From: fester@island.COM (Mike Fester)
Subject: Re: Mr. Baseball (Again!)
Organization: /usr/local/rn/organization
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 16:08:53 GMT

In article <1992Oct3.001451.12880@til.til.com> tanaka@til.til.com (Yokichi Tanaka) writes:
>In article <1agjq0INNe07@agate.berkeley.edu>, robohen@ocf.berkeley.edu (Henry Robertson) writes:
>|> The 4ner complex--I can testify for that.  As a young man walking alone,
>|> when I enter stores or restaurants, I do notice that people seem kind of 
>|> defnsive.  It was like the treatment I would get in the US were I a 
>|> black man doing the same thing.
>
>Huh?  I think the primary reason why sales people or waitresses
>may shy away from foreigners is because he/she thinks his/her English
>isn't good enough and doesn't want to make a fool of him/herself in
>front of his/her co-workers.  Not out of hatred or racism, but just
>the fear of embarrassment.  Embarrassment is a great motivator in
>Japan.  Nihon = "haji no shakai"

Well, I believe we had this discussion recently. Being able to speak Japanese
is no guarantee of getting good treatment from a waiter/waitress in Japan.

>|> One time in Kanda, Tokyo, a woman did 
>|> clearly run from me into a parking lot building,

>Are you sure she was running from you because you were a foreigner?
>I find that very hard to believe ... especially in Tokyo.  Maybe
>you looked like Tom Selleck, and seeing you reminded her that 
>Magnum PI was coming on in a few minutes.  Maybe it was that
>blood-stained knife you were carrying. :-)  People in most parts
>of Tokyo no longer are startled at the sight of a foreigner ...
>if you were, they'd think you were an "inaka-mono".  On the
>other hand, I can believe that small kids may hide from foreigners,
>or for that matter anyone they don't know.  My daughter does that.

While that's basically true in Tokyo, in the nearby regions (Soka, Kawasaki, 
etc), such behavior is not all that uncommon.

>|> and another time in Kanda,
>|> the hotel told me that there's no bathing facilities in the hotel (and
>|> there turned out to be an onsen in the basement).

>This is somewhat more plausible.  It could be that a) they thought
>foreigners wouldn't know the proper way to use a communal bath
>... wash outside before entering bath ... in which case, you
>shouldn't return there again (and tell all your friends about
>it), or b) they took your question to mean "is there a bathing
>facility in my room".

Actually, this is one of the places a foreigner is MOST likely to encounter 
prejudice. Many such facilities apparantly believe your "a)" reason above.
What is sad/funny is that they may put up a sign in English saying "No 
foreigners allowed". If they could post a sign, they could just as easily 
post a sign with the proper instructions.

>I've received funny looks when I was in small towns in Tennessee
>and Utah.  I didn't think much of it.  I think they were amused
>to see an Oriental in their neck of woods.

Curiosity never bothered me. Having people stare at me because I'm different
is amusing at best, boring at worst. Having people run away from you can
be disconcerting (though not unexpected).

Mike
-- 
Disclaimer - I'm only doing what the little voices tell me to do. 
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