Turning Japanese
Ryan Ginstrom
first I just thought they were fucking with me -- especially the dude at the
video store who thought I must have picked the subtitled version of a movie
by mistake -- but it happens so often that I've begun to ask why this is so.
It certainly isn't because of my perfect Japanese -- my foreign accent is
usually noticeable after a sentence or two. So it must be looks, coupled
with a mechanism people here seem to invoke to dispel the cognitive
dissonance created by a Japanese-talking white boy. Those of you who have
met me can judge for yourselves, but I must say that nobody ever asked me if
I was part Japanese until I came to Okinawa (although several people asked
me if I was Brazilian...)
Or maybe it is that I really am turning Japanese, just as many Japanese will
swear that Japanese people's eyes get lighter when they live abroad.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Declan Murphy
> It certainly isn't because of my perfect Japanese -- my foreign accent is
> usually noticeable after a sentence or two. So it must be looks, coupled
> with a mechanism people here seem to invoke to dispel the cognitive
> dissonance created by a Japanese-talking white boy.
It seems perfecctly reasonable to me to assume that all white boys in
Okinawa are either US military or haafu. Are you sure you aren't haafu?
If not, why not? You are in denial.
(Or back in the military?)
Those of you who have
> met me can judge for yourselves, but I must say that nobody ever asked me if
> I was part Japanese until I came to Okinawa (although several people asked
> me if I was Brazilian...)
You look pretty Brazilian to me. More so than Zico.
http://www.trainerbryan.com/files/H_DSCF0028.jpg
And is there any gaigin in Aichi who hasn't been asked if they were
Brazilian? Especially by Brazilians? Usually in Brazilianese?
--
"All FDR undid was the value of the dollar"
Kevin Gowen (really)
Ryan Ginstrom
"Declan Murphy" <declan...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:3EE44393...@hotmail.com...
> Ryan Ginstrom wrote:
> > It certainly isn't because of my perfect Japanese -- my foreign accent
is
> > usually noticeable after a sentence or two. So it must be looks, coupled
> > with a mechanism people here seem to invoke to dispel the cognitive
> > dissonance created by a Japanese-talking white boy.
>
> It seems perfecctly reasonable to me to assume that all white boys in
> Okinawa are either US military or haafu. Are you sure you aren't haafu?
> If not, why not? You are in denial.
Well, I am certainly half something, and half something else, but unless my
mom had a wild affair with a Japanese dude while living in the wilds of
Alaska, it doesn't seem very likely that one of those halves is Japanese.
> (Or back in the military?)
Heaven forbid, although that is usually the other supposition made about me.
Especially by military people. Actually I think they usually assume I'm one
of those base-working longhairs by my bedraggled appearance, or maybe with a
few more gray hairs retiree will be a plausible scenario.
> http://www.trainerbryan.com/files/H_DSCF0028.jpg
> And is there any gaigin in Aichi who hasn't been asked if they were
> Brazilian? Especially by Brazilians? Usually in Brazilianese?
Unless by Peruvians in Peruvianese.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Brett Robson
>
>
>And is there any gaigin in Aichi who hasn't been asked if they were
>Brazilian? Especially by Brazilians? Usually in Brazilianese?
>
Maybe but I don't speak any of that Brazilianese and Argigo, except for
"ushi-niku" which is the word for "beef".
---
"he [John Ashcroft] deliberately left Jesus out of office prayers to avoid
offending non-Christians." - Ben Shapiro 27/2/2003
Declan Murphy
> On Mon, 09 Jun 2003 17:21:39 +0900, Declan ...
>
>>And is there any gaigin in Aichi who hasn't been asked if they were
>>Brazilian? Especially by Brazilians? Usually in Brazilianese?
>
> Maybe but I don't speak any of that Brazilianese and Argigo, except for
> "ushi-niku" which is the word for "beef".
A hot Brazilian chick in a red Toyota Vitz pulled up alongside me last
week and asked me... summmmthin. At least I think it was Brazilianese. I
mean it could have been Peruvianese or Columbianese etc but as you know
everyone in Okazaki knows that everyone from South/Central America
speaks Brazilianese and eats ushiniku. Eventually I worked out that she
wanted directions to the station - but being slow and simple I just
couldn't work out how to mime "Honey just open the door and I'll
personally direct you".
And why does "where is the station?" sound so sexy in Brazilianese?
Eric Takabayashi
> Ever since coming to Okinawa, people have been asking me if I am haafu. At
That is dumb. Why don't they just assume you are a serviceman who speaks the
language?
People assume I am a half. Half Japanese and half American - "American" meaning
white foreigner of course. I sure look part white.
Ryan Ginstrom
"Eric Takabayashi" <eta...@yahoo.co.jp> wrote in message
news:3EE48CCB...@yahoo.co.jp...
> Ryan Ginstrom wrote:
>
> > Ever since coming to Okinawa, people have been asking me if I am haafu.
At
>
> That is dumb. Why don't they just assume you are a serviceman who speaks
the
> language?
>
> People assume I am a half. Half Japanese and half American - "American"
meaning
> white foreigner of course. I sure look part white.
I just had a very deep thought: Do you think you look more half white than I
do half Japanese?
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
mr.sumo snr.
> http://www.trainerbryan.com/files/H_DSCF0028.jpg
> And is there any gaigin in Aichi who hasn't been asked if they were
> Brazilian? Especially by Brazilians? Usually in Brazilianese?
>
I dunno about that - never had a Brazilian mistake me for anything other
than a WASP. And I regularly shop at the Brazilian butchers/grocery store
in town. There's always a small group of Brazilians hanging out in the
shop - playing cards or watching football on video, they always speak to me
in Japanese. I would be very surprised if Jason was ever mistaken for a
South American-type back in his Chubu days..
jonathan
Michael Cash
<eta...@yahoo.co.jp> belched the alphabet and kept on going with:
>Ryan Ginstrom wrote:
>
>> Ever since coming to Okinawa, people have been asking me if I am haafu. At
>
>That is dumb. Why don't they just assume you are a serviceman who speaks the
>language?
Eric made a funny!
--
Michael Cash
"I am Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht."
Elmer J. Fudd
Millionaire
Louise Bremner
> Or maybe it is that I really am turning Japanese....
Didn't your teachers warn you?
________________________________________________________________________
Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!
Ryan Ginstrom
" Louise Bremner" <dame_...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1fwbtfm.336mxsvpx7qsN%dame_...@yahoo.com...
> Ryan Ginstrom <gins...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Or maybe it is that I really am turning Japanese....
>
> Didn't your teachers warn you?
Constantly.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom
Steve Sundberg
<gins...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>Well, I am certainly half something, and half something else, but unless my
>mom had a wild affair with a Japanese dude while living in the wilds of
>Alaska, it doesn't seem very likely that one of those halves is Japanese.
Does your mom (or dad) have any Eskimo heritage?
Ryan Ginstrom
"Steve Sundberg" <dee...@mm.com> wrote in message
news:3ee5223f...@news1.mm.com...
Nope.
--
Regards,
Ryan Ginstrom