Nipponism Part II

NIPPONISM -- PART II
And Other Topics
By Hidesato Sakakibara

This month Hidesato continues to discuss Japan, his ideas on society, and other aspects. The second half of the last part of his "where to live" series. Also, readers send in their thoughts, ask questions on Japan, useful links for immigration to Japan as well as job hunting, an intro to a South Asian group, and lots more.
Readers are advised to read Hideo's article NIPPONISM Part I before reading this essay.

May 1, 2001

I mentioned in NIPPONISM Part I the many non-speakers, non-Japanese working at Japanese firms putting out mediocre work. They, however, were not the only ones guilty of under-performance. Many Japanese employees were also guilty, and some of the things that I was witness to, and I must confess, am guilty of myself, will shock many readers.

For example, at my company Big Peace Securities (BPS), our International Analysts Division (IAD) had the main task of writing reports on Japanese companies in both Japanese and English. Great. However, thanks to our mediocre employment system where generalists were valued and specialists were frowned upon (a system that is now rapidly changing), few were given the in-depth training in securities analysis that would be had at Western firms. Thus few really had the knowledge, including the managers in the department, to do a sufficient job. (Reversibly, few if any were laid off at the hint of a downturn in earnings, so unlike their counterparts in US securities firms, employees had more security.)

With the onslaught of foreign financial firms into Tokyo, BPS was hard-pressed to turn out better reports. But how to do it? Simple. Some of the managers would request reports on various Japanese companies from the foreign houses. These reports could be in Japanese or English. It didn稚 matter. Let痴 say they were in English. We would then dissect these reports to see exactly how they were put together, everything from the mathematical calculations to the wording was studied. The report would then be "rewritten" with newer numbers and slightly different phrases, into Japanese. The Japanese report was now a report of BPS. The new Japanese report would then be re-translated into English, and in this way many reports that were originally written by the foreign brokerages were "laundered."

This continued for about one year until our analysts were "up to par" with the foreign brokers in terms of report writing. The practice was then stopped. Plagiarism? Hell, yes! Did it work? Hell, yes again! Did any of the staff, including the foreign staff at BPS, voice objections? Hell, no! Everyone profited by it in terms of greater business, but to think that a large Japanese securities firm needed help in writing company reports on Japanese companies by a foreign broker showed just how noncompetitive Japan really was. So while we were showing the world what a slick, modern business machine our company was, in reality we sucked to hell. I have heard that this was common at other Japanese brokerages, but how true this rumor is I don稚 know.

Again I repeat, that Japan was not (and still is not) able to compete in many areas in business. Once it became clear that the old strategy of keeping out foreign competition was all but kaput, many bilingual people employed at Japanese financial firms started a mass exodus for foreign financial companies in Japan. There were many reasons for this, the allure of greater pay for greater work, and better training as well as better treatment of women were only some of the reasons. However, one big reason that I kept hearing time and time again was that eventually foreign financials would have the lion痴 share of the Japanese market, once they were firmly established in Japan. I must say that this is already taking place, especially in the securities industry.

And the competition is not just with Western financials but with Asian firms as well. The many mergers taking place amongst Japanese financial firms today are the result of decades of overspending and mismanagement, as well as the inability to compete in the rapidly changing global financial marketplace, especially when their home territory is open to competition. I expect this trend to continue, with more foreign firms of all industries continuing to make headway into Japan. I also expect that many foreign companies will acquire Japanese firms, all disguised as "partnerships," with the Japanese economy finally being totally integrated with that of the rest of the world. However, I think that this is going to take a lot of time. Until then, our economy will continue to be in a dangerous state of over-reliance upon itself.

An example of this is our lack of planning with regards to the presence of Japanese firms overseas. Many powerhouses such as Sony, Nissan, and Toshiba, are fully integrated into the economies of the nations in which they operate. Great. However, still too many are not, and this is the stickling point that makes us weak.

I work for a major Japanese financial institution in New York. We are not a small 10-person operation, but employ well over 200 staff. I dare say, however, that over 85% of our business is with other Japanese corporations. In other words, we have little real business with local American companies. This is true not only at my firm but at so many other Japanese firms all over the world. Thus, with Japanese products to be seen everywhere the world thinks that we are a mega-powerhouse of business. In many aspects this is true. However, stop to consider this: (Using my company as an example), if Japan痴 economy tanks, then our branch tanks as well. In the past few years many other Japanese financials have closed shop in NYC. Why? Because many of their customers, also Japanese firms, have ceased operations (or greatly cut back) in the US. These financials, with few local business partners and customers, couldn稚 make a profit without them so they simply shut down. Is this Japan痴 financial muscle that was envied in the 1980s?

But wait! The domino effect doesn稚 stop there. Since many of these financials closed shop they fired their local staff and transferred their expatriate staff back to Japan. So guess what? That痴 right, local Japanese businesses that make their money off Japanese expatriate spending are also feeling the pinch. NYC used to have well over 100,000 Japanese nationals living in the greater metropolitan area. Today this number stands at about half and this includes the illegals and the students! Needless-to-say this has brought about the demise of many smaller local businesses catering to the Japanese community.

In other words, we are all tied to Japan in one way or another, and if Japan goes down the tubes, so do we. Despite the fact that many Japanese firms may have elegant large offices abroad, I would say only about 20% are really fully integrated into the local economies of their host nations. Frightening. All the rest of us are tied intricately to the fortunes of Japan. That was great in the 1980s, but now? It is very dangerous, to say the least.

Look at the closing of many Japanese department stores in Hong Kong. Why? Because Japan痴 slowdown brought fewer Japanese tourists as well as a decrease in Japanese business operations in the SAR. The main customers of these department stores were, you guessed it, Japanese expatriates and tourists. Again, all connected to Japan. Stupidity at its best.

One more example. Again, I will use the airline industry. When traveling from Japan to other destinations in Asia I was able to use US air carriers without having to fly to the US. For example, I can go from Tokyo to Hong Kong using United or Northwest. However, am I able to use Japanese airlines to fly from one destination outside of Japan to another? In almost all instances the answer is No. In other words, I can稚 use JAL or ANA or JAS to go from Singapore to Bangkok. What does this mean again? Total reliance upon Japan. Period.

The Americans and others are smart. If the US goes into a tailspin then US air carriers can still try to make money in Asia from Asians flying from one place in Asia to another. If Japan, on the other hand, goes flip flap flop, so will Japanese airlines. In fact, except for a few minor changes, the route networks of all three major Japanese air carriers have remained the same for the past decade. They are not really growing. Similar to the Japanese economy, they are big but growth is scant.

Where is the sense to this kind of planning? How will this help Japan? In fact, due to this narrow-minded type of thinking the Japanese economy is like a house of cards waiting to tumble. Our businesses should be striving to become integrated into the local economies of their host countries as fast as possible. Our airlines should be scrambling to become full-service global carriers, not just winged shuttle busses moving people from Japan to designated destinations abroad and then back. This is ridiculous and dangerous for the country in the long run. Again, we are doing this to ourselves. We are our own worst enemies. (But then again, isn稚 that always the case?)


Well Covered
Japan today has perhaps more PLUS saunas, sex rooms, and other purely sex-related facilities than any other nation in the world. Gone are the days when, in Tokyo, one had to go to Shinjuku, Asakusa or Ueno to go to a sex room. Now, such establishments are to be found in most major areas all over Tokyo, as well as in every major city in Japan.
Most such places are the usual mix room (sex room) with shower and locker facilities. Some have mazes and other special features, whereas many are small establishments, usually an old rented house converted for the purpose. So although the number of places may be greater in Japan, they usually do not come close to the luxury and space provided by similar sex rooms in Thailand. The admission prices are also higher.

However, Japan can be said to be well covered by a large network of sex rooms that cater to men of all ages. Most have reversed their bans on non-Japanese gaining admission. However, increasingly, many sex rooms state in their advertisements that they reserve the right to deny anyone admission that would not be in keeping with their general "standards." Many go even further and state plainly that admission is limited to those that are 40 years of age or younger. (Whether they ask for proof of age at the time of admission depends upon the management.)

I am totally against this policy, as I am totally against any discriminatory policy. I am of the strong notion that it is the patron at such a place that has the right to decide with whom he will mix with, and that this right should not be usurped by the sex room owners. The only exceptions when someone should be denied admission are when 1) The person, once already in, is causing a nuisance to others. 2) Extreme uncleanness. 3) When there are clear indications that the person is mentally unsound and may inflict physical harm to others. 4) If the person is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. 5) Gender.

Other than the above, no one I believe should be denied the right of entry. This is especially true when the right of entry is denied due to age, race, national origin, weight or looks. With regards to non-Japanese, I believe and still continue to believe that if denied entry they should organize and go to the courts. However, I do believe that the ball is in the court of the non-Japanese, and there is no excuse for many not wanting to get involved.

Once when I was participating in a PLUS Japanese group, I was asked to interpret for one American man who was the representative of some gaijin group in Tokyo. He wanted to know what he and his group could possibly do to help get the ban on non-Japanese at some of the larger saunas lifted. This was in the early 1990s just before the start of the many smaller new sex clubs that did allow foreigners in.

Anyway, they asked our group what they could do and we suggested that they attempt to enter one sauna. If they were refused, then they should go to court, we believed. However, we were shocked when they made the following comments.

1. They first commented that going to court would be too costly and take too much time.
2. They then stated that if they were to go to court, that our group should also be part of the lawsuit against the discriminatory sauna owners.
3. That our group should first approach the saunas in question and appeal to them to end their ban on non-Japanese.

When we told them that since they were the ones most effected that they should be the ones to do all the work, one of them stated that "since it was really not their country, that locals should be the ones involved in the process." However, I told them that since locals were not the ones effected, that the non-Japanese should do their utmost to get the ban removed. Needless-to-say, the group to my knowledge did nothing to get the ban removed.

Today, however, it is a completely different story. More non-Japanese are willing to go to the courts when denied entry into all sorts of establishments, and I wish them all the luck in the world. Hopefully, one day our government politicos will see the need to establish clear anti-discrimination laws. That day will surely come, although when is yet unclear. I do believe, however, that slowly Japan is moving in that direction.

Readers may wonder why I have devoted so much time to discrimination in Japan. The reason is simple: As I stated in EMPIRE CITY, BOOGIE NIGHTS, I have been discriminated against in many parts of the world and I don稚 like it. True, I am not effected by the ban at the sex clubs in Japan against foreigners, but I may be effected by the ban against older people. I am also effected by the age discrimination in hiring practices by Japanese (and many foreign) companies. All in all, it sucks (for lack of a better word) and I think that it is about time for Japan to put strong anti-discrimination laws into practice. This will no doubt be good for Japan on the whole. Or, to put it another way, Japan needs fresh blood, and the only way to do it is to make living in Japan as comfortable for all as possible.


Being There
For those non-Japanese nationals that are considering living in Japan, I strongly encourage it if you are truly interested in our country. Even if you are not too interested, living in Japan for one year is a great experience. Question is, how to go about it?

