Sep 92 16:24:18 GMT
Organization: UCLA, Computer Science Department

ntetsuya@lamar.ColoState.EDU (Nishimura) writes:
: 
: 	Any other example of strange words that share the similar sounds in two
: 	langauges, i.e. between Japanese and English or whatever?
: 

An English word "ch*nch*n" (speech, cheers!) means a "male chicken" 
in Japanese.

Many Japanese tend to pronounce "Calpis"(Japanese lactic acid beverage) 
as "cow pi..(beep)".

"taverner" and a Greek word "taverna"(restaurant) coincide with a
Japanese word "Taberuna" meaning "do not eat".

I often see signs of "CALL B*X" in freeways. Does CHP admit
prostitution ?  :-)

A Danish word "mad"(food) happens to mean crazy in English.  So you will 
see many racially offensive messages as "Japansk mad", "Amerisk mad" etc
in Denmark. :-)

Good news !!!

In article <1992Sep10.041837.9779@usl.edu> pssres12@ucs.usl.edu (Vignes Gerard M) writes:
>		A  REWARD  OF  $10,000   FOR  INFORMATION

Mr. Vignes Gerard seems to have found an excellent patroness, a WEALTHY
Japanese woman to afford the reward.  :-)

Nobuyasu KANEKAWA
From: smittie@beach.csulb.edu (Smittie)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: travelling
Date: 13 Sep 92 00:00:26 GMT
	<jwb.716079713@capek.rdt.monash.edu.au>
Organization: Cal State Long Beach

Maybe things have changed but in 1987 when my parents cam to visit me they
purchased a Japan Rail Pass. They paid extra for a pass that allowed them to
use the Green Car when traveling on the ShinKanSen (Bullet Train). They went by
Green Car all over the place.

smittie
-- 
___________________________________________________________________________
GEnie, MCI, AOL:Smittie   All of these accounts except MCI will die on or
smittie@beach.csulb.edu   about Dec 31. UNIX will be forwarded for 2 weeks.
___________________________________________________________________________
From: htakeda@Bonnie.ICS.UCI.EDU
Subject: video/tv
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Date: 15 Sep 92 01:34:18 GMT

As most of you probably know there are video stores here
in S. Cal that rent tapes of Japanese programs.  Are there
Japanese counterpart of this in Japan, where they se
oops
they rent tapes of US TV shows?  And I don't meant th
the awful dubbed versions of "family ties" or "moonlighting".
I want to know if there are such video stores that
cater to the English speaking population in Tokyo?
and if so Where?
Thanks
HIRO
===============================================================
htakeda@bonnie.ics.uci.edu

HIRO "The HAB" Takeda
GO Montreal Canadiens, Kokudo Keikaku Bunnies, Taiyo Whales,
Montreal Expos, and the Dallas Cowboys.
UC Irvine, Electrical and Comp. Engin., Info. and Comp. Science.
"What good is a used up world and how can it be worth having?"
ALL THIS TIME - STING
===============================================================
From: blamb@rodan.hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Yo! Mr. Baseball
Date: 9 Sep 92 20:27:14 GMT
Reply-To: blamb@rodan.hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Organization: Horizon Research

In article <18lju2INN10d@agate.berkeley.edu>, lindaa@sooth.Berkeley.EDU
(Linda Absher) writes:

> Now about that new Tom Selleck movie, "Mr. Baseball" wherein 
> Mr. Selleck confronts those "crazy" Japanese their "wacky" attitudes
> about life and baseball (complete with the pre-requisite scene of
> Mr. Selleck being bathed by beautiful and petite Japanese woman), any
> thoughts and/or comments?

Yeah.... stick to Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. They don't pretend
to have any basis in reality, the heroines are usually built like
Olympic Hammer throwers, and Arnold rarely if ever takes a bath.

Linda, I know what you're getting at, but if we tried to see only
Hollywood movies that didn't contain stereo-types, we wouldn't see
any movies at all.

So write them (those crazy movie folks) a letter, and tell them what
you think. Don't hold anything back.... they can take it.

PS - I wish I had a nickel for every time someone joked - upon hearing
that my wife was Japanese, "Does she walk on your back?"

