reformedpraiser comments

Yubaru

However passing all the negativity aside a moment here, one transgendered young person I knew, who now has graduated from HS as a female, had the courage to overcome it all and use his differences to educate literally thousands of people.

Agreed and I thumb you up. Around 10 years ago I also had a Singaporean neighbor who is LGBT. Even if it was in Melbourne, therefore he may not suffered as badly as in Japan (based on this article, which I assume reliable). Live in a high end area, posh apartment, nice roundup personality, highly successful at the age of 27 in Finance, made it on his own. He was my role model when I was his neighbor at 18, because I admired his brain, and that he knows he's different but respects himself. He became family friend who got invited to dinners at ours by Mom. Helped me with my 1st resume. I find out accidentally when we just moved and I heard he's in the balcony, when I put my head across to borrow toolbox to setup my desk (interrupted his candlelight dinner). I'm glad to say that even then, I have zero prejudice about LGBT people. This is not to say I'm better or anything. Only I believe in different values than the haters. What's most important in people is how they carry themselves in society, and their success and what they make to contribute to their world. As I heard it said somewhere: "Let those without sin cast the first stone".

Its very sad, the group mentality in Japan. Can't you think for yourself and still liked for your own personal opinion? I also dislike the bullying culture who bully everything that moves. Ugly? Got bullied. Stupid? Bullied. Different? Bullied. Well, I said, then if it were me, I will strive to be as beautiful, smart, etc to avoid bullying. Until a friend in Japan told me a tale of a smart and beautiful young woman who commit suicide because she's heavily bullied by her friends for managing a seat in ToDai. Why? If someone is better looking and smarter, does she needs to dumb down to stroke egos of her group of girlfriends? I'd rather not have friends. Honestly, The saying of "The nail that sticks up..." needs to go.

Yubaru

YOU are changing and waking up to the reality that Japan is like anywhere else in the world. Don't let the media fool you into believing that it isn't.

Bob Sneider

People in other counties like to bring up Japan as a shiing example when comparing it to post disaster situatiins in ither countries. what they dont know is that looting occurs, just like everywhere else, but the media ignores that...

This is true. No nation or race is superior or inferior. We all breath the same and all eat rice (or maybe pasta :-p) In my case, it was my Japanese boss who outlined the orderliness of Japanese during crisis when compared to other nations.

Its just too farfetched. I never believed him . What can happen in any parts of the world can and is and will happen in Japan.

Tessa,

Oh boy. I wonder if people who think that Japanese people are paragons of cleanliness and hygiene have ever actually been inside a Japanese person's home.

This was what I think too until I've done like Tessa... I'm quite tidy and a minimalist. I've discover this makes me feel better and positive, and is also good for the health. Because I'm rather insomniac, I find I sleep and live better in place with minimal clutter. Its just a matter of habit and easily trained, like the mindset of respecting your money and it looks better in the bank and investment vs using it to hoard stuff (also helps your small living space) When you respect the quality of your life, you respect yourself. In my humble opinion ^^

I wonder if it reflects mental state (like depression or fatigue). Since I know someone who is in a burnout state, and she has stuff like food, clothes, money, etc all strewn on the floor, bed, desk, toilet. The thing is, the person is very neat when going outside. It's confusing :-z

People who are not good enough to succeed or make it big in life with their trade skills, teach. No wonder so many bitter teachers practicing covert bullying and using young minds to fulfill their agendas to make their wretched life more bearable ^^ There's no point in looking up to teachers. At times they're even more childish, shallow, and broken than young people whose still got spirit and ideals.

My point is, going to educators, especially in Japanese schools with issue as important as wanting to fit in when you're different like LGBT, will that truly help or change anything?

This is not to bash Japanese or anything. Only speaking from experience without adding or subtracting :-D

Some Japanese are just as dirty and smelly. In my office there was a young J-girl about my age/ in her late 20s - who had habit of not taking shower/ minding her smell. Her division members of my nationality even said blatantly to her to please be cleaner and to think about others, and smell pollution. When I enter the company I was having the highest opinion about Japanese being 'greater' than other Asians (my naivety as a young womanl, who only know about Japan from glossed up advertising, manga/anime, and the high-end part of Japan (I only know Ginza, Ropppongi, and the like, from short holidays)). My state is totally likened like having unicorn shitting rainbow. I'm glad with the harsh wakeup call. Having mixed day in- day out with around 30 real Japanese who are expat in my office, my opinion changed drastically. This also what makes me find out about Japan Today website, since I wish to read a lot about the reality ^^ Just from observing quietly behind my desk (while my unicorn slowly dies off), I am force fed that: They're not the politest, not the smartest (sometimes they find it hard to improvise, since they work like robots), not more modest (especially when its company money to spree on expensive washoku places. But if its their own money, um - my boss even grumbles on those hard starbucks sandwich), OR whatever they want to think/ believe they are, compared with the rest of planet earth. In fact, I do think that rather a lot of them seems to be double faced, hold grudges rather easily, having backwards or closed off way of thinking, stingy, likes ganging up to bully the weaker (even if its another Japanese in the office), likes to mince words/ not straightforward so they can twist around their words, some had the 'holier than thou attitude' I read a lot in Japan Today, etc (while in truth, its their gain to be send as an expat because as an expat they had to be given managerial position --> back in Japan they sit on row like ordinary staff and not at the head of table). By perusing the crime section of this website, I see rather lots who also have streaks of cruelty/ mental fragileness. Reading the crime section on Japan Today makes me shocked, actually. Because its the Japanese who think highly about themselves, sometimes too highly, that people who look from outside (like me) believe them too. Hah, stop dreaming la, Japanese. You're like a cake I baked on home-economic class at junior high. It burnt black and raise in a disgusting way (everyone called it cancer cake). But I slathered it with buttercream and decorate with butter flowers so it looks presentable and I pass the baking test.

My office is a branch of SOJITZ Trading company. In a large capital city.