SayJapanese goes Loco

I took a personality test on Facebook a while back, which told me what I already knew...I'm very, very agreeable. The problem I find with the agreeable label is that people think that your a meek or dull because of it (at least that's my impression), and that is something I am not. I think I scored so highly on agreeableness because I view it as bad manners and often offensive to scoff or disagree with another's cultural point of view. This is limited however to new people, people whose boundaries have yet to be tested. I'm not one of those extroverted people who tells anybody and everybody about my whole life story over a cup of tea/coffee (I hate both so you would probably be doing the drinking). But I'm mostly okay with that, I think it's one facet of my personality but not something you could pin me down as.

Recently I started reading the works of another blogger by the name of LOCO (not his real name apparently but I like it), a New Yorker; I had previously been particularly loyal to Wandering in Miyazaki (another New Yorker) who's situation was similar to what mine would be in Japan and had a killa 'fro I could only aspire to. He's pretty interesting, having lived in Japan for about 6 years and being a man, he gives me a completely different and sometimes not so nice perspective. His actions are interpreted with acute eyes, he is far more aggressive and 'dangerous' when he walks, when he talks, when he gestures emphatically all because he represents the unknown to a very homogeneous, insular population. Loco often gets the 'I'm scared shitless of you' stares (on public transport), which I would guess gets very boring very fast. I think it's mostly to do with the fact that he's a man, in general humans are more afraid of the unknown man than the unknown woman. How dangerous can a 5'3'' girl be compared to a 6' plus, broad shouldered man.........I'll have you know that within my armoury are some very sharp teeth, which could cause unspeakable damage.

I assume that anyone who lives or has lived in New York is very ballsy and not one to mince words, so the contrasting environment in Japan makes for a sometimes explosive meeting in LocoWorld. My suspicion, no, my belief is that New Yorkers and the Japanese are like chalk and cheese; one practices Honne and Tatamae while the other says what they think or feel in whatever situation; no New Yorker worries about how a sudden efflux of emotions would affect others. I'm not saying New Yorkers are impetuous, capricious loud-mouths or anything like that, they just don't use the same restraint over their emotions that the Japanese do, like most people in the western world. Mainly, because in their culture it's perfectly normal to express their distaste, joy, apathy, glee over life in general.

My thoughts about Loco......he's an articulate, smart, middle-aged man with a quick wit and a general love a ladies, ladies, ladies. I highly recommend. As I read through Loco's posts I realised that though I could sympathise with his trials I could not, at this point in time, empathise; it is because of that that I can say his reactions are the polar opposites of mine. I have this ability to be completely fine with whatever another person's perception is because I can accept that is just the way it is. I don't attempt to understand why, often because I feel it would be disrespectful to them to question. Having said that I do realise that you can genuinely ask questions and debate out of curiosity and not the desire to prove someone else's practices wrong. I think I come across as uncaring, don't get me wrong there are times when I couldn't careless but that is restricted snobs - I've met a lot of them. I don't think Loco is wrong for the way he handles some situations because everyone has their limits. It just made me realise that not every Gaijin in Japan instantaneously embarks on a love affair with it, most have a love/hate relationship. My only hesitation is that my agreeableness doesn't render me Japan's doormat lover, who nods accordingly and loses the ability to have independent thought.

I want Japan to be my means of metamorphosis, I don't need to be a butterfly.....I'm happy being a moth as long as I'm better than I was before. As long as I have grown.

Any comments are welcomed........