Clown College
For starters, I recommend that anyone going to live in Japan know at least conversational Japanese before making the plunge. This is especially true for non-Westerners. Remember, Westerners can always teach English or hire themselves out as English language proofreaders or teachers. However, few if any English language schools will hire an Asian or Middle Easterner to teach English. There are reasons for this.
To be sure, the very large English schools, such as Kanda Gaigo Gakuin and Nichibei Gakuin, will hire anyone that is qualified. However, these are not merely language schools but are in fact registered junior colleges. The students who go to schools such as these are serious about their studies. In most cases, they want to learn the language well, as well as any other instruction that these schools may offer. However, securing a position in these schools is not easy, and can be as difficult as joining any blue chip Japanese firm. They usually require graduate degrees as well as experience in teaching foreign languages. The pay levels, are, however, excellent, with plenty of vacation time and great benefits.

However, most of the English language schools in Japan are quite different. Yes, they teach English (and a few other languages), but most of the students that go to these schools are learning English for either one or both of two reasons.

1. As a hobby.
2. The chance to meet a "foreigner."

As for No. 1 above, they are going to learn bits and pieces of English with instructors, many of whom have never taught a class in their lives. The teachers that normally teach at such "B" level schools usually have no qualifications other than the fact that they are white (or occasionally black), and they speak English. In fact, in many instances English is not even their native language! I knew one PLUS white man who was able to secure a job at a well-known English school with visa sponsorship and a good salary, despite the fact that he was from Holland and his English was hardly the best.

No. 2, to meet a "foreigner," simply implies that students want to meet a Westerner, or, on occasion, an African-American. Many such students are younger women who have always had a dream of meeting and perhaps even dating a man that was white. Some of these women are older, and want to be able to befriend Westerners this way, be they men or women, and "introduce Japan" to them. You know, the typical "Do you like sushi? Can you eat natto (fermented beans)?" crap, all wrapped up in the guise of education. (Think about it. If all the world hates natto yet we are the only people that eat it, does that make us "special" or does that make us "weird"?)

One PLUS English teacher that I knew told me that hardly a week would pass that at least one student would bring him some homemade Japanese dish or another for him to "sample the delicacies of Japanese cuisine." It didn稚 matter to his students that he had lived in Japan for over five years. They wanted to teach "Japan" to some foreigner and by golly that is what they were going to do, regardless.

To be fair, I can understand the feelings of wanting to teach about Japan. I confess that I have felt that way at many-a-time, and still do. However, I confine my lusts to those that truly seek the knowledge. Such Japanese want to show Japan to the world, and these English teachers are their only recourse. Even if they had been living in Japan for a few years, chances were they didn稚 eat too much Japanese food. And even if they did, eating more, carefully made, in all probability delicious home cooking wasn稚 going to hurt them, was it? I have in fact seen a few older women bring lunch for some white employees at BPS. One fellow, Mark, told me that he would enjoy every last bite of each meal that he would get, at least once every few weeks, from these "obasan" (aunties).

However, not all was well with this attitude. Another PLUS American told me that he was fired from his English school out in some rural location. The reason was because, as he put it, "They wanted someone who would flirt with the girls, let them take him out to dinner on occasion, and let them live their dreams, albeit only momentarily, of having a white boyfriend." When the school officials found out that he was a PLUS (he told them that he was as many of the students had complained that he would not let them buy him dinner), events turned for the worse. The principal openly told him that most of the students were taking classes for exactly that reason, and that if he couldn稚 comply, that it would be better that he leave. The principle at first told him to "pretend liking girls" for him to keep his job. He told him to "flirt with the girls, squeeze their hands, and let them take him out to dinner now and then." However, he chose the second option and quit. So he left for Tokyo.

(Readers should note that in the larger cities some hettie men also attend such schools in the hopes of meeting white women. I have known many white women who made big bucks merely teaching English and holding private conversation classes in restaurants (always elegant places) where businessmen gladly forked over JPY5,000 (USD50 @USD1=JPY100) per hour per person. Some acquaintances took in as much as JPY30,000 for one hour eating a great dinner (all paid for by the students) and simply chatting with six Japanese businessmen. Often these dinners would go into overtime with dessert and coffee taken into account, with the "teacher" making as much as JPY60,000 for about 2 hours of doing almost nothing - tax free! They rake it in, the prettier the better.)


Where the Boys Are
In Tokyo he had no problem finding similar work. The only difference was that in Tokyo (and the other major cities of Japan) many of the students seeking to learn English at these schools are younger men, many PLUS, and, I would not be surprised, PQs. There has been more than one occasion where student and teacher accidentally meet at 2-chome at one "gaijin" bar or another. In fact it is quite common.

Non-Westerners
Non-Westerners also have a crack at getting good proofreading and editorial work, but the degree of English must be at the native level. Asian students quite often find work in less-than-desirable jobs, usually involving manual labor, in order to support themselves. As mentioned earlier, many Asian students come to study with sufficient funds, with only those students that do not looking for work. Many work in the restaurants, bars and drinking houses until graduation.

The Job Hunt
One good way to find a job is through the Internet postings. Another is by means of the Monday Japan Times classified advertisements as well as Tokyo Classified. However readers should be aware of the fact that while companies no longer ask for "Male" or "Female" applicants, they can and do discriminate by age (and gender, albeit illegally). Most Japanese companies have 35 or 40 as the cutoff point for a job applicant to join the firm as a regular employee. On occasion firms have made exceptions, but by and large this is the case.
If you are over the cutoff point, then you can still apply to work on a contract basis. The pay levels and general health and dental benefits may be the same even if you work on contract, but beware that there will be no pension forthcoming upon retirement. As many non-Japanese do not plan to stay longer than a few years this is irrelevant. If you do plan to stay in Japan on a long-term basis then getting visa sponsorship this way may be an excellent way to get your foot in the door. You can always apply for the government national pension plan, as well as the many private plans available.

Just remember that increasingly most Japanese firms want employees that are fluent in Japanese. If you are not, then try working at a smaller Japanese firm. They can be more flexible in hiring and will be, more than the larger firms, willing to allow you to change to regular status despite your age. This is important if you plan to stay for a long period of time and wish to rise through the ranks.

You can also try applying to foreign firms. Foreign firms also request that applicants know Japanese, although there are exceptions to the rule. However, I have heard that US firms are more discriminatory about hiring non-Westerners for their overseas operations, whereas European firms are more inviting. All-in-all Western firms want Westerners for most of their higher posts. This holds true for Asian Americans as well. One Asian American PLUS told me how he was rejected at many US firms, and his headhunter told him openly that his chances at European companies would be much better. Another Asian American PLUS told me that a very friendly airline told him that they did not hire non-Westerners and that if he wanted to work for them that he would need to take out Japanese citizenship. This was a few years back and I have heard that this is still quite true. If readers have any information please write to me. However, It still is true that for higher positions Western companies in general prefer white men above everyone else, even above white women.

To be sure, PLUS Asians that may be contemplating a move to Japan have much more to be optimistic about than they would have in the 1970s or 1980s. Due to the increasing prominence of Asian nations, those skilled in Asian languages and business practices are surely at an advantage. Even more at an advantage are they if they know English. Take note, however, that jobs requiring the teaching of Asian languages are scant compared to those for English teachers. In fact, I would say that students of all foreign languages other than English combined make up perhaps less than half of those learning English.

Readers interested in finding work at Japanese companies may want to contact the Kaisha Society to network with foreign nationals that do work for such firms. For those that are interested in editing, translating and other fields in the area of journalism, SWET, the Society for Writers, Editors and Translators is a good bet. Whether you are already living in Japan or are planning a move there, the thing is to network, network, network. As with all countries, only a portion of the jobs that are open are advertised. By networking, you open yourself up to many more chances of securing the right position for you, not to mention visa sponsorship.

Readers that are bilingual in Japanese and English may want to log onto the following: Bilingual Japanese Jobs.

Readers can also check out what is said to be "Asia's premier job search service," HIJOBS.COM

Then there is Japanese Jobs: Careers for Japanese/English Bilinguals.

Into things that are technical? Go to Asianpro.com - Technical database for Asia.

Then there is Headhunter.net.

There is also ICJN. They have their "ICNJ JOB DIGEST" where employers briefly post their hiring information.

Of course, there are the employment agencies in the US that specialize in helping people find jobs in Japan. Here are a few that may be helpful:

People Staff


Towa International

ISS Service Center

AIG Staff

For all the above services, the level of Japanese or English required varies by the job. However in most cases fluency in both at the very least is expected. Readers that are not fluent in Japanese may want to use The Japan Times Monday edition as well as Tokyo Classified, both mentioned earlier, for their job hunt.

Naturally, those readers who are native Japanese speakers or whose level of the language is very high can purchase the many job magazines that advertise jobs for the general public. One of the most well known is B-ing. However, note that most of the firms that advertise in such journals assume that you need no help with visa sponsorship.

Of course, there are many ways to look for a job in Japan. However, the worst way that readers could go about seeking employment in Japan is by finding a job as a local hire at a Japanese firm in their own country, and hoping for a transfer to the head office in Japan. This almost never happens. In fact, even if you are truly bilingual, and even if you are Japanese, if you are hired as a local hire you are seen as someone to be employed only at the local office, period. The expats will always be on a very different track than you. It is much better to head out to Japan and try to get in there, if living in Japan truly is your goal.

Above all, if you are really interested in relocating to Japan, my advice is that you not be overly fussy in selecting your first job there, especially if you are a non-Japanese in need of visa sponsorship. Keep an open mind and you are sure to land something. Once you are settled down you can always look for something more suitable.


Not All Roses
Earlier I discussed the "quality" of Westerners in Japan. This is not to say that all Asians (non-Japanese Asians, that is) in Japan are to be admired greatly either. I met quite a few characters, including a few GAMs that were of dubious social quality.
For instance, there was Al. Al was a Chinese Canadian who had been in Japan for about seven years before I had made his acquaintance. He had contacted me about advice on immigration, namely, he wanted to acquire Japanese citizenship which, I assumed, would be easy given his strong sense of the language and the government痴 new relaxed procedures.

Anyway, Al came to me and we sat down and started talking about his current visa, his job, his income, and all the usual categories. Al. He was a clean-cut, well-dressed, fairly good-looking man, in his upper twenties, with a sturdy build. He sounded intelligent, and I was sure that for me this would be an easy "X" amount of yen I would make to help him become Japanese (a side business). Well, surprises do come when you least expect them.

For one thing, while talking to Al I found out that he was of very questionable character. He had moved after living for five years in one ward of Tokyo to another, and avoided paying his taxes for three years. According to him, he couldn稚 be bothered with "unnecessary" expenses and so just "chucked those pesky bills into the trash." Right then I realized that he was a hopeless case. I would not be able to help him. He would need to pay his back taxes, something that he mentioned later on to confirm my feeling, he was not prepared to do.

He then told me how he had trouble with his employers, and how many would not want to continue their sponsorship of him. Bad news. Then, if all of that was not bad enough, more of his "real colors" came out. He casually asked me if I had given any advice to Westerners with regards to obtaining citizenship. When I had replied that I had, he asked me if it was true that "they" needed to change their names to Japanese names. "Not really, but it helps their case," I told him. Al then replied "its really weird seeing whites with Asian names. They should just change their names back after they get their citizenship."

What! Here was a black-haired brown-eyed Chinese (Canadian) guy named "Al" (which was short for Albert) and he was complaining about white guys having Asian names! "How weird can it get?" I remember myself thinking. More conversation with him made me seriously believe that he was not the most "liberal" fellow. It didn稚 matter. His tax avoidance alone was enough for me to tell him that I would not be able to help him.

