Why do you live in Japan?

I got here teaching English. :) I think most of us are either English teachers or students.

As far as fitting in, I don't think any of us really fit in. I have places where I know I'm accepted and I have friends who seem to like me in spite of, not because of, the fact that I'm foreign. But someone pointed out on another board I am on that relationships (working/friendships/love/etc) almost never start on equal footing because the Japanese usually begin by remarking on the difference. 99% of my first conversation with people begin like:

Me: *begin speaking in Japanese as best I can*
Japanese person: Oh, your Japanese is so good! (note that I get this no matter how much I am sucking or what I am saying- I was once told I was fluent because I gave the taxi driver the name of my apartment building. -_-)
Me: Oh no, not really...

But then the conversation is awkward, because we've established by the fact that they commented on my Japanese that my Japanese is not actually that good or good enough that they really think they can talk to me, and it kills it.

Likewise, Japanese people pointing out things like:

"You're good with chopsticks!"
"You can write katakana! Wow!"
"You can make change- amazing!" (yes, one of my friends was told this after giving a clerk an odd amount of change to make up a purchase so she only got a 50 yen coin back. The clerk actually praised her for thinking like a Japanese person by being efficient with change).

serves two purposed a) pointing out the difference between Japanese and Western ways, and the fact that the Japanese feel shock when a Westerner does something 'Japanese' and b) infantilizing the Westerner and making them feel dumb, because the things the people comment on are things any five year old can do.

So to me, it seems like we don't fit in because we are constantly being reminded we don't fit in by this "damning with faint praise".

mmm 2 yen morning psychology

I'm a nanny for an American family living here. So... I really don't fit in. At all. I don't speak Japanese (I try, but fal. A lot.). Yesterday i had an amazing conversation that required me to use all the Japanese I knew in the span of a minute. That doesn't happen very often, and I still used a lot of hand gestures. ^_^ I often find that the experience I'm getting is not one of living in a Japanese community, but one of living in an ex-pat community in Japan, as most of the people that I meet are ex-pats parents of the ex-pat children that the children I'm nannying for play with.

None the less, I'm having lots of fun. Also, it really amuses me that I just met my daily word quota (YAY! And it's not even noon yet!) and it's not even November 1 yet in the city I come from. Ah, time zones. You make my life so interesting.

Yup, I'm an English teacher as well, and wow so much of what you said is exactly how I feel, especially the infantilizing part. But yeah, I know I don't fit in, don't expect to ever fit in. I have a couple other teachers here that I kind of get along with, but even then I'm still the gaijin, as are the rest of the other foreign teachers here.

I try to look at it in a positive light though. I'm getting the experience of being a total foreigner and outsider in another country *laughs* And actually, I'm using that a bit as inspiration for my novel so it all works out well.

Well in my case, I'm actually not living in Japan ight now, but I lived in Japan for 16 years of my 19 year life because my parents worked there. To me Japan is more home than America, and I'm having problems fitting in in America more than I did in Japan (except primary school, I was the outcast there).

I got there when I was 2, my dad is a missionary, and he whent to Japan as a missionary.

now, having that said, the only kind of Japanese I became friends with were the geeks and the internationally consiouse girls(I don't want to seem sexist, but there aren't too many internationally consiouse guys), but there are rarly "normal" people that want to be my friend. But the friends I did make, were good friends, and I didn't really care if I fitted in with the rest.

My neighbors were good people, that helped too.

I am doing my bachelor's degree in a Japanese university. I wanted to try living abroad after high school and besides, I like Japanese literature and cinema a lot (and when I was younger I was really into j-rock and that kind of stuff) which made me apply for the scholarship.

I actually think Japan is quite an easy place to live in. Sure, there are always those people who will give you the same compliments about you're ability to eat with chopsticks and to speak Japanese, but that's when you meet people for the first time. Of course there are some who will never really be at ease being around you, but at least with most of my class mates it's not like that. They know me, they know I can speak Japanese (there's a limit to how many times you can compliment a person on the same thing), so what we talk about is every day stuff - which teacher is really boring, what new movies are coming up, stuff like that. They treat me like they treat each other.

