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Link to original post: [drupal=5141]My Life as a Foreigner[/drupal]
Hey everyone,
I have debated for some time about doing a blog about this and, while there is a lot of material to write about, I wasn't sure how well received it would be or if anyone would even be interested. However, I sat down and decided to start writing my experiences being a foreigner here in Japan regardless if it is well received. I would like this to be a platform to showcase some the interesting aspects of Japan, living here as a foreigner, studying/working, and other oddities that I find here and there.
[COLLAPSE="Table of Contents"]4/15 - The Japanese Population Decline: "Pandora's Box"
4/16 - Only in Japan
4/25"Racism in Japan: How to Teach my Students that Racism is Bad"
5/9"Partying in up in Japan: Office Worker Style"
5/23 Driving in Japan: Third Time is a Charm...Truly
6/22 Teaching in Japan: Students, Teachers, and I
http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac113/LostVoice1/IMG_1827.jpg[/IMG]]Living in Japan: My Living Experiences[/COLLAPSE]
As for myself, this is my fourth time being in Japan. The previous times were as an exchange student through various exchange programs as well as just traveling by myself. (coming up to 2 However, I never lived here for more than 8 months so this has been my longest stay (coming up to two years) within this country and it's been one hell of a roller coaster. I hope to recount what I found here in Japan and it is my intention, for those reading, to take something out of it.
Additionally, I would like to open up the blog for people to ask questions, comment, or present their views on anything concerning Japan. For example, those who are interested in studying/working in this country. Since this is a SSB forum and many forum members seem to be half-interested in Japanese products, I hope you find this blog interesting; just as much as how I found it fun to write.
My very first blog post concerns a issue very dear to me and something that the Japanese government has addressed but not fully I believe.
The Japanese Population Decline: "Pandora's Box"
Japan has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. Statistics show that the fertility rate is 1.34 where the world average is 2.1. That means fewer and fewer couples are having children. In fact, the current death has now surpassed the birth rate in 2011; a trend that has started since 2007/2008 when the global recession began to hit. As well, it has even begun to pick up in n alarmingly rate with the current 2011 consensus showing a birth rate of 8.3 and a death rate of 9.9. It is not a secret that Japan has one of the highest life expectancy in the world (currently its 86 years old) and I have met a feel centurions since being here. However, these people are slowly dying out and what's left is a diminished population.
This can have a huge profound effect on Japanese society. I don't think I need to detail what would happen if such a huge population suddenly starts to shrink and at an alarming rate. While it's a baseless rumor, many are saying (journalists, critics, commentators, scholars, bloggers, etc) that within a 100 years, Japan could cease to exist as a country OR the Japanese people as a distinct race of people could "disappear". Will this ever happen? Most likely not but, given the current trend, it's entirely plausible if the country continues down this dark road.
So the Japanese people aren't having sex is all? In some cases it's true. Japan has a vibrant and active sex industry as well as tens of thousands "love hotels" (which ARE AWESOME!! Rotating mirrored beds FTW!). The sad part is while Japan is having sex; it's not with the wives/husbands. The Japanese people enjoy a vibrant sex life with their boyfriend/girlfriend during the dating stages. However, once the two are married, sex only becomes a way to procreate and once that's finished, sex never occurs (that is a over-generalization but a trend I see in many Japanese males I know). My friend, "Yuji", is married with two kids. He is a High School teacher and an aspiring DJ artist where I live. He seems happy and fairly content with his life...until I meet him in the bar with his tongue half way down a chick and fondling the **** of another chick. The sad truth is that Japanese people have sex after marriage but with other partners.
According to Yuji, he has sex a couple times a month but he hasn't had sex with his actual wife since his last son's birth which was nearly 4 years ago. As well, according to him, it's perfectly fine for his wife that they don't have sex (or so he says :/ ). This kind of goes hand in hand with the "Shooting Ourselves in the Nuts" thread. Japanese women are very sexually repressed. The girls who are sexually active and enjoy their sexuality are usually preyed on by these married men looking for an easy ****. And they give it out fairly easily. Why? In order to get something from this married man whether it be jewelry, money, or favors.
I mentioned before that "Yuji"'s wife knows he cheats on her and she is ok with it. I am not saying every Japanese wife is ok with their husbands sleeping around. However, a common thing I see between couples that have been married for quite some time is that the women acknowledged their husband sleeps with other women and seemingly "forgets" about it and, possibly, sees it as a positive thing because they do not have to have sex with their husband. It's a sad but common thing I see between married women. Why have sex when the one thing motivating sex, procreation, is no longer a common goal? That is th emindset, I think of many married Japanese females. A common joke among other foreigners is that marrying a Japanese women is suicide to your sex life. While it's a somewhat cruel joke, it has a hint of truth. This is because women, from childhood to adult, is told sex is not enjoyable and only meant to make children.
