Winston's Parents' Trip Report from Japan

[Winston]

Check out my parents' trip report from Japan. It's funny. Look what my dad said about what the ideal life consists of. lol

We are back to our Chiayi home yesterday. We enjoyed the trip very much. The down side is that the whole trip is rushing from one place to another. We have to watch the time all the time, that is the nature of joining a tour. But, We like Japan very much. It is very clean and safe. People respect the law and other people. Everything is in order. Japanese is a very civilized race, very polite and in good manner. They bow, smile and speak very softly with sweet tones. They are the most pleasant people I have ever encountered. In the crowded area, they are very quiet and speak with softly voices. When you hear some loud talking, they are probably Chinese tourists from China. There are heavy traffic on the street but you don't hear people blow their horns, unlike drivers in Taiwan and China. If you walk on the people packed streets, the one bumps into you will probably Chinese. Japanese always try to let you go first, respect you, but Chinese tourists will try to take over the street that you have to step aside of their way. The Chinese tourists also don't respect the traffic, they will walk cross red lights while other Japanese wait for the lights to turn green.

But, if you are in Japan, you will be very depressed because Japanese women are mostly very attractive. Their pretty faces, expressions, while skin and skinny figures will make you crazy and want to meet them. There is a saying that you will have a good life if you could eat Chinese foods, marry a Japanese girl and live in America's comfortable house.

Now that you are on the road. Do you have a rough plan like where to go and for how long? Your Kuo Yi uncle is in Taiwan now. You could visit uncle Chen when you are in the area. He is expecting you.

Try to write often of where you are. Have a great trip and drive safely.

Love,
Dad

This part is funny:

"There is a saying that you will have a good life if you could eat Chinese foods, marry a Japanese girl and live in America's comfortable house."

Isn't that so true? It's a saying that Taiwanese have. I wonder why they idolize Japanese wives.

[Rock]

Check out my parents' trip report from Japan. It's funny. Look what my dad said about what the ideal life consists of. lol

We are back to our Chiayi home yesterday. We enjoyed the trip very much. The down side is that the whole trip is rushing from one place to another. We have to watch the time all the time, that is the nature of joining a tour. But, We like Japan very much. It is very clean and safe. People respect the law and other people. Everything is in order. Japanese is a very civilized race, very polite and in good manner. They bow, smile and speak very softly with sweet tones. They are the most pleasant people I have ever encountered. In the crowded area, they are very quiet and speak with softly voices. When you hear some loud talking, they are probably Chinese tourists from China. There are heavy traffic on the street but you don't hear people blow their horns, unlike drivers in Taiwan and China. If you walk on the people packed streets, the one bumps into you will probably Chinese. Japanese always try to let you go first, respect you, but Chinese tourists will try to take over the street that you have to step aside of their way. The Chinese tourists also don't respect the traffic, they will walk cross red lights while other Japanese wait for the lights to turn green.

But, if you are in Japan, you will be very depressed because Japanese women are mostly very attractive. Their pretty faces, expressions, while skin and skinny figures will make you crazy and want to meet them. There is a saying that you will have a good life if you could eat Chinese foods, marry a Japanese girl and live in America's comfortable house.

Now that you are on the road. Do you have a rough plan like where to go and for how long? Your Kuo Yi uncle is in Taiwan now. You could visit uncle Chen when you are in the area. He is expecting you.

Try to write often of where you are. Have a great trip and drive safely.

Love,
Dad

This part is funny:

"There is a saying that you will have a good life if you could eat Chinese foods, marry a Japanese girl and live in America's comfortable house."

Isn't that so true? It's a saying that Taiwanese have. I wonder why they idolize Japanese wives.

I can really relate to what your dad says. I got similar feelings I got after spending a week going around Tokyo. Japanese are super civilized and polite, perhaps the most opposite of anti-social I've seen anywhere. I still remember the contrast from that movie "Babel", how the cops in Morocco were so rude and brutal but the cops in Japan were so gentle and polite.

What I still don't get is how the Japanese could have behaved so brutally in much of Asia during WWII ere. Anyone have a credible explanation for that.

[Billy]

What I still don't get is how the Japanese could have behaved so brutally in much of Asia during WWII ere. Anyone have a credible explanation for that.

rock no different than in germany. imperialism brainwashing strong discipline, revenge (against usa) are probably enough. plus you can´t win a world war without being brutal specially when you are outnumbered. that´s how atilla and dschingis khan did - however we are all animals what do you expect? civilisation is only on the surface no matter how advanced a culture may seem. in a life and death situation things get barbaric.