- Bill Lambert
From: smittie@beach.csulb.edu (Smittie)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: Japanese immigration
Date: 13 Sep 92 04:11:51 GMT
	<1653@frf.omron.co.jp>
	<1992Sep10.034555.11239@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
Organization: Cal State Long Beach

>If an immigration officer is rude or arrogant that person is not doing their
>job! Remember .. the customer is always right. If I were a Japanese tourism or
>trade official ... I'd think every visitor who tried to enter the country
>legally would be a 'customer'.

This is a rather common error. The immigration official does not work for the
board of tourism and his job is not to promote tourism. The immigration is not
the Japan Welcome Committee. The immigration officer of any country is employed
to make sure that only those people who have been granted permission by proper
authority enter and/or remain in that country. And to that end some people
employed in this capacity find it to their advantage to be short and rude with
everyone. We may not agree with this and we can complain to the tourism sector
of the government. They will then try to put pressure on the immigration sector
of the government. Whether this pressure is effective or not is another matter.
But in the end, the immigration official's job is to make sure that you have
proper authorization to enter the country, period.

smittie
-- 
___________________________________________________________________________
GEnie, MCI, AOL:Smittie   All of these accounts except MCI will die on or
smittie@beach.csulb.edu   about Dec 31. UNIX will be forwarded for 2 weeks.
___________________________________________________________________________
From: astbc@acad2.alaska.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Car companies
Date: 13 Sep 92 07:22:08 GMT
Organization: University of Alaska

Hello folks,

I just want to ask about the Japanese car companies.
What are thecar companies that are held partialy or completly by the goverment?

Thanks

Mr le K.
astbc@acad2.alaska.edu

PS: If you could send the answer by reply insteed of posting. I would
apritiate. 
Thanks.
From: jp@wuntvor.norman.ok.us (J.P.)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: savings accounts
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 92 21:44:38 CDT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Eternal Apprentice BBS, Norman, OK

       I have a question.  For Americans travelling in Japan, are there ATM's
available?  What networks are most common, and can US ATM cards be used?


--
jp@wuntvor.norman.ok.us (J.P.)
The Eternal Apprentice BBS, Norman, OK -- +1 405 325 9607
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: fester@island.COM (Mike Fester)
Subject: Re: cause of US participation in WWII
Organization: /usr/local/rn/organization
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 15:06:07 GMT

In article <MS-C.716408752.377401575.mrc@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU> Mark Crispin <mrc@Tomobiki-Cho.CAC.Washington.EDU> writes:
>Dave McLane suffers from a serious case of miscomprehension when he makes the
>statement that `Pearl Harbor was not a minor incident, but was certainly not
>solely responsible for America going to war in the Pacific.'

I guess I missed that post. I have heard people on the net talk as if war
with Japan was inevitable, and Japan merely struck the first blow. I disagree
with that.

>BEFORE the US declared war on Japan, Germany, and Italy, the three Axis powers
>had already declared war on the US.  Pearl Harbor was not a raid by Japan to
>say `do not think of making war on Japan' -- it was the first blow of war that
>was unleashed by Japan against the US.  The Philippines and other US
>territories in the Pacific were already under attack as Congress was debating
>whether or not to declare war (a no-brainer, but it still took 30 minutes to
>go through the formalities).

Germany and Italy declared war several days after Pearl Harbor. Why Hitler 
did that is a matter of some speculation.

As for a raid by Japan to dissuade the US from a long war with Japan, well, 
that's basically what it was designed to do. Along with the attacks on the 
US bases in The Phillipines, and the siezure of the Malaysian oil fields, the
Japanese were planning to deal the US a devastating blow, put her in a lousy
strategic position and Japan in an undefeatable position. Several in the Japan-
ese high command (including Yamamoto) argued vociferously against it.

>The only way that the US could have avoided participation in WWII after Pearl
>Harbor would have been to surrender.  And not just to Japan.  Since Germany
>and Italy had already declared war they would want their cut of the spoils
>too.

What spoils would those have been (for Germany and Italy)?

>Prior to Pearl Harbor there was a significant peace movement in the US that
>was determined to prevent US participation in the war.  It was one of the
>issues of the previous year's presidential elections.  It is quite likely that
>in the absence of Pearl Harbor that the US would have stood by, content only
>to send some arms to the UK, USSR, and China.

Content? Not hardly. It's no secret that we wanted in the European war. Any
excuse Germany would have given us would have been eagerly pounced upon by
FDR (IMO, rightfully so). The Pacific War was an unnecessary distraction to 
us.