I met many such Asians in Tokyo, including many Koreans who, while strongly defending Korean rights, were openly against allowing other "foreigners" into Japan. Of all the minorities in Japan, I feel sorry for the Koreans and Taiwanese brought over forcibly during the war the most. They (or their ancestors) were brought against their will (like most of those of African heritage in the US), much unlike other non-Japanese who come of their own volition. Unfortunately, many of them are also perhaps highly complexed, for reasons not all of their doing. However, this makes them feel the need to be "more Japanese" in all ways, including being discriminatory.

For example, take the fingerprinting issue. Until recently the government had required that all foreign residents needed to have their index fingerprint on file at the immigration bureau. The idea was that since only criminals were fingerprinted, that this put foreigners in a similar social category. There were demonstrations against this, with the Korean community at the vanguard. Great. However, many Koreans at that time stated to me as well as to others that I knew that they believed that rather than this being a human rights issue, it was a Korean issue. Many even told me point blank that they were not concerned if other foreigners needed to continue to be fingerprinted.

Another example is that of the Korean and Taiwanese employees at my former company. They were all good fellows, but many of them went out of their way to "show the foreigners up." For example, they would be the first to speak to them in English, always at times when there were Japanese in the same room. When a group of us would be talking about general matters one of them would be the first to abruptly ask one foreigner a question regarding something foreign, in "his or her" country. This was no doubt just to show the Japanese in the group that the real foreigners were not them, but those "blonde-haired gaijins."

Once this happened when a few of us were at lunch including one Japanese-born Taiwanese guy, Rin-san, and Cathy, from the US. We were all talking about something or the other and getting along fine. Then, Rin-san suddenly turned to Cathy and asked her "Is that the way you do things in America?" in an almost self-assuring tone. For no reason. How they did things in the US was not even an issue. As usual, he needed to show the others that the real foreigner was not him, but the red-haired woman sitting across the table from him. Cathy was startled, and answered "No." I then turned to him and asked "Is that the way they do things in Taiwan?" There was a silence. "What does that have to do with anything?" Rin-san asked in a slightly disturbed tone. "What does how they do things in the US have to do with anything either?" asked another guy at the table.

We never had trouble from Rin-san again. He hated me for the next few weeks but ultimately we got to like each other. He later took Japanese citizenship, changed his name to Hayashi, quit BPS, and went to a US brokerage house. Good move. As mentioned earlier, most US firms in Japan at that time were highly discriminatory and refused to take non-Japanese and non-Westerners. The only way in for him was as a Japanese; being Taiwanese just wouldn稚 cut it. (Yes, this discrimination was practiced by Westerners sent from their home offices and NOT just the locally hired Japanese staff. Most Western readers will be surprised to see just how discriminatory their own kind are abroad.)

To be sure, things have changed greatly. Japan is slowly moving to bar discrimination, and "foreign" is no longer a dirty word. In fact, working for a foreign firm in many ways can carry more prestige than employment at any old Japanese kaisha (company). Japanese firms, for the most part, have ended a lot of their discriminatory practices with regards to hiring Japanese nationals only. In addition, many of the Koreans and Taiwanese have naturalized, taking advantage of the new laws regarding nationality. (Late breaking news has it that the Japanese government plans to allow such Koreans and Taiwanese to be able to naturalize as Japanese citizens with no preconditions.) Many of these same people have also had opportunities to visit other nations, and one Korean Japanese guy told me that his opinions with regards to the West changed greatly after suffering discrimination in Europe and the US.


Standards
Many readers contemplating a move to Japan must be wondering about the standard of living. When compared to large cities in the US, those of Japan are far superior in living standards with the exception of housing. It is true that the quality of housing in Japan lacks. The newer buildings are quite nice, actually, and the finish is better than in most US homes. However, the general lack of any central heating system as well as under-insulated windows (that allow cold air in) make most homes and apartments in Japan horrid in the winter.
Its not that there is no heating in Japanese homes, of course. Most apartments are now equipped with large heating/cooling units, usually attached to the wall with an external exhaust fan. However, the quality of heat that emanates from these units is far inferior than what one can expect from heating using hot water (radiator heat).

I remember that on cold days I would turn up the thermostat to 31 degrees centigrade and still feel cold. Worse, when I would close the heater at night before retiring the room would be cold within a matter of minutes. This is one reason why I and many others were always catching colds. (It is also a reason why M and I would prefer a warmer climate for retirement.)

That痴 right. People in Japan, especially in the larger cities such as Tokyo, are always getting sick. There are many reasons for this. One reason is the lack of central heating given above. Another is the higher degree of pollution. The third is greater humidity, helping germs to live in the air longer. All these add up to being sick many times a year.

M and I were always sick. We would catch colds at least four or five times a year. I thought it was because I was getting older. It was only when I returned to NYC that we both stopped getting colds. In my office, no matter which department I was in, it seemed that everyone was always getting sick, always going to the doctor, always gulping down loads of pills and powders, and always sickly.

That is definitely something that I do not miss; the sickness. I miss other things terribly, especially the food, the convenience stores on virtually block, as well as the great social lives that M and I had. But I don稚 miss being sick.


Not All at Fault
Earlier I mentioned that many of the PGs (Professional Gaijin) refused to learn Japanese. This, I must say, was not entirely their fault. Until recently, Westerners in Japan as well as other parts of Asia have been and in many instances are still viewed as "honored guests." Because they are seen as these guests, they have been excused from many of the rules of the "house," including language and cultural knowledge. This is truer in other parts of Asia today than it is in Japan, but this is still true in Japan to some extent.
We Asians in general tend to think that because one is white, that they are somehow either "above" being treated like everyone else, or on occasion "below." In other words, we either kiss their asses or kick them. In either case, we tend to treat them differently. Take for example one of my PQ friends, Yama-chan.

Yama-chan痴 boyfriend from San Francisco was planning to relocate to Tokyo (for at least a few years) and naturally Yama-chan was excited about it. However things did not go as smoothly as planned. All Yama-chan did was keep asking his friends what he could do to make Harvey more at home in Tokyo. What about food? What about shopping for clothes? What about helping him out with other aspects of daily life?

Well, Harvey arrived and all was well for the first few months. However, after eight months trouble began. Harvey began to feel as if he was a total outsider, with everyone, Yama-chan and his PQ friends in particular, treating him as a child. A few months later and Harry returned to San Francisco.

When Yama-chan called me to tell me the grave news, I was really not surprised. Yama-chan was a victim of the typical "kiss their ass" syndrome. In other words, keep pampering them and treating them specially and "make them happy" even if it kills them. However it was precisely this behavior that drove Harry away.

To all the PQs in Asia I say this: If you want your man to stay with you for a long time, then treat him the same way you would another Asian; the good with the lumps. And if you want him to stay in your country, don稚 pamper him as if he is a paraplegic, but teach him to do things for himself; enable him to stand on his own two feet. The quicker he is comfortable, the happier he will be, and the greater the chance that both of you will remain together.

I later heard from one of Yama-chan痴 friends that Yama-chan would even go to the post office for Harvey. But after one year Harvey felt totally out of the loop of things, and save a few American friends, was still in "tourist limbo" land. Hence he went back to where he was not a guest, because most people do not want to remain guests for life (except, of course, the PGs, who love to be pampered).

Many Westerners in Japan until the 1990s never bothered to learn the language because for one reason there was little reason for them to do so. (Other reasons include their pride in their own language and culture.) Upon seeing their faces people would automatically shift to "English gear," and talk to them in English, even if they were not English speakers, and even if they were to speak in Japanese first. Thus they got used to being "pampered guests" and never went about learning the language and culture fully. Thankfully, this sort of behavior in Japan is much less than what it was a decade or so ago, and hopefully will be totally eliminated in the very near future.

We must take pride in our own culture and language. We must never assume that it is too infinitesimally inferior for any non-Japanese (and especially Westerner) to attempt to learn. This is true for all people, Japanese and other Asians (and their respective languages) in particular. And we must encourage those that have attempted to learn Japanese to use it (especially when in Japan). Look at the Westerners. They have real pride in their own cultures and languages. In France, few people will attempt to speak with a foreigner in a language other than French, until it becomes clear that the person in question cannot understand. The same is true in Germany, Russia, Italy, England, the US and elsewhere. They go out of their way to encourage the use of their respective languages. So must we! After all, if they can take pride in their languages and cultures then why can稚 we?

But as I have written many times before, we Asians in general still have a very deep-rooted self-hatred, an inferiority complex, that we are only now coming to grips with and are attempting to correct. It goes much deeper than merely considering RQs and PQs. The idea that the West is still cleaner, wealthier, and more advanced is firmly imprinted upon still too many Asian mentalities. And this goes for all Asians, be we Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Indian, Chinese, or others. In Japan this complex is disguised in many forms, including the so-called over-written-about "us vs. them" theory. But truth-be-told, it is none other than our "good old" inferiority complex that is the main culprit. And I believe that it is time to change.

(Readers should consider the large acquisitions of expensive trophy properties and companies in the West by Japanese firms in the 1980s and early 1990s. This is an excellent example of this inferiority complex. Why would many Japanese companies, staffed with fully competent accountants and business strategists, buy properties and firms at exorbitant prices that they could not handle? To show the world, themselves, and other fellow Japanese that they have "made it" in the "West." Needless-to-say, most of these properties were sold off later on at massive losses. Assholes.)

Asia has its bad points, to be sure, but we also have our good qualities that we must be ever mindful of. No, we should not garner a superiority complex, but an inferiority complex is not any better. "Heaven forbid" that we should treat all others as equals, not better than but certainly not worse than we treat each other.


The Community
Many people are of the belief that Japan is a staunchly conservative country with age-old traditions dictating practically every aspect of daily life. Images of kimono-clad geisha serving Nihonshu (sake), bowing gracefully to men dressed as samurai, all in ultra-authentic tatami rooms, can be seen again and again on Western television. It is exotic, and is in many ways what Westerners want to see (and what many of our elders want them to see as well). In the same way Asians see the US as either cowboys or glistening cities or great beaches with bathing blonde beauties.
Traditions do continue, but the reality of it all is that in many ways people in Japan can be more modern and more liberal than many Western and other nations. It is true that this also depends upon the region of Japan that you are talking about, as well as the age group. As with elsewhere, people in the Japanese countryside as well as those that are older tend to be much more conservative. However, younger people as well as those living in more urban areas are much more liberal.

The trick to bring about social change in Japan is to give certain ideas time to gain followers, and what we usually have is a "snowball" effect.

Look at the situation concerning the PLUS community. In the 1980s we were a fairly invisible minority, mostly huddled in our bars and sex clubs and that was it. It sucked. Then, in 1990, OCCUR sued the Tokyo Municipal Government on the grounds that the government discriminated against PLUS when using public facilities. This was unprecedented in a country where the mere mention of the word "gay" in the media was a rarity (unless it was to ridicule us).

What was even more incredible was that OCCUR won the lawsuit in the first attempt. Naturally, the fact that the Tokyo government was being sued became news, big time, and thus the defacto media ban on the PLUS community simply disintegrated. Not only were we mentioned in the media, but also many television shows with PLUS roles that showed the community in a positive light were then made. The most famous was DOSOKAI (1993), which was a 13 week television drama about two men in love, with many scenes going so far as to show two men embracing nude in bed. This was shown on prime time, had major sponsors, and made the list of the top five shows. The same is true for the movies. Japan always had an active PLUS pornographic industry, but now movies with PLUS themes and little or no sex were being made.