[The_Adventurer]

I knew a guy with a Japanese wife. She was an angel to me, but she treated him like dirt, always took his paycheck and gave him $20 per week allowance. I don't think her daughter liked her very much either. Once when her parents were out, she said she hoped they died in a car crash and she could stay with me.

[magnum]

makes me even more excited to see japan.

[Winston]

You are right Rock. I saw the movie "Babel" too and was amazed at how polite the cop in Japan was. He was so soft and humble too. Similar to how Taiwanese are.

In contrast, the Morocco cops were brutal and aggressive. And the border patrol at the US/Mexico border were very mean and forceful.

So why do Taiwanese say that Japanese women make the best wives? I've heard that said a number of times.

[Rock]

You are right Rock. I saw the movie "Babel" too and was amazed at how polite the cop in Japan was. He was so soft and humble too. Similar to how Taiwanese are.

In contrast, the Morocco cops were brutal and aggressive. And the border patrol at the US/Mexico border were very mean and forceful.

So why do Taiwanese say that Japanese women make the best wives? I've heard that said a number of times.

Well I don't know. But I believe in practice, that pairing (Taiwan man w/ Japanese woman) is pretty rare. The most common pairings with non-Chinese foreigners for Taiwanese I believe is Taiwan man + Vietnam woman or Taiwan woman + Japanese man. So perhaps the Taiwanese should say Japanese men make the best husbands lol.

[Falcon]

Your dad's e-mail writing style is incredibly similar to my own dad's. Pragmatic with some simple observations and thoughts.

He also defends Taiwanese women just like your dad does. I tried explaining to him about how many Taiwanese women nowadays are pretty much spoiled princesses, and his immediate reaction was, "No no, not necessarily" with an annoyed "ayoh" kind of tone. My cousin does the same thing. He says "Yeah, there are some princess types, but there are still a lot of really good Taiwanese women." Just like Rock, haha.

Taiwanese, especially many of the younger women and some of the older "native" (bensheng) ones seem to have this love affair with Japan. The two countries are indeed quite similar in many ways.

What I still don't get is how the Japanese could have behaved so brutally in much of Asia during WWII ere. Anyone have a credible explanation for that.

- Generation gap
- Universal human nature (the potential "demon" within ourselves)

Same with the British, many, though not all, of whom are incredibly polite and soft-spoken nowadays (like our fellow member Xiongmao). But British colonial administrators often committed atrocious crimes against humanity.

Similar situation with Americans at home vs. Americans abroad, and Belgians at home vs. Belgians in the Congo.

[xiongmao]

Yes I was schooled by the last of the generation who grew up with the empire. Things have changed beyond all recognition in just the last 20-30 years.

Japan *is* an awesome place to visit - the only worry I had was of umbrella thieves. I walked around Asakusa in central Tokyo and there were bicycles that weren't even padlocked. Incredible. More people should visit. And incidentally, now is a good time to visit - less gaijin want to live there due to Fukushima. Get a free room by teaching English to a family with a spare room. Food is pretty cheap if you eat inside train stations and gorge on salaryman nosh.

And another little thing that was amazing was that people would use the baskets of abandoned bicycles as litter bins, rather than throw stuff in the street (as in China).

Funny your folks noticed the loud Chinese tourists. I also noticed them - I went in a Family Mart and a Chinese family was making an incredible din while buying ice creams. They also wore shabby clothes and really stood out.

And yes, Japanese people NEVER cross when the red man is showing. I got into the habit of that, even when there were no cars around. You can't really do that in Bangkok because you will grow old and die before the green man appears in places like Soi Thonglor. Once you've been here for a while you can time things to perfection.

I see Chinese tourists in Bangkok but the Indians are more annoying, from cooking in their hotel rooms, to clogging the sidewalks around Nana.

[momopi]

What I still don't get is how the Japanese could have behaved so brutally in much of Asia during WWII ere. Anyone have a credible explanation for that.

From Western perspective, see "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" by Ruth Benedict. In the past this was required reading for Asian Studies major, not sure about today.

[Rock]

What I still don't get is how the Japanese could have behaved so brutally in much of Asia during WWII ere. Anyone have a credible explanation for that.

From Western perspective, see "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword" by Ruth Benedict. In the past this was required reading for Asian Studies major, not sure about today.

OK, I downloaded it. Hope it's a good read.

[ph]

Good insights. I never thought of Japan like that before. I ought to check it out.

