Loco in Yokohama

- "It appears you took the long confrontational route instead of the least path of resistance."

Very nicely put TLR.

I remember when I used to take offense to someone speaking to me in English…especially when their English was worse than my Japanese. But I think that had something to do with my own laco of confidence in speaking JP. I would sometimes reply in Spanish just to throw them for a loop.

But at the end of the day was it really worth getting worked up over? If that upset you then you're in for a long ride here in Japan (if you haven't had one already).

Peace

I guess you have too much of an accent, which japanese people are not used to, so it just feels awkward to them to speak in Japanese. When you get better you don't have this problem.

I have to admit, it really annoys me when they break out the English on me when, a) I've already spoken to them in Japanese and b) they are clearly not capable of continuing the conversation in English unless I slow it down, simplify it or even speak with a katakana inflection. But I wish it didn't annoy me because it happens a lot and I never feel good after I've reacted to one of these ingurishu episodes. Afterwards I think, I could have just said "It's ok I speak Japanese" or something witty and brushed it off but they always catch me off guard and I end up saying "Look I ordered in Japanese why are you trying to speak English?" or something like that.
I have however had friendly conversations with people here in English when it has become apparent that they can hold a conversation. Of all the times I pretended to be French, German and once even Brazilian it turned out that the random punter who had tried to start a conversation with me was fluent in the language of my new randomly chosen nationality. Hearing this I obviously complemented them on their pronunciation of Portuguese or other said language then tried to get away as quickly as possible. So yeah, I understand how you feel but maybe you should try and find a new way to have fun with this recurring situation not because English is a widely spoken international language, not because "chill out man they are only trying to be polite" not even because a very large proportion of the westerners out here can't speak Japanese but because you'll feel better about the exchange afterwards and probably live longer. The other sollution would be to get a full Sean Connery in You only live twice makeover and change your name to Suzuki.

its the same everywhere, Japanese speaking English in the states and folks go wow, you speak English or they speak really slow English thinking that will help..
in Japan, most gaijin don't speak Japanese so they are shocked to hear gaijin speaking Japanese. My pet peeve is those Japanese who just learn slang esp those Japanese girls who've been hanging around gaijin trash too long http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/vermilion-pleasur…

Loco you are so funny!!!

Thank-you for funny and clever blog posts!

I don’t know how you sound so I always read your posts in Bobby Olugun voice! He is funny too!