The latest development is the Tokyo government痴 inclusion of sexual orientation as a category protected from discrimination within its new human rights guidelines (see This & That at the end of EMPIRE CITY, BOOGIE NIGHTS). Thus, in the span of ten years Japan has gone from being totally negative on PLUS issues to fairly positive. A lot more work needs to be done, for sure, including giving the ban on discrimination by sexual orientation teeth, i.e. set punishments for those practicing such discrimination in housing, the work place, etc. It would also be great if Japan would allow PLUS citizens and PR holders to sponsor their non-Japanese partners, the same way the hetties are allowed to do. The ultimate goal, however, is for allowing PLUS marriages, which I believe, is still a long way off, but certainly not unattainable. I have read that this is the goal of many PLUS organizations in Japan, and I wish them all the luck in the world.

I myself believe that this goal will be attained in Japan before it is seen in the US. Why? Because I truly believe that most anti-PLUS sentiment is still a leftover from Japan痴 fascist days; ideas brought over from abroad. No doubt, I don稚 expect the masses to be totally open to our community. Heck, I don稚 expect this in any country. However, I do believe that any strongly anti-PLUS attitudes are non-Japanese and thus, more easily conquerable.


Benefits
There are many benefits to living in Japan. Japanese cities are fairly clean and highly efficient. The country is safe, transportation and other infrastructure are excellent, far ahead of the US, and blah, blah, blah. I am sure that readers know why Japan is a great place to live in those respects. However, there are other reasons why Japan is great for PLUS.
1. The almost unending supply of PLUS establishments and activities. Not just the bars and sex rooms but also disco parties, travel agencies, groups, etc.

2. Ease of meeting other PLUS. Not just the bars and so on, but six or more large monthly magazines which each have literally hundreds of personals, PLUS telephone services, computer dating services, etc.

3. A very vocal and increasingly influential PLUS rights movement. There are many such groups, although in my opinion OCCUR is perhaps the leader of the pack. Great strides have been made in Japan with regards to PLUS rights, and things can only get better (I dare say they couldn稚 get worse than what we had to suffer in the 1970s and even 1980s). The Tokyo Metropolitan Government痴 inclusion of PLUS rights is only one small step in the agenda of PLUS groups in Japan, the ultimate being recognition of PLUS unions in all phases of life. Also, many universities, including the elite universities, have on campus PLUS groups. Regardless of what the Western press may have you believe, gone are the days when a hettie marriage was a foregone conclusion. Our younger PLUS men and women are coming out and are more vocal about our rights than ever before.

4. Ease of living. Thanks to a plentitude of convenience stores and the high quality of services offered in Japan, not having a "wife" to do every domestic chore is not really a handicap. Compared to the US, dry cleaning and fast food are relatively less expensive (when Japanese salaries are considered). In fact, M and I do more housework in the US than we did in Japan. Japan is truly ahead of the US with regards to the service industry.

5. Excellence of location. Japan is conveniently located near other Asian countries, which makes it easy for quick and often inexpensive trips to Southeast Asia, China, etc. Hawaii is also quite near as is eastern Russia. Japan is also increasingly being served by nonstop flights to most parts of the world. Thus, few places are ever more than half a day away.

All these make Japan really suitable for living. In fact, I believe Japan to be an excellent place to live, the only problem being the language barrier (for non-speakers). However, it is a stable, rather prosperous nation, albeit with its faults.


Tokyo Types - Mr. Kiddle
There are a few people that I remember quite well, mainly for their interesting characteristics. Among the non-Japanese was an American, Mr. Wendal Kiddle.
When I first entered BPS after returning to Japan, he was one of the first foreigners that I had met. For the times he was the stereotypical gaijin, except for the fact that he knew how to speak Japanese (albeit not read and write). He was a rather tall man, with blonde hair cut short, a large nose and a slender build, all put together in a very stately look. When you saw Mr. Kiddle, you immediately mistook him for a high-level business executive or, when he wore his sunglasses, a secret service agent. He was impressive, although not handsome.

Mr. Kiddle was not a PLUS. He was married to a Japanese woman and had children. He was also very intelligent. So I really wonder why he did not attempt to learn how to read Japanese. When I first met him I thought that he was perhaps a high-level executive at BPS. How wrong I was!

Mr. Kiddle was so typical of so many of the other gaijin that started working in Japanese companies in the 1960 and 1970s. They were there for the easy life, and on top of that they made good salaries. This more then made up for the fact that they were not allowed to become regular employees and become managers, but many were awarded all the perks as well as the same salaries, all without the great responsibilities that came with the job. (Until the early 1980s nearly all Japanese companies had strict, discriminatory rules forbidding the employment of non-citizens.)

Wendel had joined BPS in the mid-1970s. In fact, he was the first-ever foreigner to be hired on anything other than a short-term contract by the firm. He was the true house gaijin. When I joined BPS I remember noticing that Wendel was already at his desk before I had arrived. I later talked to him and he told me that he used to come to the office at 7:30 a.m. and would stay until about 8 p.m. every night so that he could "get his work done." At that time it was not unusual for many employees to stay until that time, but for a foreigner who had no hope for promotion, it was down-right miraculous. I remember feeling nothing but awe and admiration for Kiddle, until later on when a few events had occurred.

It was a few months after I had joined the firm that I had remarked during lunch to one of the other guys in my department, my senpai (senior) that I thought that Wendel was a wonderful worker. After all, for a white man at that time to have learned Japanese and to be at a high position in a Japanese firm in Japan was rare. My senpai said nothing at first, then looked at me and remarked that there was more to Wendel than met the eye. "A racist," I thought to myself about my senpai. "He just can稚 give Wendel his due."

Then, a week or more later another fellow remarked that Wendel was lucky to have his job, to which I quickly replied that it was indeed BPS that was the lucky party. It was then that someone else told me that while Kiddle sat at a big desk and put on the air of a big business man, he did little for the firm. "Once you get to know him better you will understand" was that guy痴 reply. How right he was.

A few months had passed when I learned that Wendel痴 coming early to the office and staying late was only show. He did little, yet received a hefty salary, comparable to a jicho (middle manager). He would spend the hours from 9 to 5 merely walking about the building meeting his friends in upper management and pretending to count for something. From 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. he would sit at his big director痴 desk and merely open files in floppy disks, preparing BPS for the word processor age.

That was it. That was all that he did, yet he commanded a salary of nearly JPY 20 million (USD150-200 thousand). No wonder he could afford to dress for success! He was rolling in it. He was making more than 80% of the staff at BPS would ever make per year, yet he never really produced any tangible work. At least the foreign editors did editorial work, as sloppy as most of it was. But here old Wendel merely opened files. Big deal!

Many of the Japanese staff I later learned felt contempt for Wendel. They believed that at least he should have been made an editor or something. I felt contempt too, not for him, but rather for the block-head managers that gave him such a post in the first place.

However Wendel痴 actual role was not to do any real work, I later found out, but to be present at major contract negotiations with high-level managers from Western countries. In many cases the BPS top brass even took him to lunches and contract signings and negotiations where the counterparts were other Japanese companies, just to scare the hell out of them. "We池e such a big firm that even white people look up to us and work for us so you better watch out or we値l sic Wendel on you" is what they were trying to convey to the Japanese counter party. And it worked! They all thought that Wendel was some sort of manager, and that is what it said on his business card. They never knew that he actually did less than the temp staff we had at the time.


Tokyo Types - Mr. Matsuwara
Mr. Kiddle was not the only do-nothing that we had at BPS. Many Japanese who had reached middle management were not much better. Thanks to a system that made the young work like heck but allowed the older fellows to take it easy, many managers were, to say the least, not as enthusiastic about pursuing their careers after reaching 45 or so. They felt that they had "done their duty" and now it was time to relax.
One such manager was Mr. Hideki Matsuwara. Matsuwara was not a nice man to begin with. He was extremely polite on the surface, but if you said or did anything that went against him or his personal beliefs, he would hate you for life. Very unforgiving. Very unJapanese. Very Matsuwara.

Matsuwara was not very tall in stature but slightly stocky. He had a few natural waves in his hair, and was extremely fair complexioned. Also, his lips were quite slender. Matsuwara was the type of man who would come into a room with almost no sound. That was his nature. He would quietly come in and quietly leave. No one was quite sure where he was at any given moment. I guess that was the way he wanted it. Like a spy.

Matsuwara was known to be a true company man, and he was rewarded as such. When he turned 45 he was given a "free job," meaning that he had little to do but what he wanted to do. Naturally he was still earning a full manager痴 salary and benefits. Only in Japan. He later published a book while "on assignment" (i.e. sent the hell away from the main office where he could do no harm) in Singapore. I went through it. It was mainly a lot of rehashed statistics that he merely got from the various government financial organizations in Southeast Asia. All he did was get their data, translate it into Japanese, and spit it out as his own work and his own views on how Asia was going to grow economically. Of course it was going to grow. You did not need a graduate degree in economics to know that.

The book was a lot of outdated garbage, yet some of his peers at BPS praised him as an authority on Asia. Oh brother! His book with his mug on the back was on sale at all the bookstores in Japan. Many people ate it all up! Again, only in Japan.

Matsuwara prided himself in being a true champion of "international understanding," and was always to be seen with foreigners, be they Westerners, Asians, Middle Easterners, or others. Yet none of these non-Japanese really understood that Matsuwara was really the stereotypical Japanese "internationalist," in that he really didn稚 like foreigners to begin with. He only hid his prejudices from others by turning on the charm with any foreigner that he could lay his hands on. Seeing him talk so politely with the foreign staff, yet voicing different opinions in private, made me puke.

He would often go with the foreign staff at BPS to lunch, laughing, talking loudly, and making sure that everyone at work knew what a great foreigner-lover he was. He would be especially fond of Asians, and could often be seen with his arm around one Chinese staff member or another. However, on occasion, when he was under pressure or just in a bad mood his real feelings would come out. Once I heard him talking on the phone and could clearly hear him use derogatory terms when referring to foreigners when he thought none were around. This was our "internationalist."

I bring up Matsuwara because there are many in Japan like him. They pretend to like non-Japanese (including those of Japanese ancestry) on the surface but in reality they are not a foreigner痴 best friends. In fact, in many ways they are some of their worst enemies. Since most of the foreigners at BPS at the time did not understand fluent Japanese as well as take the time to talk to many Japanese staff members they did not know what was going on. They did not realize that while louts like Matsuwara were wining and dining them in public, in private they were harboring even worse feelings toward them than the so-called "anti-foreigner" front.

Many Westerners at BPS believed that those Japanese managers and other staff that did not speak much to them were in fact anti-foreigner. I once had lunch with one so-called anti-foreigner who simply told me that he believed that all the staff should be treated equally. He believed that BPS should hire those that knew Japanese, and promote them accordingly. However, 20 years ago in Japan this type of thinking was unheard of, with most gaijin and Japanese alike believing that they should be treated specially. (Few save the non-speakers think that way today.)