[Winston]

My parents just went on a tour to Okinawa. Here is what my dad said about it. Notice what he says about the self-absorbed Taiwanese girls that were on the bus tour with him. lol

Okinawa is not that small. It is about 1/3 of Taiwan. I believe you only went to city area in the south not the north coast.

I read your trip updates in emails too.

Over all, our Okinawa trip was nice. The part I do not like was that we spent too much time in shopping area. This is the problem when you join tour group. The good part is it is relative cheap to join and you do not have to worry about where to eat and sleep. The tour members are mostly girls, girls with their girl friends, young couples. Some middle age women. We are the only old couple. I can relate your feeling about modern day young girls mentality and attitude. Most of These young girls are only focus on their friends and partners. They are all self absorb to themselves. They do not look at you when they pass you in front, as though you are not exist. When they are not walking, they are all bury their heads on their smart phones and glide their fingers all the time. So the scenes you encountered in America happen here as well. I believe this happen in every modern countries. The thing that annoys me the most is most of them do not open the door or hold the door for you when you are in their back.

Fortunately, there are couple of them are nice that they would let you get off the bus first. One of the girl that came with her mom is very cheerful and nice. She often went around took pictures for other members. Often, She would show up in front of us and asked to take our picture and she sent many of the photos to me be email. The.sad part is she is 35 and still single. She is very fat and out of shape. I feel sorry for her. She deserves much better. This is not fair.

Have great time and drive safely.

Love
Dad

[Jester]

What I still don't get is how the Japanese could have behaved so brutally in much of Asia during WWII ere. Anyone have a credible explanation for that.

rock no different than in germany. imperialism brainwashing strong discipline, revenge (against usa) are probably enough. plus you can´t win a world war without being brutal specially when you are outnumbered. that´s how atilla and dschingis khan did - however we are all animals what do you expect? civilisation is only on the surface no matter how advanced a culture may seem. in a life and death situation things get barbaric.

Comparison with Germany won't wash. The Germans committed no outrages against innocent civilians like the Japanese did in Nanking and elsewhere.

(Yes there were a few executions of hostages and a few trainloads of Jewish deportees, but only when German women and children were being systematically firebombed, raped, crucified etc by the "Allies". German occupation was NOTHING like the deliberate starvation, rape and mass executions perpetrated by Russians AND ALSO AMERICANS.)

Getting back to the point here, what is mystifying to us is how the Japanese suddenly CHANGED, from incredibly civilized to monstrously evil, and were NOT ASHAMED. Sure, Americans committed rape and torture, but they didnt do it in broad daylight, and they didn't TAKE PHOTOS OF IT TO GIGGLE ABOUT LATER...

MY attempt at an answer to this perplexing issue is that Japanese "goodness" is apparently based on peer acceptance, not an actual conscience.

[Jester]

Check out my parents' trip report from Japan. It's funny. Look what my dad said about what the ideal life consists of. lol

We are back to our Chiayi home yesterday. We enjoyed the trip very much. The down side is that the whole trip is rushing from one place to another. We have to watch the time all the time, that is the nature of joining a tour. But, We like Japan very much. It is very clean and safe. People respect the law and other people. Everything is in order. Japanese is a very civilized race, very polite and in good manner. They bow, smile and speak very softly with sweet tones. They are the most pleasant people I have ever encountered. In the crowded area, they are very quiet and speak with softly voices. When you hear some loud talking, they are probably Chinese tourists from China. There are heavy traffic on the street but you don't hear people blow their horns, unlike drivers in Taiwan and China. If you walk on the people packed streets, the one bumps into you will probably Chinese. Japanese always try to let you go first, respect you, but Chinese tourists will try to take over the street that you have to step aside of their way. The Chinese tourists also don't respect the traffic, they will walk cross red lights while other Japanese wait for the lights to turn green.

But, if you are in Japan, you will be very depressed because Japanese women are mostly very attractive. Their pretty faces, expressions, while skin and skinny figures will make you crazy and want to meet them. There is a saying that you will have a good life if you could eat Chinese foods, marry a Japanese girl and live in America's comfortable house.

Now that you are on the road. Do you have a rough plan like where to go and for how long? Your Kuo Yi uncle is in Taiwan now. You could visit uncle Chen when you are in the area. He is expecting you.

Try to write often of where you are. Have a great trip and drive safely.

Love,
Dad

This part is funny:

"There is a saying that you will have a good life if you could eat Chinese foods, marry a Japanese girl and live in America's comfortable house."

Isn't that so true? It's a saying that Taiwanese have. I wonder why they idolize Japanese wives.

Great trip report, Winston, please tell your parents thanks from all of us!