Apr
28
2005
I get asked this a lot from both foreigners and Japanese. No, I'm still American. But theoretically, I could become a Japanese citizen:
By law, aliens with 5 years of continuous residence are eligible for naturalization and citizenship rights, including the right to vote; however, in practice, most eligible aliens choose not to apply for citizenship, partly due to fears that their cultural identity would be lost. Obstacles to naturalization included broad discretion available to adjudicating officers and great emphasis on Japanese-language ability. Naturalization procedures also required an extensive background check, including inquiries into the applicant's economic status and assimilation into society. Koreans were given the option of adopting a Japanese surname. The Government defended its naturalization procedures as necessary to ensure the smooth assimilation of foreigners into society. Alien permanent residents may live abroad for up to 4 or 5 years without losing their right to permanent residence in the country.
Even if I were to renounce my American citizenship for Japanese citizenship, I'd still be a foreigner. It's not like America where anyone can not only become an American but also be accepted as one. In Japan, if you're not Japanese, you're not Japanese.
Being married makes me a husband. Having two sons makes me a father. Living in Japan makes me a foreigner. So it doesn't bother me being treated as such. On the contrary, as a privileged white guy, it's good to be able to see the world from the perspective of a minority. I gave up bitching about it years ago.
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Apr
27
2005
You snooze, you lose.
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Apr
26
2005
Remember the Japanese techno/technical track I used for background music a few episodes back? (The one I hobbled together after the accidental vodka overdose.) No wonder I couldn't find anything about the artist. I had his name wrong. it's Momoyo The LIZARD, not Motokado. (A guy I used to work with was named Motokado. And he looked nothing like a lizard.) The best way to track him down ("him" meaning Momoyo, not Motokado) is to use Google.
Just don't mention to him that I used his music without permission, 'cause you're all just as guilty as I am now. If I go to jail, so do you. Remember that.
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Apr
24
2005
SAQ
A friend of mine just pointed me to this page. They're the answers to things you probably never knew you wanted to know about Japan.
And in case you were wondering, I didn't know the answers either. I probably asked many of those questions at one time, but because I've been living here so long I've stopped analyzing the differences, or even noticing them. Instead, I accept things for what they are–just like Japanese.
Seriously, when's the last time you asked questions like that about your own culture?
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Apr
22
2005
Here's a story from Iraq you've never heard. A friend of mine who's there just told it to me.
I was talking to some guys from a British Army detachment, and they said early on in the war, while the Brits were securing the Iran/Iraq border near Basra, an American man with a large backpack walked up to them and asked them for directions. The Brits were incredulous. "You do know there's a war on?"
"No, I've been backpacking across Asia now for three years." the American said, "What's going on?"
The Brits said they had no choice but to take him as a prisoner of war until his identity could be established. Turned out, he was just some schmuck hiking across Asia. The Iranian border guards must have known there was a war going on, but they didn't tell this guy anything.
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anecdote,
Iraq
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