The Gaijin Haters
While many readers may believe that most of those that did not like foreigners were hostile, the truth is that conditions in many ways were and are better than in the US. In Japan few people that really do not like non-Japanese will go out of their way to physically harm them. In most cases they keep to themselves and that is that. I believe that the vast majority of the anti-foreign clique is made up of people who have complexes, either because of their looks or their inability to speak English or the knowledge that outside of Japan they would never be able to cope. Japan is a small country, about the size of the US state of California, and even the remote thought that one would need to go abroad to survive for any given reason is horrifying to many Japanese. These people shun non-Japanese and even Japanese who have lived abroad. The inferiority complexes that they suffer with regards to language, culture, etc. are so strong that they decide that they want nothing to do with anything foreign. This often even extends to food.
I knew one older woman who once told me that she could not bring herself to go into a McDonald痴; it was just too "foreign" and different from what she was used to. This woman was perhaps 55-60, yet she had never left her neighborhood for 25 years. She had become so comfortable with her situation, and so uncomfortable with everything that was different, that she decided to hide in her cocoon, and in so doing, became oblivious to not only the rest of the world but to developments in Japan as well.

SHE IS NOT ALONE. In Japan there are many, many people, mostly in their late 40s or above, who are like her. On the surface they seem anti-foreign, but in reality they are, as my friend Phil, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at Columbia University, used to say, "Just scared shitless." They are scared of the world, scared of things they don稚 understand, and deep, deep down inside, they are scared of what they could have achieved but didn稚. Their "dislike" of foreigners is just one of their many, many dislikes. Since they are not famous no one will write about them, much less write about them in English.

I have met many such people. To be sure they are basically good people. The non-Japanese in Japan who know the language who take the time to talk with such people, again and again (they will be sure to be rebuked the first few times) will realize that in most cases there is not a real discriminatory bone in their bodies. Unfortunately, like so many of us, they are their own worst enemies. They are ruled by their fears. And they are alone. Most younger people are not like them, are willing to take chances, and, as readers may guess, are disliked by these people as well.


Sushi Deluxe
Take for example some sushi chefs. I am not talking about all chefs, and I am certainly not talking about those that work for chain stores or large hotels or restaurants. However, there are many that work at smaller places who have many complexes. Readers should note that while preparing sushi in the US and elsewhere may be seen as exotic, in Japan it is seen for the most part as something that someone who is not very bright does. I do not mean to over-generalize, and I certainly am not knocking this profession. After all, where would we all be without sushi, which M and I both love. However, for the most part, these smaller sushi restaurants are usually staffed by those that are high school dropouts or at the most, those with no college.
Many of these guys (and occasionally girls) are very complexed about their status in life. They see a foreigner, and they feel jealous. Why? Perhaps the myth that all foreigners make more money. Perhaps the myth that all foreigners are smart. Whatever the case, they have a lot of complex, especially towards foreigners. (This feeling even extends towards Asian business people.)

Once while at BPS I took one of our trainees from our Singapore branch to one such place, a very good sushi place in Chuo-ku area in Tokyo. The prices are low and the food is great, but you have to stand while eating. It is always packed. Anyway, I ordered the same things for both of us since our trainee, Stanley, could not order in Japanese and would not know what to order even if he did. We were kept being given our sushi on the counter and I kept gobbling my share down. Stanley was very slow in eating his. I wondered why. Could it be that he did not like raw fish (as many Singaporeans at that time did not)? After about 20 minutes of noticing that he had trouble, I asked him if everything was all right. Stanley first said it was, but the expression on his face told me otherwise.

"What痴 the matter?" I asked him again. What he then told me shocked me. "The sushi, it痴 too spicy." Spicy? Spicy? How can raw fish, soy sauce, and rice with a small dab of wasabi horse radish be spicy? I asked if I could try one piece. I took one piece, I think it was maguro (tuna), and carefully put it into my mouth. At first taste it was orgasmic. Then I started to chew. And chew. And it blew my mind! The bastard who had prepared it had deliberately used too much wasabi. I was in pain!

I yelled at the cooks, but there were five of them and all feigned ignorance. From then on the rest of the sushi that Stanley was given was fine. Bastards. Small-hearted, over-complexed bastards. "Thanks to them yet another Asian will return home with a sour feeling about Japan," I thought.

Complex, complex, complex. But I still don稚 think it was out of hatred of foreigners/Asians, what-have-you. If they hated them, they would not serve them, or would deliberately not do anything but be over polite. Or be rude in certain small, almost unnoticeable ways, like roughly place the sushi in front of Stanley. This was complex pure and simple.

I am not saying that all those in Japan that don稚 like foreigners are similar to the above-mentioned woman or the sushi chefs. To be sure we have our share of racist bigots, but I don稚 believe that our share is any greater than that of other countries. Considering the fact that Japan really does not have active rules to forbid discrimination, I think we are doing quite well.

What would happen if the US or Britain were to relax all of their anti-discriminatory policies? Make no mistake, most companies would get rid of their minority workers in a heartbeat. Many bars and other places for socializing would have signs up reading "White Only," "Black Only," "Chinese Only" or "No Fags," etc. As one of our readers wrote in the This & That section of EMPIRE CITY, BOOGIE HEIGHTS, one PLUS club in California even formally asked the Asian PLUS groups there to inform their members that they were not welcome. I myself have been barred from entering certain places on occasion. There are many smaller clubs that do discriminate in the US today. This practice would only flourish, very sadly.

But what about the rightists? readers may wonder. Those people that wear WWII military uniforms and parade around the city in trucks and busses and vans with wartime flags and signs that all point to their great love for Japan and the Emperor? What about them?

My reply is that 10% of these so-called rightists are true to their beliefs, the other 90% are merely yakuza-related pawns that are riding along and driving these vehicles as part of their "jobs." Once there was such a rightist parade near my workplace in Chiyoda-ku. One minibus had pulled over for the driver to, I assume, take a leak (urinate). I peeped inside to see what sort of people would be related to such a group, a "National Students Group." Well, I peeped and I gulped. There were about eight people in that bus. Among them, there was one girl with her hair dyed red putting eye drops into her eyes. There was another young fellow with a walkman on, drinking a can of Coke, there were two men with green military-type jackets and sunglasses on, both South Asian, and a couple of other foreigners, I think Chinese. Two other Japanese were there reading some manga (comic book). They were all being paid to be there, and so they were there. I doubt that any of them knew anything about the government during the war. In fact, I doubt that most of the Japanese in the bus were even high school graduates.

It is no secret that virtually all of the rightist trucks are operated by yakuza or yakuza-related organizations. They are all nonsense, mainly getting support from a few old and tired fascist politicos. When the politicos are gone, so will most of these trucks. They also use these trucks as a means to blackmail businesses for money. Readers may want to see the movie/video Marusa No Onna (Tax Woman) for some great examples or read the book The Yakuza.

But how much do the average Japanese know and think about Japan before the war? Militaristic Japan? For those that read Japanese I suggest that you go to the Aikokuto website. Aikokuto, literally meaning "love for the country party," is perhaps one of the biggest rightist organizations in Japan. (The official name is Dainippon Aikokuto, meaning Greater Japan Patriotic Party.) So see for yourself. I doubt that more than a few of them know the elementary basics of Japanese fascism, much less actually believe in all that nonsense.

When all is said and done, I would say that 95% of the population is not unhappy that the old militaristic government was replaced. In fact, if it was not replaced, if Japan had won the war, it would have been a hollow victory. I don稚 see any way that our forces would have been able to continue to hold onto the vast amounts of territory in Asia, much less Hawaii. It is insanity, and shows the stupidity of our generals at the time at military planning. (Note my comment earlier on Japanese corporations acquiring expensive properties in the West. Inferiority complex and the "grab what we can get and worry later" attitude, the same as during the war.)

Even if I were a true nationalist and believed in everything that Japan was fighting for (which I absolutely do not), from a common sense approach it was certain from the start that Japan was doomed to failure. After all, one small point that is rarely brought up with regards to the war is that a great deal of capital equipment used for Japanese weapons production, in particular that for war ships, was produced in the US and other countries. Any country that cannot produce most or all of its capital equipment to make its fighting hardware is weak if anything. In Japan, save a few items, the technology was just not there. It would have been a matter of time before total collapse, allowing Japan itself to be open to capture by countries less sympathetic than the US. In other words, it would have been the end of Japan. Period.

As readers can guess, I am writing this mainly for non-Japanese. The inferiority complex is hardly a topic in Japan, but rather common sense. Japan痴 crushing defeat is also a reason for so much of the complex that exists in the country today. We just don稚 want to talk about it, but that doesn稚 mean that no one knows about it. While our government has shamelessly attempted to rewrite our school textbooks to gloss over Japanese atrocities in Asia, other books as well as many textbooks used in universities have remained untouched. Can other Asian nations say that their press is as free as Japan痴? Can you openly get anti-government literature in Singapore or Malaysia? How about Tibetan and Kashmiri independence literature in China and India? I doubt it. Freedom of the press in Korea? Ha! And it gets even worse when you consider the state of things in West Asia.

(Readers note: I am in no way saying that there is no censorship of the press in Japan or that the press is not coerced in any way. Far from it. I am, however, stating that Japan's press is freer than other nations in Asia. For the record I know of no country that has a truly free press.)

Getting back to discrimination, personally I don稚 like segregation. Not only because I believe myself to be no better than others, but I believe that most likes and dislikes can be erased with "nare," that is, with familiarity. Mixing with others that are different at first can be difficult, but you get used to them and they get used to you and you also get a great education on how others who are different from you think. This allows me to gain insight into perhaps better ways of doing things and thus I am richer for the effort that I initially put in to be with those that are different.


No Asians, Please, We池e Japanese
One last point on international relations. Too many Japanese still harbor a great dislike for Asians. As I have explained earlier, this is fast dissipating. However, too many still believe that if they should associate with foreigners then they would rather associate with Westerners. Asians, Middle Easterners, Latinos, Africans, please excuse us. I am surprised to hear remarks coming from Japanese mouths that the US has too many minorities, in particular, too many Asians and others. Some have remarked how difficult it was to find a "good, white neighborhood" to live in. To them I say "Surprise! If you already live there the neighborhood is no longer white!"
I want to take this time to ask other Japanese who feel this way to get over their warped ways of thinking. We must learn to get along with all people, not just a select, chosen few groups. After all, as Asia gets richer Japan痴 fortunes and future will be only more closely tied to the continent. This is an inevitability, regardless of the state of affairs of the Asian economies as of this writing. As many Japanese who have lived in the US and Europe have found out, the West also has its bad points, with living standards not as high as they are made out to be. Indeed, Europe and even the US have had their darker years, as these years, just as boom years, come and go in cycles. In addition, we are not as accepted in Western society as we like to think that we are. This is a point that I cannot stress enough.


Japan Today
Japan today is quite different from even a decade ago. It is a relatively strong country in terms of manufacturing skills, as well as in savings. Some estimates put our savings at one-third that of the world! (How different this is from the US, where citizens rack up massive credit card debt.)
However, we have our soft points as well. Our population is fast aging and immigration, due to the 3Ks that I mentioned earlier, will not be able to make up for this. Also, as I mentioned earlier, competition with other nations is heating up. We have increasingly larger trade deficits with China and now import more from Asia that we do from the West. Even more harrowing is the fact that other Asian nations are now producing the kinds of products that we specialize in. Yet we are lagging behind in new product development. I would not be surprised if places like China and Singapore were to forge ahead of us and even the US, in technology.