My girlfriend and I enjoy a active sex life but it did take her a while to be open to it...or even talk/share about it to each other. Anything sexual made her feel embarrassed and dirty which is a horrible thing to think but it is prevalent in most Japanese females. Women, who generally aren't embarrassed about sexual things, are considered very un-Japanese and many Japanese men prefer their women "child-like". They like the embarrassing/naive/child-like nature of their women. Which explains why I was at my favorite bar recently and talking to the bar master when a couple came in (a girl and guy) and the girl, 22, had a disturbingly high, child-like voice that made me want to take a icepick and nail it into my head. All the while, the guy kept stroking her hair while saying "Cute....So cute....Like a doll." After they left, I pretended to make a gagging sound and the bar master said she was actually 35 and that entire "child nature" was an act. The guy likes girls like those....cute, stupid, and flirty without being ****ty.
I know I am getting off the rabbit trail so allow me to return to the main subject: Japan's diminishing population. The Japanese government, in 2008, began a program of offering new parents money to help support a child since it does take a overwhelmingly amount of money and time to rear a child. Families are offered 26,000 yen a month (roughly $250) up until middle school. Again, I have heard this program was terminated but a Google search has yielded nothing so I'll look more into it. However, many critics of this plan say this does not encourage couples to procreate and have babies because of society itself ecnourages couples to not procreate. In fact, many critics have contended that many Japanese just don't have time or too tired to have sex.
And that can be attributed to the Japanese work society. This is an entirely different subject and a post I would like to write about later but Japanese society has a very grueling and rigid work society that demands a good portion of your time. One example of this is one of my coworkers who skipped the birth of his son because of his work. He was proud of what he did since he put work before family. He said it's the Japanese thing to do. Whether that is true or not, I don't know but it's highly ****ed up.
Being too tired/not even time for sex is attributed to this intense work society. Compounded with high expenses, recessions, and loveless marriages; it's no wonder why Japan has one of the most alarming population decrease in the world. And the common Japanese doesn't even seemed bothered by it. I mentioned it to a co-worker and highlighted some of the points I've mentioned in this blog, and he said "Well, it can't be helped. But as always, we will do our best and persevere." That seems to be the general attitude to everything from working on a Sunday, missing your son's birth, being late to your friends birthday party, or a natural disasters like an earthquake hitting and devastating a good portion of the northern half of the country (which will be addressed later).
Oh, and many women, as of late, have opted not to get married or even date. I know of a 36-year old women who refuses to date because 1) married life is horrible, 2) she doesn't want kids, 3) she likes her career, and last 4) men are dangerous and can't be trusted. So, she lives with her parents and is the vice-principal of my school. She works from 6 am to 11 pm Monday to Saturday. This has become an alarming trend in 25-40 year old women to stay at a parents house and worth from their.
I'm not saying Japanese women need to suck it up, put on a apron, and make their man a sandwich because that is exactly what is driving them away from being married: the curse of a house hold wife which, gradually, what happens. It can be quite depressing for a Japanese house wife: cook, clean, be a parent, watch tv, etc etc. Not to many women look forward to being a house wife and, if they do, it's a passing desire that dissolves when reality sinks in. According to my friend, "Yuji", when he was looking for a girlfriend to marry; he was looking for a cute, quiet girl that will make him dinner when he comes home from work and will take care of the kids. That and only that. That is why their marriage is loveless, sexless, and hopeless. They share no similarities and forces them to turn to other people for love. Sadly again, this seems to be the general mind set.
My last point and one of the ones I think drives the population decline most vividly is one of my schools that I teach English at. This school has two buildings and with with three stories each. Both buildings have three floors each. The population decline has hit the school so bad that in order to fill up the rooms, they closed down one of the buildings and then moved 1st and 2nd grade to the first floor, 3rd and 4th to the second floor, and 5th and 6th to the third floor. All of the students are condensed into a three story building. This was originally a school that had around 1,000 students, but now, only 450'ish attend.
How will this be fixed? Honestly, I don't know. Government hand outs don't seem to be working. The only way it can be improved is the recession to end and the world economy to start picking up. Once families start making good money, couples would be more inclined to get married and start popping out babies. You can also blame women independence which, usually, is a good thing. However, women aren't exactly being independent when they stay at their parents home until they are 35-40. What is to blame is the global recession, the lack of love and companionship found in a lot of marriages, and the lack of a combined effort of both the Japanese government and the Japanese people to address this "Pandora's Box" and try to figure out how to improve it.
Sadly, I see it going nowhere but downhill unless something drastic happens within Japanese society.
Thank you for taking time to read this blog and please let me know what you think or post your own story involving Japan! I appreciate the feedback regardless if its positive or negative.