Mike
-- 
Disclaimer - I'm only doing what the little voices tell me to do. 
Xref: sparky soc.culture.japan:7916 sci.lang.japan:4079
From: rcleon@svbs01.bs.win.tue.nl (Leon Oninckx)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan,sci.lang.japan
Subject: Penpals & penpalbureaus in Japan wanted
Date: 10 Sep 92 16:14:16 GMT
Reply-To: rcleon@bs.win.tue.nl
Followup-To: soc.culture.japan
Organization: Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands

Hi, my name is Leon and I'm 24 years old. I'm looking for penpals in Japan
or for addresses of Japanese penpalbureaus. My address (both postal mail
and Email) is included at the end of this posting.
Thanks,
-Leon
--
| Leon Oninckx, Pennendijk 7, NL-4851 VB  Ulvenhout, The Netherlands
| Email : rcleon@win.tue.nl
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: fester@island.COM (Mike Fester)
Subject: Re: Racism in Japan
Organization: /usr/local/rn/organization
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 16:46:33 GMT

In article <SMITTIE.92Sep4115442@tui.csulb.edu> smittie@beach.csulb.edu (Smittie) writes:
	[much deleted]
	
>Working from this definition of racism I notice something rather pecular about
>the very nature of racism as observed in Japan especially during the
>militaristic period during the 1930's and early 1940's. Racism as observed in
>the West tends to focus on how the racialized group is different. The West
>usually seeks to demostrate and prove that the racialized group as somehow not
>as good. For example, "blacks are stupid" focuses on how "blacks" are
>different. Likewise, "Mexicans are lazy" focuses again on how "Mexicans" are
>different. In the West explicit reference to the racialized group is used to
>imply that "Whites" are superior. The message is still that "Whites" are
>superior but the message is implicit. The Japanese message is explicit in
>nature with regard to their own superiority and implicit with regard to all
>others.

A bit of a correction here; you use the word "West" when it is apparent you
mean "US". The concept of race in Europe appears MUCH closer to the Japanese
concept you describe later. The Germans (Nazis) constantly referred to the
Jewish race, when by your (ie, US) definition, they are not a separate race
at all. Given the ethnic conflicts in various parts of Europe today, it seems
obvious that their definition of race is not limited to black/white/brown/
yellow/etc. 

Mike

-- 
Disclaimer - I'm only doing what the little voices tell me to do.
From: jp@wuntvor.norman.ok.us (J.P.)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Re: travelling
Date: 15 Sep 92 02:28:02 GMT
Organization: The Eternal Apprentice BBS, Norman, OK


       What is the Green Car on the Shinkansen?


--
jp@wuntvor.norman.ok.us (J.P.)
The Eternal Apprentice BBS, Norman, OK -- +1 405 447 3772
From: robohen@ocf.berkeley.edu (Henry Robertson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: flame wars
Date: 9 Sep 1992 05:39:33 GMT
Organization: U.C. Berkeley Open Computing Facility
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: sandstorm.berkeley.edu

YES, exactly!  CCP and JIA go to hell!

Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
From: smittie@beach.csulb.edu (Smittie)
Subject: Re: Women's Movement in Japan
Organization: Cal State Long Beach
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1992 04:43:40 GMT

Gee, thanks for sharing!

Might I get you to expound, just a wee bit, on this issue? You might start by
demonstrating some connection between declining birth rates and the Women's
Movement or some connection between the delay of marriage and the Women's
Movement.

smittie
-- 
___________________________________________________________________________
GEnie, MCI, AOL:Smittie   All of these accounts except MCI will die on or
smittie@beach.csulb.edu   about Dec 31. UNIX will be forwarded for 2 weeks.
___________________________________________________________________________
From: tad2@Ra.MsState.Edu (Terry A. Donaghe)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.japan
Subject: Question about Jobs...
Date: 9 Sep 92 18:47:37 GMT
Organization: Mississippi State University

Where would a person who will graduate May 1993 with a degree in
Communications and a working knowledge of Japanese look for a job
that would allow him use this knowledge (also a working knowledge of
writing and reading japanese)?  I also have a technical background
(21 hours of math, 9 hours physics, computer literate, programming
 literate, electronics literate).  Are there Japanese media companies
that hire American writers/journalists/technical writers?  I'm not sure
I could translate technical papers upon graduation, but I could given
adequate training.

Where should I look?  Who should I contact?

Am I barking up a bad tree?  :)


Please Email to:
Terry Donaghe
tad2@ra.msstate.edu