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Biden calls US ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with Russia and China (www.cnn.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/worldnews@lemmy.ml
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[–] 36 points 2 years ago (1 child)

Japan simply is xenophobic. I lived there for 2 years. That's just a fact.

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  • [–] -1 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    I lived there for four years. Nice and friendly people. Never felt unsafe.

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  • [–] 25 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Unsafe doesn't mean they liked or respected you as an equal

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    True. But I did mention that they were also friendly. I had no issue getting into all sorts of activities with them. From playing the Shamisen to practicing Sadō. I had lots of friends who would help me out in all sorts of things, such as the University entrance exam, moving stuff, and translation.

    I'm speaking of my experiences of course. I come from a different cultural background (Arab). I lived in both the US and Japan, and in almost all aspects except employment and income, I prefer Japan. Your mileage may vary.

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  • [–] 24 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    I shared that experience. I also was actively excluded from all sorts of things (including essential services) because I was a foreigner. Whenever a group of expats got together, at some point in the night, the conversation would be about how everyone got discriminated against recently.

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  • [–] 7 points 2 years ago* (1 child)

    Welcome, though? They pretty famously don't like foreigners around them, even if they're not going to say it directly to you.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Have you lived there? Not my experience. I felt like I was welcomed. I was welcomed into their cultural activities, I was welcomed into their homes. I did put effort into learning the language and the culture, and followed their norms to the best I can.

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  • [–] 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (1 child)

    No, but a lot of other people have and you're a definite minority saying that, so, X to doubt basically.

    It's not just people who don't bother trying, either. BBC's long term Japan correspondent wrote an article about it when he finally left, and I'm pretty sure he's fluent.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago

    ... BBC's long term Japan correspondent wrote an article about it when he finally left, and I'm pretty sure he's fluent.

    I wouldn'y be too sure about being fluent part. I am an Indian and I have seen bulk of so called indologists (professors in American and European academia) unable to pronounce common sanskrit words - despite writing bestsellers on the subject.

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