Hey everyone,
I have debated for some time about doing a blog about this and, while there is a lot of material to write about, I wasn't sure how well received it would be or if anyone would even be interested. However, I sat down and decided to start writing my experiences being a foreigner here in Japan regardless if it is well received. I would like this to be a platform to showcase some the interesting aspects of Japan, living here as a foreigner, studying/working, and other oddities that I find here and there.
[COLLAPSE="Table of Contents"]4/15 - The Japanese Population Decline: "Pandora's Box"
4/16 - Only in Japan
4/25"Racism in Japan: How to Teach my Students that Racism is Bad"
5/9"Partying in up in Japan: Office Worker Style"
5/23 Driving in Japan: Third Time is a Charm...Truly
6/22 Teaching in Japan: Students, Teachers, and I
http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac113/LostVoice1/IMG_1827.jpg[/IMG]]Living in Japan: My Living Experiences[/COLLAPSE]
As for myself, this is my fourth time being in Japan. The previous times were as an exchange student through various exchange programs as well as just traveling by myself. (coming up to 2 However, I never lived here for more than 8 months so this has been my longest stay (coming up to two years) within this country and it's been one hell of a roller coaster. I hope to recount what I found here in Japan and it is my intention, for those reading, to take something out of it.
Additionally, I would like to open up the blog for people to ask questions, comment, or present their views on anything concerning Japan. For example, those who are interested in studying/working in this country. Since this is a SSB forum and many forum members seem to be half-interested in Japanese products, I hope you find this blog interesting; just as much as how I found it fun to write.
My very first blog post concerns a issue very dear to me and something that the Japanese government has addressed but not fully I believe.
The Japanese Population Decline: "Pandora's Box"
Japan has one of the lowest fertility rates in the world. Statistics show that the fertility rate is 1.34 where the world average is 2.1. That means fewer and fewer couples are having children. In fact, the current death has now surpassed the birth rate in 2011; a trend that has started since 2007/2008 when the global recession began to hit. As well, it has even begun to pick up in n alarmingly rate with the current 2011 consensus showing a birth rate of 8.3 and a death rate of 9.9. It is not a secret that Japan has one of the highest life expectancy in the world (currently its 86 years old) and I have met a feel centurions since being here. However, these people are slowly dying out and what's left is a diminished population.
This can have a huge profound effect on Japanese society. I don't think I need to detail what would happen if such a huge population suddenly starts to shrink and at an alarming rate. While it's a baseless rumor, many are saying (journalists, critics, commentators, scholars, bloggers, etc) that within a 100 years, Japan could cease to exist as a country OR the Japanese people as a distinct race of people could "disappear". Will this ever happen? Most likely not but, given the current trend, it's entirely plausible if the country continues down this dark road.
So the Japanese people aren't having sex is all? In some cases it's true. Japan has a vibrant and active sex industry as well as tens of thousands "love hotels" (which ARE AWESOME!! Rotating mirrored beds FTW!). The sad part is while Japan is having sex; it's not with the wives/husbands. The Japanese people enjoy a vibrant sex life with their boyfriend/girlfriend during the dating stages. However, once the two are married, sex only becomes a way to procreate and once that's finished, sex never occurs (that is a over-generalization but a trend I see in many Japanese males I know). My friend, "Yuji", is married with two kids. He is a High School teacher and an aspiring DJ artist where I live. He seems happy and fairly content with his life...until I meet him in the bar with his tongue half way down a chick and fondling the **** of another chick. The sad truth is that Japanese people have sex after marriage but with other partners.
According to Yuji, he has sex a couple times a month but he hasn't had sex with his actual wife since his last son's birth which was nearly 4 years ago. As well, according to him, it's perfectly fine for his wife that they don't have sex (or so he says :/ ). This kind of goes hand in hand with the "Shooting Ourselves in the Nuts" thread. Japanese women are very sexually repressed. The girls who are sexually active and enjoy their sexuality are usually preyed on by these married men looking for an easy ****. And they give it out fairly easily. Why? In order to get something from this married man whether it be jewelry, money, or favors.
I mentioned before that "Yuji"'s wife knows he cheats on her and she is ok with it. I am not saying every Japanese wife is ok with their husbands sleeping around. However, a common thing I see between couples that have been married for quite some time is that the women acknowledged their husband sleeps with other women and seemingly "forgets" about it and, possibly, sees it as a positive thing because they do not have to have sex with their husband. It's a sad but common thing I see between married women. Why have sex when the one thing motivating sex, procreation, is no longer a common goal? That is th emindset, I think of many married Japanese females. A common joke among other foreigners is that marrying a Japanese women is suicide to your sex life. While it's a somewhat cruel joke, it has a hint of truth. This is because women, from childhood to adult, is told sex is not enjoyable and only meant to make children.
