1: If I ask you where the station I have to work at tomorrow is and you know it`s literally two hours from my house, don`t claim total lack of knowledge forcing me to name every train line in Osaka until I get close and then hope I won`t get mad. I won`t. I learned to accept bad news after I learned there was no Santa Claus.
2: Don`t praise my chopstick ability. There are people in other countries that use chopsticks daily. Some of these people have moved to other countries and opened restaurants where chopsticks are used. Have you heard of China?
3: Similiarly don`t praise my Japanese ability. If your English were as good as my Japanese, you wouldn`t have passed high school. I suck ass.
4:
This was going to be 5. Add to them if you can. Any suggestions?
Let u know when i get there!
4. Learn how the word “no” works, it is the opposite of “yes”.
On the flip side, I like the japanese softly softly style of reaching a compromise when this issue is important.
Does anyone know how the Japanese get on with “do you want fries with that”?
Haha -I agree with #2 especially
5. Don’t say “umai” or “atama ga ii” when it is apparent that I totally suck at attempting anything ie: singing karaoke.
6. don’t systematically ask me when I’m going back to my country
haha, i’ll stick in an extra vote for Eddy’s 4..
and a #5 from my week “You’re so cuuuuute!! I thought everybody from your country was big and ugly!!”
um. Thank you? and ouch..
Dude, they’re not going to stop. That’s just how it works. Get over it, move on, and start thinking of some good backhanded compliments of your own: “It’s so good to meet someone who knows how to talk to foreigners!” or “Where’d you get that sweater? It looks cheap… I hate it,” might work.
BTW, your banner for this blog is somewhat… bleak. I hope “rusty parking lot” doesn’t sum up your experiences in Japan!
Someone once pointed out that Japanese only compliment you on your Japanese skills until you actually speak the language well.
Most people I know who are actually proficient in Japanese never hear such praise…
[...] For you gaijin in Japan who get hot under the collar when Japanese people praise your Japanese, maybe you should try getting arrested! I can guarantee no one will tell you how smart you are for learning such a hard language, certainly not the press. [...]
In response to “Can you eat raw fish?” , I usually respond, “Well, I have a mouth…” The irony is almost always lost on the interlocutor, but really it’s for my own amusement.
I was told the thing about not hearing how good your Japanese is once you reach acertain level as well. I still get told (by people that don’t know me) that my Japanese is good after they hear me say only “Konnichiwa”.
Go figure.
Here’s one:
how about the Japanese people learn to oblierate the word “sugoi” from their lexicon? It’s the most overused, tired, waxing thin on patience expression? And to top it all off, it’s used for the most benign and mundane things.
Ex: you speak two languages? Sugoi!
You can write Kanji? Sugoi!
You can use chopsticks? Sugoi!
You can dress yourself after you get up, from your futon? Sugoi!
I always tend to reply to #2 with a sarcastic “Oh, and you’re so good at using a knife and fork!”
They never get it.