staring ignorance in the face

Being a foreigner in Japan has many challenges. Most are cultural or result from the sometimes overbearing language barrier. What I am discovering through writing this blog and reflecting on my experiences is that foreigners are also heavily stereotyped. I always knew that it would be assumed I don't understand Japanese, but the extent of the gaijin stereotype is even deeper than what I had realized.

And now that stereotype has a face.

Meet Mr. James, gaijin clown is a rather detailed and well-written article about McDonalds Japan's newest mascot who pretty much embodies stereotypes and prejudices against foreigners. While I don't quite know if I fall in line with the idea of protesting Mr. James, I really can't put the gaijin predicament into better words. Here are some of the best excerpts in my opinion:

Put the shoe on the other foot. Imagine McDonald's, a multinational that has long promoted cultural diversity, launching a McAsia Menu in America featuring a deep-bowing, grimacing Asian in a bathrobe and platform sandals saying "Me likee McFlied Lice!" or "So solly, prease skosh honorable teriyaki sandrich?"

That explains the problem with Mr. James pretty well. Even better, the author describes the sensation of being a gaijin attempting to fit in with an astoundingly accurate metaphor:

When asked if the Japanese language is difficult, I say it isn't. What's difficult is talking to Japanese people. One has to overcome so much ingrained baggage — often instilled from childhood in approved textbooks — that foreigners, particularly the non-Asians, are "guests and outsiders" — illiterate, inscrutable and incomprehensible. Thanks to this, I dare say that in the majority of random interactions, foreigners who do not "look Japanese" have to prove every day to new listeners that they speak Japanese just fine.

It's like having to untangle your headphones before you listen to music. Every. Single. Time. And Mr. James just pulls the knots tighter.

When questioning the offensiveness of this gaijin character based on redeeming social value, the author makes another very good point.

For example, when we see stereotyped characters on the TV show "The Simpsons," fun is poked. But eventually the characters become humanized, part of the neighborhood in The Simpsons' universe. Is Mr. James similarly humanized and included?

Well, Mr. James has a back-story, but it's one of "bedazzled tourist and guest," not one of inclusiveness. No matter how hard he tries (especially since McDonald's rendered his every utterance in katakana), he'll never be Japanese. He is the perpetual "other."

(Note: katakana is the Japanese alphabet used to write words that have their origins in a foreign language.)

I am fond of a quote by Ansel Adams from his book "Born Free and Equal" in the year 1944. The book is a collection of his photos and an inspired essay from visiting a Japanese internment camp in New Mexico during WWII. It goes as such:

In times of war we sacrifice magnificently; in times of peace we prey upon one another with sincerity and determination. The world has seldom seen our superior in intellect and accomplishment, nor has it seen our inferior in many aspects of human relationships.

I have mixed feelings about this now, but it appears that in the 65 years since publication, this quote has become grossly inaccurate.

gaijin syndrome explained

Welcome to my blog!  

Gaijin Syndrome was created as a multipurpose blog for the brief period of my life that I will be spending in Japan.  I will be publishing my experiences for friends and family, reflecting on my personal growth in a culture much more different than my own, and generally keeping in touch with any who wish to pay regular visits to this corner of the web.  So please feel free to bookmark, comment, e-mail, share, etc.  

Now on with the explanation of my chosen theme...

The word "gaijin" is Japanese for "foreigner".  It is written with the characters 外人 that literally translate into "outside person" and is more colloquial than "gaikokujin" (a term nice enough to indicate that the person is from an outside country, and not just alien in general).  Foreigners studying the language who come to the country for the first time often don't expect to find a large cultural niche around the idea of "gaijin" but many times they are quick to identify with both the benefits and disadvantages of being such.

The gaijin mentality comes from the fact that Japanese culture is highly structured and highly sensitive.  Children learn the structure from an early age and must conform throughout their lives if they wish to lead successful conventional life within their home country.  Naturally, a foreigner who does not have the benefit of growing up around such influences is assumed to exist outside the Japanese social system.  It is generally understood that foreigners do not and can not fit in, and obvious foreigners (those that don't look Japanese) are often treated like aliens upon first sight.

A quick Google search for the phrase "gaijin syndrome" turns up many pages that employ the phrase as a reference to the way many foreigners find themselves being treated in Japan.  But it is used more appropriately, I think, to explain the effect on the individual being subjected to such treatment.  Exchange students in Japan get the most entertainment from the situation they find themselves in and often exploit it.  Suddenly social rules don't mean anything to you as a foreigner, so you can get away with anything that doesn't break actual laws.

Another aspect of gaijin syndrome, or "gaijin complex," is equated to Marco Polo Syndrome, which describes the interaction between foreigners of a country rather than between the foreigner and the country's natives.  I find this characteristic the most intriguing, particularly the following:

...the Japanese-speaking foreigner contingent is in constant battle with themselves, vying to prove linguistic abilities, obscure knowledge, and depth of societal penetration.

Symptoms of gaijin syndrome can include any of the following:

• Laughing obnoxiously at, and even recording, everyday occurrences that you consider exploitable
  
• A lack of fear for the consequences of erratic behavior in public, as inspired by cultural isolation
• A strong urge to ignore other foreigners randomly encountered on the streets in hopes that they don't remind you of your own foreignness
  
• Bleak, utter loneliness resulting from an inability to connect with the natives on a level that is culturally familiar to you

I think most cultural anthropologists would claim that all the above are the effects of long-term culture shock.  Actually, I would agree with them.  But the phrase "culture shock" is most frequently used to express a particular nuance or behavior that a foreigner finds odd upon first encounter.  When subjected to culture shock over a longer period of time (greater than the 6-weeks of my previous stay in Japan), culture shock can turn into a persistent state, a syndrome.

My hope is that through an objective look at the next 3+ years I will be staying in Japan, I will be able to circumvent these symptoms and provide valuable insight to others who may look to follow a path similar to my own.  Assuming a strategy of acknowledging my obvious foreignness while proving just how Japanese I can be (I'm up to 80% according to my Japanese friends), I will be able to maintain my identity as an American while finding my own place within their society.