There is a great deal more social freedom in Japan today. The lesson here is that society on the whole has changed drastically. More Japanese have either gone abroad to live and returned, or have been brought up abroad and have come to live in Japan. In addition, a greater sharing of ideas through cable television, increased translation of works from abroad, and the Internet have helped to spur a massive change in ideas in general. Of course, the great influx of foreigners in Japan has also been a large contributing factor.

The greatest factor, I believe, however, is the crumbling of the shushin koyo (lifetime) employment system. This system greatly contributed to stability in society and the work place, but also contributed to a stifling of ideas and expression of thought. The demise of this system is welcomed by all of those that want a freer, more individualist Japan.

However, the demise of the lifetime employment system as well as the deteriorating state of the economy has also brought about other changes which are not as advantageous. For example, truancy is up greatly. Many of our younger people no longer feel the need to work very hard to get into a good college. Why? Because even if you do there is no guaranty that you will land a good job in a good company. And even if you pass that hurdle, you can very well lose that job due to your company痴 bankruptcy or through corporate mergers.

This increased sense of instability has brought about other major changes as well. Crime is up, domestic violence is up, so-much-so that the Japanese police have been told to freely intervene in cases of violence between spouses whereas before they would not. Drug abuse is up, child abuse is up, teenage pregnancies are up, etc., etc. Unlike postcards of Mt. Fuji and ancient gardens in Kyoto, mainstream life is not a pretty a picture.

Yes, we have vastly more social freedom today and I believe that this trend will only accelerate. However, along with this greater social freedom we will also have other social ills. Unfortunate, but it may be a price that we pay for the freedom.

However, more than crime or truancy I am greatly worried about the economy. Will Japan be able to cope with increasing competition coming from the ASEAN states, not to speak of behemoths such as China and even India? Also, will we be welcomed and accepted as a fellow Asian nation? Or will we be kept at arm痴 length as a quasi-Western exploiter? As I described earlier, although fast changing, too many Japanese still have a closer attachment to Boston than they do to Beijing, to Santa Monica than to Singapore.

I do not expect Japan to crumble or to become an outcast, but I do expect the going to get tough. In order to survive in a world that will be increasingly driven by an Asian economic engine, we will need to increase our competitiveness and to attune ourselves to Asia. (This may be hard to imagine due to the current Asian economic malaise, but I believe that is will be the trend in the near future.) No, we cannot and should not disregard the West, but Japan will have to take into greater account its position in the eyes of other Asian states. We will need to invest even more heavily in Asian economies, and encourage our people to mix with the locals, rather than remain secluded in yakuza-operated "Japanese Only" bars and brothels. We will have to do this, for our survival. Yet the urgency and importance with which I write this has yet to dawn upon most other Japanese. I wonder if it ever will, hopefully before it is too late to matter. (This will become especially important as most analysts expect China to become the main engine of economic growth for Asia, a role that has until now been played by Japan.)

Most people in Japan are lulled into a sense of well-being, spurred on by the media constantly sending sublime messages that Japan is the leader of Asia, and that except for a few illegals and businessmen, only Japanese, conservative Japanese at that, live in Japan. For instance, one friend who used to work as a cameraman at one large Tokyo television network, told me that they were instructed to not shoot any foreigners when filming street scenes. Anyone that looked mildly foreign, including Japanese with hair dyed other than black, or too trendy, were to be excluded. The image that Japan is Japanese and conservative was to be put forth first and foremost. Therefore, despite the fact that all types of foreigners as well as Japanese with different colored hair can be seen on Tokyo's streets, viewers are constantly having their older images of Japan reinforced. This is true for other cities as well.

Anyone who has books on Japanese society that were printed more than 5 years earlier, my advice is to throw them out. They are no good to you anymore, unless you wish to read about what life and family in Japan were like in the past (or want to use them to prop your feet up or something of that nature). Better to log onto the web sites of the major Japanese newspapers such as the The Japan Times, Asahi Shimbun, Nihon Keizai and other publications to read daily the major changes taking place. In this age the Internet is your textbook, and concerning Japan there are so many sites, far more than I can mention, that using the printed media is increasingly becoming obsolete.

Due to the great faltering of the Japanese economy, I expect even more massive changes in society to occur. I expect the lifetime employment system to take an even greater beating, with its possible demise.

I expect women to become even more vocal in their call for equal rights in the workplace, especially as the rate of divorce rises along with the increasing unemployment rate. I also expect men to take on an ever-increasing share of the burden of household chores. (Interestingly, an article in the March 18, 2001 edition of the Asahi Shimbun stated that according to a survey by the Cabinet Office, over 70% of men in their 20s said that it was a good idea for men to take paternity leave!)

I also expect the PLUS community to move ahead with its efforts to get PLUS marriages legalized. Japanese society, despite being constantly portrayed by the Western media as a social backwater, a staid straitjacket society, is pushing ahead.


Epilogue
For those readers that were expecting to read about how fascinating Japan is, this article was most likely a disappointment. I believe that there is ample information available on how modern and sleek Japan is. There is also enough out in English on traditional Japan to please those interested in anything from shinkansen (bullet trains) to shamisen (traditional instrument). However, it is the inside thoughts and feelings that I was hoping to convey to all, especially to those that are planning to make a move there. In addition I wanted to convey thoughts that are not easily accessible to non-Japanese. Things that few Japanese will tell outsiders.
MY THAI HIGH is, to date, the article I had the most pleasure in writing. I love Singapore and Thailand, and doing the research and writing about these places gave me great joy and brought back fond memories. My husband M and I, as I have mentioned, are both seriously contemplating moving there once we are ready to leave NYC and the United States. I also love Japan.

On the other hand, NIPPONISM (both parts I and II) was perhaps the hardest article that I have ever written. There are many passages that, once written, I deleted, thinking that "I am giving away too much," or that "No Japanese should write these traitorous things," only to put them back in again. As readers can surmise, no Japanese will ever write what I have written in these two essays, unless they have had broad overseas exposure (and a couple of drinks to boot!). That doesn稚 mean that we don稚 think it from time to time, but to actually verbalize many of these statements to non-Japanese, much less air our dirty laundry on the Internet for the whole world to read, is very, very difficult.

However, as with THE AMERICANS! article, I believe in laying it on the line and then some. Japan should be no exception. Perhaps seeing ourselves from this totally open, different perspective will help to bring about even greater changes in society at large. Perhaps we can strive to make Japan a real leader in the world, strong, confident, yet respectful of others. I believe that it is time that we set about to do just that.

Note:
This marks the end of my "Where to Live" series, in which I have attempted to cover various nations that many Asian PLUS may consider, or should consider, to live. For those that are not familiar, I covered Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the US and Japan. I plan to cover other aspects of Japan as well as other places in the future. For the many PLUS that are considering a new home, I strongly advise that you read my articles on this topic. I am also preparing other articles. If there is a topic that readers want to see covered, please e-mail me. -- HS

If you have any opinions you would like to express or questions, please contact the author at hsakakibara1@hotmail.com. The author gladly receives all comments, good, bad and in between, for posting. Readers may, if they wish, use pseudonyms.



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The author wishes to state that any and all links given in this and ALL articles are for informative purposes only. The author is, by mentioning businesses, products or links, not in any way involved with or promoting these services or products, and is in no way liable for any losses or misfortunes that may befall those readers who may use these links. In other words, let the user beware. The mentioning of various services and companies in this essay does not in any way construe the sexual orientation of their owners or clientele. By mentioning certain sex-related establishments, the author is in no way advocating the patronization of such places by readers, or any wrongful misconduct, either legal or moral. Also all readers are strongly cautioned to promote the well being of themselves and those around them by at all times practicing safe sex. All information contained in this posting has been researched, but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The author is not responsible for any errors or omissions. Certain names and facts may have been altered to protect the identities of people now living.
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This & That
I mentioned in an earlier edition of This & That, that readers who are Japanese literate and are planning to either live in Japan or have their PLUS partners live in Japan should get the Kokusai Kekkon Handbook (International Marriage Handbook). The latest version, 3, is an excellent source of information on Japan痴 nationality laws as well as naturalization and rules regarding foreigners・living in Japan. The book is by KOKUSAI KEKKON WO KANGAERU KAI (The Association for Multicultural Families) and costs JPY2,000. I strongly recommend it.


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Here one reader comments on the piece about the PLUS Buddhist monks by Tulku Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche
Hi Sir,

I really love all the pieces you shared with us along with the feedback from the audience. What surprised me the most was the piece about the pleasure among the Buddhist monks by a Singaporean guy (is he Chinese because his name does not sound Chinese to me?) I am myself a Buddhist, and I never have the thought of that kink of activity does occur in the monastery. Thanks to the "3 doors" theorem that writer pointed out, I now could reason myself why it is accepted that way. But I still think those monks are just apprentices, of course, within the condition of isolation, those temptation could not be avoided or abstained exclusively; and what they do is still in secrecy!!

For the senior Buddhist master, I think that they never practice that because they find pleasure in your enlightened mind so they could control their sexual urge. Now I could relate to the past that someone always told me that those activities occur even in the Christian (Catholic) monasteries even among the nuns, but I always reject that idea and think that is a myth or imagination that ordinary people trying to despise these people have! Please give me some more clarification over those matters and please tell me what ethnic that writer is and wishing you having good everlasting relationship with your Thai partner (if you could please scan me a pic of two of you please! Is he Chinese-Thai, or ethnic Thai?)

I don't know why the writer attacks the physical traits of Thais as "big lips, short and dark" seem as Pygmies to me. I don't know why my girlfriend (Chinese) is attracted by those Thai/Laos guys. I'm Chinese myself!

Tom

Dear Tom,

Thanks for your response to my article. First off, I gave your e-mail to the writer of that piece, a white American/Singaporean to respond to your questions. However, I have heard that sex occurs in all the religious clergy, and that no religion is any exception. In fact, I think that it is perfectly natural and the ideas of religion today are not necessarily the original ideas. I plan an article on religion in the near future.

As for my partner, he is Japanese as well.

Again, thank you for your comments. Please keep them coming!

H.S.



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Here on reader discusses my views of the US economy and my article NIPPONISM Part 1.
Dear Hidesato-San,

I very much enjoyed your articles in all these issues of OG. The most recent one on NIPPONISM Part 1 is also characteristically insightful. I agree with your assessment of the American economy, as I am an economist myself. In fact, I would recommend to readers of OG two books by the Japan-based Irish Author Eamonn Fingleton 'In Praise of Hard Industries' and 'Blindside'. He also has an excellent web site !

Regards.
Name withheld

My reply:

Thanks for the input. Viewers please note that I have not checked the above site for accuracy. Readers may also be interested in knowing that 53% of American families live from paycheck to paycheck, 64% from households with moderate incomes (USD20,000 to USD50,000) and 79% for those with incomes of less that US20,000. (Taipan, April 2001)



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Here one reader gives his opinions on my articles MY THAI HIGH, EMPIRE CITY, BOOGIE NIGHTS, and NIPPONISM Part 1. He also gives his opinions on East-West relations.
Hi Hideo,

NYC truly offers everything, albeit very expensively. One could get the same or better quality in Bangkok at one third of the price.