Although living in a foreign country you're bound to have some days when your foreignness causes you a bit of extra stress (especially in a country where people can see just by looking at you that you're from someplace else), but in general I don't have any problems here. Trains run on time, service is good and the food superb (well, most of the bread sold at supermarkets sucks but luckily I found a nice bakery that makes real rye bread). And in Tokyo there are so many foreigners that people don't really stare at you, most of the time anyway. (Probably it's different in Aomori or places like that.)
I don't plan to live in Japan forever but it's not like I'm counting the days to get my degree and get out either.

Yep, another English teacher here.

I came on the JET Programme and after my three years were up my wife (Who is Japanese) and I decided to stay in our small town, I just got a job teaching at a nearby elementary school, so, yeah, another English teacher. I will say that I've wanted to come to Japan since I was in the 2nd grade back in the US though.

As to if I fit in, sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. Over all I think I do, my little town seems to have swallowed me whole and likes having my wife and I here (And they keep conspiring to keep us here too).

I am an Asian, so people can't really tell if I fit or not by my looks.
I got opportunnity to come and live here about two and half years ago.
I guess, the best part about Japan is that there aren't really stress and threats in daily life, so you worry mostly about people who are connected to you only. Back in my country, in spite of me living there my whole life, I would have to sneak and tip-toe during evenings. The dark streets freaked me out too much.
And since life standards are much better here, it's actually very comfy to live.

military spouse. My husband got stationed here...I would say that yes, I do fit in to MY neighborhood since I live on base with all the other military spouses and we're all pretty much in the same boat...so to speak. I am really enjoying it here and my son is learning things he'd never get to learn living in the States.

I'm Asian, too, and even though I'm not ethnically Japanese, I sometimes end up looking more Japanese than the Japanese people I hang out with, so yeah, if I don't have to talk much, I fit in okay.

Short anecdote: I was having lunch with a Japanese coworker of mine who lived in the States for eight years, and we were speaking English, which scared off the waiter. When he came back to take our orders, he kept talking to me in Japanese while my coworker was actually doing the ordering and clearly the one who was more fluent. It seems he had decided only of us was Japanese, and it was me....

I came here last July and taught English until this September, went home for two weeks, and came back in October to study Japanese. I've been finding that the more Japanese I know, the more frustrated I am at not being able to have a normal conversation here, but at the same time, it's gotten a lot easier to not feel as much like a foreigner.

Considering most Japanese writing gadget fiction use their keitai, and this is an English site, it is unlikely you will find any Japanese here, let alone Japanese people writing a novel.

How do I fit in? I'm not a puzzle piece, I'm a human.

How did I get 'to living in Japan' (sic)? By plane.

How did I find out where I wanted to live? I don't understand the question.

Do I fit into the neighborhood? In case you haven't noticed, unless you are Japanese, you never fit into anything in Japan. You ARE that extra puzzle piece everyone throws away.

Yeah, guess what, I teach English too.

I fit in about as well here as any gaijin can. Sometimes that's good though. My students are more willing to listen to me than most of the teachers I work with because I'm not just another Japanese person. They are also a HUGE ego boost, I get told at least once a day by one of my classes that something I've said or done or just for walking into the room that I'm "kawaii" or "sugoi".

I got here because I got REALLY lucky and managed to get a spot and then not leave when everything fell apart after my arrival. My neighbors are pretty nice, lots of people are eager to stop me on my bike so they can speak a few words of English with me.

Alright, that's enough putting off writing, I should get to it.

I'm an ALT. I speak very little Japanese, so I barely fit in at all, but I'm doing alright. I love working at the school I'm at, and the kids seem to like me just fine. All that anti-socialness outside of school allows me to write a whole lot - I bet I'll finish nice and early.

I'm half Japanese so I visit my family here all the time ever since I was born. I was born in California but my family is from Kobe. I speak with a strong Kansai accent. I'm in Iwate prefecture now because I'm an ALT and I wanted to see more of Japan since I've seen most of the US. I fit in alright aside from my accent and face, but everyone seems to like my accent so it works out and my face causes interest. I enjoy teaching the kids and speaking to them in both Japanese and English, though I only speak to them in Japanese when I see them out of school.

JET program participant here.

I like my community and I know some basic Japanese, but I don't fit in well. My community is a super inaka fishing village. One of my schools, for instance, literally has ten kids. Total. In six grades, ten kids. Pretty wild.

