What makes you think your culture's not?
I came home early from a party tonight, because I was enervated by the predictability of the foreign staff, who outnumber the local Japanese. In fact, the most interesting staff were those from a certain SE Asian Catholic archipelago-nation, who try much less hard to be 'individual' and come off the better for it.
The Anglophone staff are going to talk about: how much they drank, or where they are going on vacation, or (if women) how nobody will date them in Tokyo, or how crazy the Japanese are (matter of perspective). Not a tenth of them have an idea of their own, or even from a book rather than a TV show.
Walked out on good drink and food, and much younger women of various complexions, and am having more fun typing this. God, I am turning into a curmudgeon.
Was thinking a similar thing today about the tattoos everyone here has to express their "individuality".
ReplyDeleteWanted a tattoo badly in the 90s, but two things stopped me: wouldn't let myself get one I couldn't be sure I'd think was cool on sagging skin in my future, and I like onsen too much.
ReplyDeleteAnd the J-wife didn't think wedding band tattoos were a good idea. "But honey, it's more permanent than platinum..." Almost true: I lost my band for a week in the first year.
ReplyDeletehave to look up "curmudgeon". And then copy and paste. Like the sound.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to get a tattoo too but realised I'm so afraid of commitment, I don't even buy a weekly train ticket so a maybe a tattoo isn't such a good idea!
ReplyDeleteI reckon you'd make a killing in this country if you set up as a tattoo removalist.
"Not a tenth of them have an idea of their own, or even from a book rather than a TV show."
ReplyDeleteMan..I just took a haymaker right handed swing at those same folks :)
People don't need to agree with me. I'm a narcissist, but not that easily pleased. I do need them not to bore me telling me an 'opinion' they got off a cereal box: Catholic Church tried that on for first fifteen years of my life.
ReplyDeleteYou don't like enkais because everyone has opinions they got off a cereal box?
ReplyDeleteYou're missing out, my friend. I love enkais. In fact they're grrreat.