Before commenting on your article, I just would warn you and your readers. When you want to move to Thailand and Singapore, don't expect too much. Expect that Westerners to be treated better than you. Expect the traffic jam. Expect dirty roads. Expect that people will cheat you. Expect the worst of the worst. This way you will appreciate more of these countries. Painting too rosy a-picture may put raise expectations too much, which in turn will lead to disappointment. Even many Thais, upon returning home from abroad, make many complaints about their own country, but as they re-settle down they get used to Thailand again.

Citizens from the developed world have to accept many shortcomings of Thailand if they were to enjoy living in Thailand. Corruption, injustices are rife in Thailand. One really has to be street smart to live there. And as a foreigner, it is so easy to blame host countries, but I think when the blaming becomes too much and one can稚 stand it any longer, it is time to pack up and leave.

I have lived in a few countries myself and believe that my roots are in Southeast Asia and Thailand is a country that is especially most suitable for me. Quite different than you, I never inform Westerners about how nice it is to live in Thailand or other Southeast Asian countries. I don't want them to come to Southeast Asia.

Many Westerners after many years of living in Southeast Asia, due to the fault of Southeast Asians, become worse and they behave like royalty and expect us to worship them.

In my years of visiting Thailand, I encountered so many assholes from Australia, USA and Germany. These Westerners think they have to behave like Thai royalty and privilege few to get respect from ordinary Thai citizens, which in many ways they are correct but sometimes they are overdoing it to a disgusting point.

In dealing with Thais (and I guess other nationalities as well), you don't want to be too nice, or else you are letting them step all over you. Thailand is a feudalistic society with 5% assholes controlling 95% nice people.

Thais, as well as people of Burma and Laos, especially if they come from villages are truly amazingly nice people. For the case of Singapore, there is a certain Singaporean mentality that bugs many foreigners. Many Singaporeans sometime present themselves as if they are the smartest ones and they also have 'ki a su' mentality (i.e. they don't want to be outsmarted/outdone by someone else). Well I guess I can understand why they develop this mentality, since Singapore is in the middle of underdeveloped Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, so naturally, they think they are the smartest.

I think this island nation is a good base especially if you are a professional. Your salary may at least be 2/3 of what you earn here in NY or even better since you are an expat. Moreover, Singapore is only a one-hour flight to Bangkok, Phuket and Bali. If you get tired with the city then head for the airport on Friday and back for work on Monday morning.

You could also make good money in Thailand by working as a professional, but these positions are fewer. I personally know of a Belgian who works as a CFO of Thai conglomerate and he gets USD25,000 per month net of taxes. He speaks no Thai; he strikes me as just another ordinary finance guy who is a sweet talker and able to present himself well to the owner. He has the "white face" which is needed to represent the company in the face of foreign creditors and investors.

Thailand is a good country for entrepreneurship. Many Westerners open restaurants in Thailand and become instantly rich. Capital requirement is less. Human labor is cheap. And there are enough customers who crave for foreign foods.

On your article about NIPPONISM Part 1, I completely agree to what you wrote. I realize that Japan with its economic success feels different than the rest of Asia and feels closer toward the west, yet when put among the West, Japan shares the feeling of the rest of Asia.

This is only human nature. People always want to associate themselves with someone rich, successful, sophisticated, cultured, high class, etc. People try to improve their social standing all the time. Many Chinese youngsters from Mainland China in America do not feel happy if strangers told them that they have the look from Mainland China. They would be happy to be thought of coming from some other countries; i.e. from Taiwan (happy), Hong Kong (happier) and Japan (happiest).

The same could be said for European immigrants to America. Many German immigrants to America in the early 20th century worked so hard to be thought of English immigrants. Changing their names to English names, developing English accents, refusing to be associated with anything German. Germany then was considered a "low class" country that experienced famine, compared to "England" which enjoyed the economic success through industrial revolution.

People usually judge book by the cover. Upon knowing where a person comes from is already enough to put some premium or discount on the person. The same could be said for race as well. You know those ads from Asians wanting GWM. Are all GWM handsome, in shape and masculine? Do they all have huge dicks? Do they all have the money? Are they all fun to be with? Asian countries should learn not to give privilege toward foreigners especially Westerners. They should love their own people and appreciate more their own kinds. But unfortunately for SE Asia, this will not happen within our lifetime.

Many top executive positions in SE Asia are given to Westerners because of their white faces. In Europe, usually foreigners do not have a chance to grab good jobs unless companies from their own countries employ them. In France, for example a French-speaking German would have no chance of getting top positions in French companies, no matter how smart he is and how Parisian his French is.

Asians should forge a more Inter Asian appreciation. What we have today in Asia is competition instead of cooperation, often putting down neighboring nations to put forth his/her own nation; yet we would easily succumb toward Europe or America. Are Asians born to be slaves or servants of Europeans and Americans? Very few Asians are like you and me, where we have appreciation of other Asian cultures.

Whenever I go to museums in Europe or America, my first itinerary would be to visit Asian collections, and then if I have time I go for other nation collections. Of course, I would make an effort to see the special exhibit of the museum like Mona Lisa in Louvre, but that is it. I spend more time in Asian collections. In fact I thought the Mona Lisa is just a so-so painting that is way overblown in its reputation.

Notice what many Asian visitors do in a museum; they usually go to their own country痴 exhibit then go directly to a European section. Chinese would look at the Chinese collection but skip Japanese, Korean and other "unimportant" Southeast Asian exhibits; likewise Japanese look at Japanese, skip Chinese, Korean, and rest of Asia and hop into a European collection.

With regards to my preference towards Asian men, I guess this has something to do with the way one grows up with and your family education. When I was young, I sometimes had crushes towards my teacher, neighbors, friends of my father, etc; many of them were usually older than me. I never had any crush toward Westerners since there weren稚 any of them around.

So it is not because of several unpleasant incidents in America, I dislike Caucasians. I personally find a hairy body a major turn-off whether that of an Asian or Caucasian. More importantly, I don't find Caucasian faces to be attractive.

On another interesting discovery, I become acquainted with a super rich old money Chinese family in New York. The patriarch of the family came to America in early 1900s, and some members of the family move back and forth between America and China/Taiwan, doing business, corruption, politics etc. Yet, I see that their offspring already 4th generation born in America continue to marry with Chinese regardless where the spouse is born at (Taiwan, Indonesia, etc). So far, I know only 1 member of the family that is married to a white person. The entire family continues to be traditionally Chinese. I guess it is with money that they have a better self-esteem about themselves and do not need to marry into the white society to boost their social standing.

Well I guess that's all for my thoughts. I would like to get that report from Oxford Cub regarding Singapore. Could you provide me with that report?

I just wanted to add to my writing that imperialism of Asia by the West is well alive and kicking. Look at how Westerners took away our women (and also our men); how humiliating indeed. In many cases it is the Westerners who choose which Asian women and men to go for. Even this is true for Western women and Asian men couples.

Many Asians are Westerner wannabes. The way we Asians clothe ourselves, the way we eat, the way we listen to music, etc. I was so disappointed by the news of Jennifer Lopez getting paid USD700,000 for less than an hour痴 appearance in Hong Kong. I mean how degrading (and how stupid) it is for the people of Hong Kong to pay so much money for so short an appearance. Would Coco Lee or Hikaru Utada be able to earn the same amount for the same hour of performance? I doubt it.

Moreover, hordes upon hordes of Asians are abandoning Buddhism and converting to

Christianity, while the reverse is only a small number of Westerners convert to Buddhism. Many Asians even adopt western names to become more westernized. Have you seen any Western couples who name their children Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Thai names upon birth in the respective country? I would say that Asians will continue to be the slaves of the West for years to come, unless, some radical leaders in Asia start making radical changes and lead another course.

Lastly with regards to your comment about Asian Americans. I would think that if discrimination against Asians in America were stronger than what it is today, I am certain that Asian Americans would behave "better." Back during the revolution in China against the Manchu rulers in the early 1900, some of the patriots were Chinese born in America. I don't think the same case will ever happen today. Many Chinese Americans, like Japanese Americans, are so much in love with America and are so proud to have been born many generations in America. Many will not even hesitate to fight for America in a war against their ancestral lands. As one may put it, Asian Americans are even "more American" than the mainstream white Americans. All in all, many Asians, be those born in the West or Asian, adore white people and work hard to emulate them.

Hin Chung

PS: I find the story from Tulku Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche hard to believe.

My reply:

Thanks, Hin, for your comments again. I believe you are very intelligent and find it an honor to post your contributions.

My husband M and I get tired of living in NYC despite the fact that I think it is a great city. I really do! But as I wrote in EMPIRE CITY, BOOGIE NIGHTS, it is filthy, people are not friendly, and everything revolves around parts of Manhattan. The rest of the city stinks. Worse is that many of the Asians here also change and they become conceited and M and I have been chided for our marriage and for not being with whites. We also hate the cold weather.

Enjoy your time in NYC for a while and get out of here. I tell that to so many others who are stuck here. Don稚 invest too much time in this place since the future is not too bright. Having a degree or experience means little. There is too much talent here and it is all going wasted. Many secretaries at major US brokerages that I know have MBA degrees and are waiting for a chance to move up. It is horrible. Most of them no doubt will be stuck in those positions until they retire.

My friend that I wrote about in EMPIRE CITY, BOOGIE NIGHTS, Yi Jiang, is losing so much money waiting for a sponsor for his visa. He was such a successful graphic artist in Taiwan but now is almost broke. What is the attraction of NYC and the US? He would be so much better off in HK, Singapore or even Bangkok. In fact, knowing his talents I am sure that were he now to reside in Asia he could very easily set up a successful studio of his own. Asia needs talent, the US does not. It is that simple. But living in the US offers something that living in Asia does not: social status in the eyes of the Asian community. To say that one has lived in a Western nation, especially the US, carries great weight among Asians. If an Asian were doing an average job in the US, he would have more social standing amongst the others back home than if he were on a higher post in an Asian nation. This is less so now than years back but still readers, Western readers in particular, should not underestimate the status that living in the West has for most Asians.

You will be much better off in Bangkok, even if you make a little less money. Noom (MY THAI HIGH) is the same. He is waiting for his transfer back to Bangkok but now is being told that he might not get it. He does not know what to do. His salary here is the about same as in Bangkok but there he was rich whereas here he is barely making ends meet. (He is officially a local hire and thus does not receive any expat benefits.) Worse, unlike in Bangkok, he is in no position to buy a home (house, condo, co-op) of his own, and he is in his 30s. He is now getting worried but I am sure that sooner or later he will return to Thailand. The last time I spoke with him he swore with the same resolve as Scarlet O辿ara (Gone With the Wind) that he would do so.

As for the Singapore report, it was only one paragraph and I am writing it for you here.

"AS PEOPLE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE GLOBE, THEY鱈L RECOGNIZE THE TRULY MAJOR DIFFERENCES AND OPPORTUNITIES. FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT NOW, MOST PEOPLE THINK OF ASIA AS "THAT BIG BLOB ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLOBE." YET SINGAPORE, THE WORLD担 MOST FREE ECONOMY, WILL BECOME THE WORLD担 RICHEST ECONOMY PER PERSON BY 2010 AT OVER $40,000 IN INCOME PER PERSON. " (Jan. 15th Oxford Club Newsletter)

I have read similar articles in other journals. I believe that Asia will rise tremendously in the future and that our lives there will be much better. Even now if you have talent and skills you can do well, although the going is tougher than before. The current Asian economic malaise is a great buying opportunity for those that have the funds and the foresight to invest in what is perhaps the world痴 most dynamic continent.