The whole experience completely threw me off because in training they always tell you 'don't leave town on the weekends, join the school clubs, get involved in the community, etc.' There are no schools clubs except baseball and volleyball, so that's out, and my 'town' has no stores except a tiny super market and a women's clothing store. Sorry to whine. All I'm saying is, it makes for good writing.

The middle of nowhere + not much to do = novel time!

English teacher, placed by a large organization (though we had some say in it), fit in about as well as any gaijin. agreeing with the person who says it's nice to live in a place without daily threats and fear.

Wow, thanks for the huge load of responses ^^ I really do think that most people have the same experiences and stuff, or at least it looks like it to me. I can understand a lot of the things you mentioned, like the infantile treatment part.

I appreciate you sharing this with me.

I live in Japan because I am studying Japanese here. I got here on an exchange program the University of Leiden(in the Netherlands) has with the University of Nagasaki, where I am currently residing.
On the whole it has been a good experience so far, the only thing I have trouble dealing with is my height. Whether it is hitting my head on the placards in the metro in Tokyo, or the constant stares you get for towering over most Japanese, it gets troublesome after a while.
I can tell you that almost every Japanese in Tokyo was amazed by our ability to write kanji and hiragana, let alone our conversational Japanese. In Nagasaki, there is less of a surprise when the 'gaijin' talk Japanese, since they have been coping with international students for some time now. Heck, some of them are taking classes in Dutch, so we cannot say everything we want anymore.
If Japanese do get a chance to talk to a gaijin in Japanese, however, they will always note the excellent level of you posses according to them. They rarely have a chance to speak to an actual foreigner(gasp!), as such they try to make the encounter as pleasurable as possible. The "Your Japanese is very good" line is often there just to break the ice.

Off-topic:
If I'm not mistaken Katsu you are a friend of Liedel?

I just want to say that it is possible to fit in and be totally accepted here.
Of course not everyone may like you and the government will still be fingerprinting permanent residents at Narita airport but if you become fluent in Japanese you can form deep friendships with Japanese people and be treated as an equal.
It just takes time.
I think I had my last chopsticks remark about eight years ago.

I'm studying abroad here for one year.

As for fitting in... there isn't any place that I can go without getting strange looks for being a gaijin. At first I found it a little nerve racking, but it doesn't bother me anymore. There really aren't that many foreigners in the area I live (the only foreigners I see are usually people that live in the same dorm as me, haha).... but it gives me more opportunities to practice my Japanese.

I find that a lot of people want to speak in English with me. I don't usually understand half of their English, but it's fun talking to them in broken English and Japanese.

I agree with the people who say that so many Japanese people always compliment how good my Japanese may be, even if I only said one word or so. It makes me feel kind of bad... because usually after they say that, the rest of the conversation goes downhill because of my lack of understanding.

There are a few Japanese people that I hang out with quite often. Sometimes it's a bit awkward because we don't know how to communicate our thoughts very well-- but it's all a learning process. I still have a quite a bit of time here before I have to go back to my home university, but I love it here!!

I = Military. I'm not all that estranged. Actually, I'm taking a significant financial loss to live off base, and as far from base as possible, just so I can savor the solitude of being away from my countrymen.

Things I will miss about Japan:

Dining (Sushis, Izakayas, Nabe-yas, etceteras)
Groceries (Outside of Hawaii, I've never had an easy time getting the types of Tofu and Miso I wanted.)
Video games--I'll miss just browsing at Geo.
Toilets. I'm going to bring a Japanese toilet home with me.
Bathrooms; I've never had a shower as nice as the one I've got now.
Security; I have never had to worry about theft.
Safety; I run and walk through city alleys and on deserted mountain roads at all hours, never fearing that I'll be run over or mugged.
Festivals. Matsuri rock.
Schoolgirls riding bicycles in their winter uniforms. I feel like I'm floating on a cloud when a flock of these pedal by.
Traffic Light Melodies. In the country, they've got the old classics like "Coming through the rye."
Being somewhere Foreign. I can just drive for ten minutes and I'm already having an adventure!
Movies; see the Video Games section.
Comics; I can buy wonderful stuff I'd never be able to find.
Privacy. Being a foreigner has an advantage when you're nearly a willful hikikumori.
Booze at restaurants. Where I come from, it's only some restaurants that'll serve beer with your meal. Here, only McD's doesn't.
Vending machines and convenience stores EVERYWHERE.
Good stuff at convenience stores.
Bottled Tea
Imaginative salacia.
And, more specifically, I'll miss Tokyo's Akiba and Harajuku.