My girlfriend and I enjoy a active sex life but it did take her a while to be open to it...or even talk/share about it to each other. Anything sexual made her feel embarrassed and dirty which is a horrible thing to think but it is prevalent in most Japanese females. Women, who generally aren't embarrassed about sexual things, are considered very un-Japanese and many Japanese men prefer their women "child-like". They like the embarrassing/naive/child-like nature of their women. Which explains why I was at my favorite bar recently and talking to the bar master when a couple came in (a girl and guy) and the girl, 22, had a disturbingly high, child-like voice that made me want to take a icepick and nail it into my head. All the while, the guy kept stroking her hair while saying "Cute....So cute....Like a doll." After they left, I pretended to make a gagging sound and the bar master said she was actually 35 and that entire "child nature" was an act. The guy likes girls like those....cute, stupid, and flirty without being ****ty.
I know I am getting off the rabbit trail so allow me to return to the main subject: Japan's diminishing population. The Japanese government, in 2008, began a program of offering new parents money to help support a child since it does take a overwhelmingly amount of money and time to rear a child. Families are offered 26,000 yen a month (roughly $250) up until middle school. Again, I have heard this program was terminated but a Google search has yielded nothing so I'll look more into it. However, many critics of this plan say this does not encourage couples to procreate and have babies because of society itself ecnourages couples to not procreate. In fact, many critics have contended that many Japanese just don't have time or too tired to have sex.
And that can be attributed to the Japanese work society. This is an entirely different subject and a post I would like to write about later but Japanese society has a very grueling and rigid work society that demands a good portion of your time. One example of this is one of my coworkers who skipped the birth of his son because of his work. He was proud of what he did since he put work before family. He said it's the Japanese thing to do. Whether that is true or not, I don't know but it's highly ****ed up.
Being too tired/not even time for sex is attributed to this intense work society. Compounded with high expenses, recessions, and loveless marriages; it's no wonder why Japan has one of the most alarming population decrease in the world. And the common Japanese doesn't even seemed bothered by it. I mentioned it to a co-worker and highlighted some of the points I've mentioned in this blog, and he said "Well, it can't be helped. But as always, we will do our best and persevere." That seems to be the general attitude to everything from working on a Sunday, missing your son's birth, being late to your friends birthday party, or a natural disasters like an earthquake hitting and devastating a good portion of the northern half of the country (which will be addressed later).
Oh, and many women, as of late, have opted not to get married or even date. I know of a 36-year old women who refuses to date because 1) married life is horrible, 2) she doesn't want kids, 3) she likes her career, and last 4) men are dangerous and can't be trusted. So, she lives with her parents and is the vice-principal of my school. She works from 6 am to 11 pm Monday to Saturday. This has become an alarming trend in 25-40 year old women to stay at a parents house and worth from their.
I'm not saying Japanese women need to suck it up, put on a apron, and make their man a sandwich because that is exactly what is driving them away from being married: the curse of a house hold wife which, gradually, what happens. It can be quite depressing for a Japanese house wife: cook, clean, be a parent, watch tv, etc etc. Not to many women look forward to being a house wife and, if they do, it's a passing desire that dissolves when reality sinks in. According to my friend, "Yuji", when he was looking for a girlfriend to marry; he was looking for a cute, quiet girl that will make him dinner when he comes home from work and will take care of the kids. That and only that. That is why their marriage is loveless, sexless, and hopeless. They share no similarities and forces them to turn to other people for love. Sadly again, this seems to be the general mind set.
My last point and one of the ones I think drives the population decline most vividly is one of my schools that I teach English at. This school has two buildings and with with three stories each. Both buildings have three floors each. The population decline has hit the school so bad that in order to fill up the rooms, they closed down one of the buildings and then moved 1st and 2nd grade to the first floor, 3rd and 4th to the second floor, and 5th and 6th to the third floor. All of the students are condensed into a three story building. This was originally a school that had around 1,000 students, but now, only 450'ish attend.
How will this be fixed? Honestly, I don't know. Government hand outs don't seem to be working. The only way it can be improved is the recession to end and the world economy to start picking up. Once families start making good money, couples would be more inclined to get married and start popping out babies. You can also blame women independence which, usually, is a good thing. However, women aren't exactly being independent when they stay at their parents home until they are 35-40. What is to blame is the global recession, the lack of love and companionship found in a lot of marriages, and the lack of a combined effort of both the Japanese government and the Japanese people to address this "Pandora's Box" and try to figure out how to improve it.
Sadly, I see it going nowhere but downhill unless something drastic happens within Japanese society.
Thank you for taking time to read this blog and please let me know what you think or post your own story involving Japan! I appreciate the feedback regardless if its positive or negative.