Hello,

This is essencially my probable first, last and only submission to this site. I don’t mean to be the guy who comes in to rain on everyone’s parade, nor do I usually pay attention to said “oppression” topics, but I saw your interview in yesterday’s Japan Times. I was interested as to what thought was being put into a book with such a title, so I looked up your website to see more.
Seeing as though I’m only writing once, I’m just going to write this in a random blog segment of yours, one that feels the most appropriate to what I have to say.
I realize that you have a lot of issues with this country and the way that foreigners are often treated. Living here for over 10 years, I’ve had my fair share too. Things like being stopped by the police (three times for me), or in this blog’s case unnecessary English, along with my personal pet peeve; “Your Japanese is very good!!” definately put an emotional strain on everyday life. However that’s not the problem. We are.
Now, I realize in saying this, I would probably fall under your second catagory of foreigners; the anti-foreigner who “accepts” things and will usually follow it up with a “If you don’t like it, get out” attitude. I’m not here to say that. However, I do feel that we are the problem as we are creating more harm for ourselves in this “retalliaton against oppression” than good.
Take this blog’s subject at hand for example. People who refuse to acknowledge your Japanese ability and reply to you in English. Your and Debito’s answer is to be rude to them, even speak down to them. While this is a fantastic ego trip to be a jerk to someone and then blog or vlog about it later on the internet, in reality it’s showing that waitress that the foreigner she met today was a rude incensitive customer.
Now take into account all the foreigners she knows. Maybe there’s many, maybe not, but either way this encounter makes up for a percentage of that giving off the impression that “foreigners CAN be rude.” If you’re the only foreigner she’s ever met, then that means 100% of all foreigners in her life were complete asses to her, dispite the fact that she was only doing her job; serving the customer to the best of her ability. While I wasn’t a witness to your case, you gave us Debito’s case via You Tube.
Here, two men were speaking English in a restaurant, loud enough to be heard by others. The waitress decided to use the language that they were using. One man, Debito decided to use Japanese. That’s fine. It still doesn’t mean that the other guy is proficient. So she continued. It makes sense. If they wanted to avoid this situation from the begining, they should be speaking the language of this country in the first place, like everyone else.
This is the problem and the paradox that your blog is producing. Many foreigners suffer from the same ego trip. They believe they should be treated the same as everyone else, but at the same time, the rules of society that all citizens obey without complaint somehow do not apply and it’s “OK” for us foreigners to break them. Yes, speaking English in public is part of it. All things that make you stand out from others does it. While it’s not against the law, it does immeadiately give others the impression that you’re not on the same page as everyone else is. It’s not “wrong” but at the same time it also doesn’t help you blend in either.
At this point, most jaded foreigners would chime in that their very existance makes it impossible to blend it. That’s true. That’s what happens when you’re a minority. We’ve spent most of our lives not being aware of the lives of a true minority (less than 1% of the population) is like that most are shocked and appauled when they expirience it. Too bad. That’s reality. No one is going to suddenly say, “Hey, let’s give foreigners more rights because one of them was rude to a waitress in a restaurant!” That’s never going to happen. Never.
However what MIGHT happen is that bad reputation from one guy being rude could (and often does) spread. We’ve often heard of instances where foreigners committing crimes are “on the rise”. They’re not, and most of us understand that. The general public does not. What they do understand is that “yesterday a non-Japanese person robbed a convinience store.” That’s all. That’s also all it takes to introduce a perception in someone’s mind that foreigners CAN commit crimes too. Maybe that person is a publisher. Maybe that person thinks they could make a profit from making a magazine about foreigner crime in this country. It has happened before, and it has happened for a reason. Do all foreigners commit crimes? No. One guy did though, and that was all it took. One guy was also rude to a waitress too, and that’s all it takes to change her perceptions on the foreign population forever.
This is my point. While I understand and appreciate your views and will to fight for the rights of the less than 1% in this country, I also wish you’d stop as it would be far more beneficial to the future of us non-Japanese if there wasn’t someone giving a bad image for the rest of us who are just trying to be an active part of the community.
If you truely want to be accepted, it’s simple. Get JLPT 1, abandon your native language, go outside and meet the native people of this country head on. Don’t half ass it. JLPT2, or a semi-lingual ability with a giant ego to go with it is NOT going to cut it. JLPT1 is an easy test, I got it without studying and that’s because I spend my life outside with real people. People that I meet for the first time do not understand my character, thinking or philosophies at first. Good. They will in time as we get to know eachother. Maybe a waitress wants to practice her English on me. I understand and appreciate that, but I came here to set roots and be a working part of this country so I opt for the national language. Yes, there is a conflict of interests. No, not everyone is like that. This is ONE person in a sea of many. Judging an entire nation of people based off the select few people who treat you in a way that they are unaware you’re opposed to is truely racist. For that, Loco, you are just as you say you are. Racist.
However, this is a plea on behalf of the quiet few of us who just wish to live here peacefully; STOP. You’re creating more harm than good. Being rude and writing about it on the internet will teach others that it’s acceptable, and it will create a small dent in our otherwise already scathed foreigner persona. Writing a book on the otherhand, will reach more people, even others who haven’t been to this country before. It will teach them that it is wrong to blend as foreigners deserve to be acknowledged as equal with extra benefits. It will teach them that the native people of this country are just as racist and inhumane as you make them out to be, dispite that only being true for a very small part of the population. STOP. Stop now. It is hard enough going through everyday life trying to undo the prejudices and profiles that elitist foreigers of the past have created, while others are constantly attempting to spread it further. STOP. Please please stop.
If you truely want to make this country a better place, commit 120% to living here and be a good person. It’s that simple. If either of those are not your goal, then I will end this by coining the popular phrase used by my “type” when presented with an arogant elitist tourist who is ruining the quality of life for everyone and complains in the midst of it; If you don’t like it, leave.

Thank you for reading this until the end, and I hope you and others will take it under consideration, instead of brushing it under the internet carpet with the rest of the common sense that most have forgotten about.

Best of luck in the future,
My name here