‎Please tell me about your image of Japanese people. Of course I welcome positive or vague ones, but I wanna know negative or specific ideas, too.

Question

Depfrost · Answer

I see Japanese as very respectful people. Also you are not very direct when expressing things, to not hurt others. But undercover you have amazing personality and a lot of cool ideas. I can see that in all the crazy products coming from Japan and also from the manga story x). They are according great importance to family, tradition, work. One negative aspect is that it looks hard to find a good place in society. It requires a lot of hard work maybe too much.
That is just my point of view, I may be wrong.
But overall I like Japanese people, I just wish it could be easier to connect with them =)

Adrien_FR · Answer

@Depfrost "I see Japanese as very respectful people. "

That's because they do everything to "appear" respectful. It's called "tatemae" (put on a mask). What they really feel is called "honne" (real feeling) and is way darker that you can imagine.

For living in Japan for 15 years now, I can tell you that a large majority of Japanese people are exactly the same as people from any other country : rudeness, bad mouthing, insults, dangerous driving, smoking everywhere, littering, gossip, fighting, being noisy at night, lying etc.
They are just better at hiding it and/or faking to not noticing it.

" I can see that in all the crazy products coming from Japan and also from the manga story x)."

"Crazy products" and "manga", or basically two things that are absolutely not representating of the real Japanese society. Mangas are fiction, pure fiction. Everything you see inside is far from reality : the way people talk, dress, act, react.

"They are according great importance to family, tradition, work. "

They are, in a large majority, putting work BEFORE family, in every meaning. Extra hours, weekend shifts, long business trips or separated living. For a majority of working Japanese men, work will ALWAYS come before family.
As for traditions, most of them are actually NOT respected and people use them as a pretext to drink alcool or meet and party. Typical example : Hanami. The biggest pretext to just drink a lot in public, because sincerely, they don't care that much about cherry blossoms. ;)

"That is just my point of view, I may be wrong."

I think your point of view is not linked with reality. Like most French people who never lived in Japan, you only know the country through various medias, not by living here.
Try to ask questions to someone who spent a long time here, and you'll be shocked to know what Japan and Japanese people are about. And I mean at least to 5 to 10 years, not the regular 1 year university exchange person who clearly can't have an objective idea about the country. :)

@h2d2 "Please tell me about your image of Japanese people."

They are everything they say they're not, and not what they say they are.

They don't want to meet you? They will say 今度いつか遊ぼう！
They think it looks horrible on you? 似合うね！
They think it sucks but won't say it directly. すごいね！
They give up on EVERYTHING, nothing is good to be improved, you've got to stick with bad. しょうがないもんね
They don't find the food delicious at all? 美味しいね！ (even more true on TV, bunch of liers^^)
I really can't play piano → めちゃくちゃピアノがうまい（crazy modesty)

They say elders have the best manners : one of the biggest lie of the country.
Elders are horrible : bad manners, bad attitude, can't wait in line, will fake not understanding, spitting everywhere, smoking everywhere, insulting everyone all the time, gambling etc.

They say kids are well-educated ? Mental harassment, bullying and suicides are top issues.

They say people are polite ? People are formatted to do so, but deeply they are like French or American people, pissed off at all the stupidity around them.

Anyway, people tend to have a very, very wrong image of Japanese people, and I, after having been living for 15 years, have a more realistic image of them : they're like everyone else, not better, not worst, but they "seem" more polite and educated, just because they learned how to put a mask and fake it.

Depfrost · Answer

@_Ado_  Thank you for sharing your point of view as someone who lived there for a long time.

I think you are right, my vision of Japanese society is too much influenced by medias ^^'

But your vision of them seems too be very dark =O
It must be difficult for them to always be pretending =s
We are just human after all, I think it would be fine to be more honest.

But I will be more careful about not always believing what they say ^^

Adrien_FR · Answer

@Depfrost The more you live in Japan, the more you have to deal with all the darkness here, and believe me, even my Japanese wife knows that deeply, Japanese people are not that kind at all. ;) But again, it doesn't work for Japan only, every country has darkness, Japan is just better at hiding it!

its_bella · Answer

Japan is an amazing country with wonderfull people  here in   middle east the japenese are known by thier intelligence and sometimes we call the smart people *japanese* and if anyone came with a clever idea they say that's it i am going to japan bye bye .The japanese are very respectful, polite and kind . Anime is so popular in middle east and a lot of otakos are here and we have places for them (i don't know what it calls but they do cosplay and go there the place is full of anime things😅) japan is one of the best countries to us and it's absoultly on a lot of people's list take me as an example i love japan so much and it's my dream to visit it one day you guys are amazing and very lovely .
so much love and respect to you from Saudi Arabia ❤

Adrien_FR · Answer

@its_bella "The japanese are very respectful, polite and kind ."

That's an overstatement, and also a completely subjective opinion of yours based on widely spread stereotypes. ;)
It's far from reality, unfortunately.
I suggest you to read my previous post on this page to know a little more about what Japanese people are "in real life" and not in "speculative world". ^^

its_bella · Answer

@_Ado_ of course not all of them bur overall they are really nice and lovely ❤

Clara_Angel · Answer

@_Ado_ ​Hhhh that’s what Exactly I needed to be told about lol .. cuz I have doubts about them lol u forgot on essential thing which is ghosting hhhh they ghost u simply like have never known u before

Adrien_FR · Answer

@Clara_Angel Yes, experienced that!

‎Please tell me about your image of Japanese people. Of course I welcome positive or vague ones, but I wanna know negative or specific ideas, too.

@Depfrost The more you live in Japan, the more you have to deal with all the darkness here, and believe me, even my Japanese wife knows that deeply, Japanese people are not that kind at all. ;) But again, it doesn't work for Japan only, every country has darkness, Japan is just better at hiding it!

@_Ado_ of course not all of them bur overall they are really nice and lovely ❤

@_Ado_ Hhhh that’s what Exactly I needed to be told about lol .. cuz I have doubts about them lol u forgot on essential thing which is ghosting hhhh they ghost u simply like have never known u before

@Clara_Angel Yes, experienced that!

Fai domande a utenti madrelingua gratis

‎Please tell me about your image of Japanese people. Of course I welcome positive or vague ones, but I wanna know negative or specific ideas, too. Vedi una traduzione

@Depfrost The more you live in Japan, the more you have to deal with all the darkness here, and believe me, even my Japanese wife knows that deeply, Japanese people are not that kind at all. ;) But again, it doesn't work for Japan only, every country has darkness, Japan is just better at hiding it!

@_Ado_ of course not all of them bur overall they are really nice and lovely ❤

@_Ado_ ​Hhhh that’s what Exactly I needed to be told about lol .. cuz I have doubts about them lol u forgot on essential thing which is ghosting hhhh they ghost u simply like have never known u before

@Clara_Angel Yes, experienced that!

Fai domande a utenti madrelingua gratis

‎Please tell me about your image of Japanese people. Of course I welcome positive or vague ones, but I wanna know negative or specific ideas, too.

@_Ado_ Hhhh that’s what Exactly I needed to be told about lol .. cuz I have doubts about them lol u forgot on essential thing which is ghosting hhhh they ghost u simply like have never known u before