Sometimes I am really embarrassed to be labelled as gaijin 外人 or gaikokujin 外国人, which in English is literally 'outsider' or 'outside country person'...obviously foreigner. In fact, you really notice that you are a foreigner in Japan; people stare, and not in a friendly way either. But the time I hate being non-Japanese the most is when other non-Japanese are here and don't respect the culture and customs; I do my best. For example, I was just watching a tv program on how foreigners (it's too easy to label ourselves and others with that term) disrespect geisha 芸者 and maiko 舞子. Most people are familiar with geisha (entertainers in traditional Japanese arts), but usually confuse them with maiko. Maiko are in fact apprentice geisha, and dress in more colourful, flambouyant kimono. Neither of the two are prostitutes, no matter how they have been portrayed over the last 100 years. This show was set in Kyoto, where the majority of geisha and maiko work. T...
Melbourne, Australia. Forever dreaming of the next adventure.