Things I won't miss:
Communication problems. The pretty daughter of my landlady may have a lot of depth, but I'll never know because she's unlikely to try to talk about those things and I wouldn't understand if she did...and I'll never be able to explain fully to her why I tried to get her to raise my rent.
3:30AM sunrise in the summer.

Time to get back to writing.

1st time: Studying at Waseda University SILS 2004-2005 (Tokyo)
Present: Teaching as a JET Programme ALT in Ehime

This is my first time, I'm on JET as well, in Osaka prefecture. I love Osaka so much. <3

I'm living in Hirakata as a student. There are quite a lot of us here, but I seem to be the only one doing NaNo. I hope to stay for the full year, and I have applied for the extension, however it appears to hinge on my grades, so I should really buckle down and write my papers, too. Theoretically 7 pages shouldn't be too hard to type up, except for all the research I have to do beforehand. I hope to be here for a while, though, and maybe see other people.

I'm military and I'm gonna be here for awhile so I figured, why not write a book?

I moved here 2 years ago with Nova, but jumped ship after 3 months and now work at a Japanese kindergarten. It's quite an unusual school, in that it's a normal buddhist kindergarten which just happens to employ three English teachers (2 fulltime, one part time). We do a lot of traditional things throughout the year, and I feel really lucky that I've been paid to take part as an insider in things that tourists pay good money to experience from the outside - mochi-tsuki, leading the bon-dance at the summer festival, getting dressed up in kimono (by a professional kimono dresser - one of the mums!) for tea ceremony, climbing Mount Kinka in Gifu, taking a turn on the udon stall on open day... the list goes on. I've even been in the local paper three times and on local TV twice! (though I guess that's more not fitting in - the local press are like 'ooh, gaijin!')
I live in a medium-sized city outside Nagoya, which seems to be a 'Japan lifers' town - all of the handful of foreigners I know here are married to Japanese, some have kids. I feel settled here too. I know there will always be someone staring at me, but I've taken that as free licence to wear what I want without feeling silly - if I'm going to get stared at anyway, then why not wear the polka-dot kneesocks! The language barrier will always shut me out to some extent, but I'm getting to the point where I can do most everyday tasks in Japanese or pidgin :D

I think it's partly because of my personal circumstances (my last year in England was pretty miserable) but I feel like despite the barriers, my life is more than 100% better than it was back home. I have more friends, more hobbies and interests, a job I really love, my own apartment (small, cheap - but mine. First time I've ever had a bathroom all of my own!) and a good standard of living. I have no plans to go back.

Wow... inspiring! Maybe I can find a better job too... Hm.

Not that JET is terrible, but it would help if I didn't live in an area where I need a car to get groceries but the Board of Education is eager to find any excuse to take driving privileges away. I mean, this isn't exactly a driving friendly country, but give me a break guys! You're the ones who placed me in an area with no public transportation after 5 pm.

JET is a strange program, in many ways.

I teach on a military base in Iwakuni. I have been here four years and have loved every minute of it.

Used to live in Japan
Taught English at a conversation school in Hakodate Hokkaido, moved back to Portland Oregon, but imported one of my old students to be my wife.

Japan was great for writing when I was there. Not many distractions, of course the flip side was I was bored as hell, but that mostly had to do with my interests not being fulfilled. Now that I'm older and less interesting I've found Japan more so when I visited.

Fake Japanese person working with Americans in Japan. I'm not Japanese, but everyone thinks I must just be a really strange (poorly dressed) Japanese person. It's a little disheartening sometimes to get weird looks for being the sweaty girl on the train (without lipstick!), when all my American-looking friends are getting gushing compliments on their Japanese. Okay, so my Japanese isn't great and once they find out I'm not Japanese I usually get a break, but sometimes I wish I didn't have to begin every conversation with a deep apology. (Then again, I'm actually Taiwanese-American, so sometimes I get a deep apology back after I've revealed that fact.)

On the other hand, a friend of mine pointed out that I get a lot of stares in America too, for being the sweaty girl on the train with no lipstick. :) So maybe I'm being overly sensitive.

San-ju-nichi ga, min-na san gambatte kudasai!