Gaijin アドバイス

I was recently given a homework assignment to come up with a presentation for foreigners. It was supposed to give foreigners planning on living in Japan a heads up on what to expect. I might as well share what my friends and I came up with. This blog itself is more or less a heads up on Japan, but if you are planning on living here there are some things you may want to know. Americans especially are prone to doing "stupid" things in Japan and not realizing how it affects others around them.

Well, first I'll go over the easy things. Don't eat or talk on your cell phone on the train. When in doubt, take off your shoes. It is okay to drink in public, but not okay to be a drunk American. If you want to get anything productive done, don't look at any women. etc.

That covers the easy stuff. Everything else is a little harder to explain. Basically, if you want to fit in in Japan, you're out of luck. You always stand out. Just try your hardest to be polite and don't play the gaijin card as often as you can. Buy a bicycle, move out of the way for old people (they won't move themselves), and just say sumimasen often.

What I'm trying to say is be more like this
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And less like this ---------->