Comments | mr_kurt: Subtly Alien

mr_kurt

Subtly Alien

May 16, 2006 20:26

So, Gentle Reader, I find myself in Japan once again. As usual, I am struck by how amazingly homelike and yet essentially alien this country is. One never quite gets used to it ( Read more... )

Comments 5

spondee May 16 2006, 08:03:35 UTC

I think I saw something like that fruit tree in the kids section at an amusement park...

saffronrose May 16 2006, 08:07:34 UTC

Eat this, it's natural--remember your 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day!

davesslave May 16 2006, 11:17:01 UTC

I have heard people make the same comments you posted about being non-japanese in Japan. I'm glad to have read your perspective on that. I agree with your sentiments.

Not just Japan taltosdama May 16 2006, 13:54:28 UTC

Living in Auckland NZ I have had lots of moments like that. And I'm white in a white english speaking country.I think no matter what, there is something that says"not from around here". And people react. Not nice, but base human instinct

One of my favorite songs... is that very one. chewt0y May 16 2006, 16:56:51 UTC

I know it can be difficult to experieince being the outsider, no matter where you are. Part of the unwritten signs on our heads are the general bewildered energy emanating from our persons. Nashville TN, I felt like a sort of pariah. Nashvillians treated me like a sort of European snob might treat most other Americans. How gauche, you ask questions directly, and look ill kempt according to social groupings that make sense to us. It's also a huge part in attitude. Feeling like a cog in a machine isn't inherent to the American psyche. Just food for thought.