As for intermarriage with Westerners, why not? However it should be because you really love the man or woman, and not because of an attempt to elevate one痴 social status or some other inferiority complex. It is not fair to you, it is not fair to your families, and it is not fair to the Westerner, who may think that you really love him/her.

You mentioned a very interesting point: that discrimination towards the West extends to art. It is true that many of the great artworks are deemed great because they are Western. Asian and other non-Western art does not get the same coverage as Western art does.

This also goes for food. In Western countries, with the exception of Japanese cuisine, few Asian restaurants charge high prices because the public in general will not stand for it. (This even goes for the price of Asian cookbooks.) Even if the expertise and ingredients are as expensive as in French food, Asian food is expected to be cheap.

This is one reason that the best Asian chefs do not come to the US (except for political reasons). They stay in Hong Kong, Bangkok, or wherever since they are able to get a great salary. This is also a reason that many Asian restaurants are so-called "French-Vietnamese" or "French-Chinese" restaurants. The food is 99% Asian, but because it is supposed to be partly French, the owners can justify the higher prices. Some even hire a white waiter or two to stress the European side of their all-but totally Asian cuisine.

With regards to what you wrote about discrimination towards Westerners in Asia, I am all too familiar with it to the point that I am used to it, sadly enough. As I have written time and time again, we should treat all others equally, and not put them above us or below us. But I also don稚 expect this to happen in my lifetime. Hence I fully expect to be a second-class citizen almost everywhere I go in my own continent. This is especially so now with the ongoing blas・Japanese economy.

As for religion and the name changing, it all depends. I think that what you described holds only for those that are Southeast Asian Chinese. I do not think that Christianity is spreading in Japan or the rest of Asia for that matter. I believe that this is mainly contained within the Southeast Asian Chinese community. If someone wants to become Christian because that is the way he/she wants to believe in God then that is fine with me. But if they change in order to emulate the West or to become more "modern" then that is not a good reason to join any religion. In fact, people joining for the latter reason often become a great source of hypocrites and heretics within any given religion.

The same holds true for the name changing; it is mainly by Southeast Asian Chinese. So many of my Chinese friends in Southeast Asia have changed their names to Western ones. However, I do not see this happening amongst other Japanese, Koreans, Malays, Thais, etc. Perhaps this is some sort of an inferiority complex that many Southeast Asian Chinese have being minorities, I don稚 know. I do know that people in Japan, Malaysia and elsewhere, save the Chinese minorities, are not changing their religions or names.

Again, thanks for the great reply to my articles. Please feel free to send us your comments. I believe our readers are enriched by your thoughts. This goes for all readers, please feel free to send your comments in.

HS



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Not THAT Religion!
The above letter mentioned religion. Readers may be interested in knowing that according to an article in the New York Times (April 11, 2001), Americans like the idea of giving government money to religions groups that provide services, but only if those groups are Christian or Jewish, according to a poll by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. Interestingly, two of Asia's largest religions, Islam and Buddhism, saw only 38% each of respondents reply favorably that Muslim Mosques and Buddhist Temples should be allowed to apply for government funds. Hinduism, Shintoism and other Asian religions were not mentioned.
Could this be tied to the fact that both Islam and Buddhism are not Western religions? It is also interesting that despite the fact that adherents to both religions are sharply rising in the United States, there are no official Muslim or Buddhist holidays. Hmmm...



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One reader gives her views on NIPPONISM Part 1.
Sakakibara-san,

I stumbled by accident onto your article on ogusa.com. At first looking for male references for a painting, I began reading your articles. Did I know I would be staying up late to read them?

Right off, your personal experience (obviously) and storehouse of knowledge is fascinating. I imagine I'm one of those strange gaijin you talk about who is completely in love with Japan. When I explain what I am going to try to do with my life, "I'll go to Japan and work there." My friends and current co-workers look at me with strange looks. How can I explain what I love about Japan? Can it really be defined? I can say I love the art, the food, the sights, the music (both popular and traditional), the sound of Japanese, but it's something more than that, isn't it?

I'm a younger HWF (heterosexual white female). I'm looking to finish college and start my life. As your article is, it doesn't have many references for heterosexuals, especially female. Even without them, your anecdotes are priceless.

Unfortunately, you mention a few times in your articles that English-translating has taken a hard turn for the worst since the "bubble burst" after the decadent 1980's. This, I fear, would probably be my only marketable skill. I have been keeping an eye on the Japanese economy, and while the exchange rates are great, it looks as if it has some way to go before stabilizing. It will be four years before I receive my degree in English with a minor in Japanese Studies. Perhaps it will have stabilized then? Is this continued slide a result of Japan's "tough economic nut to crack" government?

I have also heard that a large majority of the English teachers in Japan are either gaijin with cushy jobs and little to no fluency in Japanese (your professional gaijin) or Japanese with a good knowledge base, but little to no conversational English skills. Maybe it won't be so hard for me to find work.

Do you have any suggestions for soon-to-be expats on getting jobs in Japan? My friend is a Westerner who loves Japan as well. We really both hope to get there.

Thanks for taking the time to read this email!

Kitten.

My reply:

Dear Kitten,

Thank you for your excellent letter. No, I don稚 think you are strange that you love Japan and I don稚 remember writing that. In fact, I think that it is quite natural given that Japan has so much to offer. What I do think is strange are my many fellow Japanese nationals who think that a Westerner who can love Japan is strange. They are the strange beings with high levels of inferiority complexes. They are the ones that need a shrink, but given the low level of psychiatric care in Japan they will not be able to get the help they need.

On looking for a job I suggest that you try the The Japan Times Monday edition. Also Tokyo Classified. Next, the major English schools like Nova and Kanda Gaigo Gakuin to start. Also the major financial firms are desperate for bilingual people so go get 'em! Then there is SWET, the Society for Writers, Editors and Translators. They might be able to help you. Start making contacts and networking now. Try making pen pals and other friends in Japan so when it is time for you to go you will not be all alone there. Your local contacts there can be of invaluable help to you in finding a place to stay, meeting more friends, etc. The Japanese consulate nearest you should be able to help you with making pen pals. For PLUS readers I suggest that you place your ads in all Asian-related PLUS magazines and web sites, and especially the Japanese PLUS magazines. Ads are usually free.

Heterosexual? You can always get married and get through immigration that way, although I don稚 recommend it. Better to do things on your own strength. This way later on if you divorce or "hubby" passes away, you are basically unaffected. The only time I recommend marriage is if you use the spouse visa as a stepping stone to get your PR or citizenship. The requirements are greatly relaxed if you do. Of course, I am talking about marriage to a Japanese (national).

There are literally countless social groups for hetties to meet. Tokyo Classified has some of the listings, and is also an excellent place for both hetties and PLUS to place personal ads in English. Last I heard all the ads were free. For both PLUS and hetties, if an active social life is what you are after, then Japan, or, for that matter most of Asia, is far, far better than the US or most other Western nations. I have been told this by Westerners as well as know this through my own personal experiences.

Try the many recruiters there. Despite the lousy economic environment, Japan is still a better place for the truly talented to find work vs. the US. Here it is all hype unless you are from a top school or interested in working in the fast food industry. I myself am looking due to talks of mergers at my place of employment and despite my degrees and experiences I am having a tough time.

Also network. Once in Japan try the Kaisha Society. Also the bulletin board at the association of foreign journalists in Yurakucho, Tokyo. The first hurdle is to get your work visa, then your PR and/or citizenship if you are serious about staying indefinitely in Japan. YOU CAN DO IT!

One way would be to set up appointments for interviews and make a trip there when you are ready. Also I have heard that some of the more prestigious English schools interview in the US. I think Kanda GG is one of them. Teaching English for a Westerner is an excellent way to get your foot in the door. Once you are settled down you can always find other work. Just be careful not to get too comfortable as an English teacher, because if you do before you know it you will be one, for life! Nothing wrong with that but if that is what you are after then you should consider a master痴 degree in ESL. With that degree in hand you can qualify to teach at the big universities. That is where the real money and benefits are in teaching English in Japan.

One US PLUS friend I know was teaching English at a major Japanese university. He had a master痴 degree but not in ESL. They hired him anyway. He told me he was getting paid JPY8 million and had 2-3 months paid leave per year, great benefits, etc., yet he was only teaching about 4 classes a day. As far as I know he is still there. After all, he would never be able to get that setup in the US. Never! Not even with a Ph.D.

How about the many bilingual Japanese recruiters in the US? Just look at the New York Times Sunday edition or OCS NEWS. Many can help you find work in Japan.

The Japanese economy? I have no idea where it will be four years from now. However I am sure that you will be able to find an appropriate job in Japan. If you go as a bilingual person with strong PC skills, you are sure to find employment somewhere or the other. As a new college graduate you have many possibilities!

I hope that this has helped. My best wishes to you and let us know how you are doing! I will be happy to post any news from your end for our readers, many of whom I am sure are also planning to move to Japan.

Oh, one last bit. You may want to scroll down below to read the section on free immigration consultation.

HS



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Here another reader writes regarding NIPPONISM Part 1.
Hello Sakakibara-san,

I hope you read this, because I was very interested in the article you wrote that was displayed on the OGUSA website. I'd first like to say that I think you write very well and I enjoyed your article. As you can probably tell, I'm a white American (19 years old), living in America. However, I have always had a deep interest in Japan and am studying Japanese right now. While my goals are another story, it would suffice to say that I want to be able to work and live in Japan eventually. Anyway, I am bi-sexual, and I happen to be fond of Japanese men (and women) in general. In the future, I intend to go to Japan and probably live on my own and work. My question is do you have any advice for me about finding someone or where to go for "fun" in the city.

soredewa, sayonara.

"Naoki"

My reply:

Dear Naoki,

Thanks for your letter. First off, I suggest that you use the references that I have given Kitten above. They are all excellent, especially Tokyo Classified, which has so many personals ads for the PLUS as well as hettie societies.

Next, as far as fun is concerned, it all depends upon what you mean. I presume you mean sexual fun. If you are bisexual then you can enjoy the best of both the hettie and PLUS worlds. There are so many places that I can稚 begin to list them. Some won稚 admit foreigners, most will. It won稚 matter as they are all pretty much the same inside. Even the PLUS places that allow foreigners are 99% filled with Japanese.

For the hettie places, try Shinjuku痴 Kabuki-cho area. It is cram-packed with girlie bars and places to get it on. For the PLUS scene and meeting men, try Shinjuku 2-chome. For both, there are many all over Tokyo but these two areas are especially known for great action of both kinds. But no matter where you go always practice safe sex! I mean it! The number of AIDS cases in Japan is underreported, and many are lulled into a sense of well being when in actuality you must be careful and guard against STDs.

The trouble is that many in our saunas in Japan believe that AIDS is not a major threat. And it痴 hard to turn away really gorgeous guys all erect, many willing to get into hot and sweaty threesomes. Often ejaculation in mouths and even anuses will occur, albeit unwillingly. At all times be on your guard. I cannot stress this enough.

For some strange reason that I cannot fathom, many Westerners believe that Asians, smaller and cuter Asians in particular, are usually docile and celibate. I can say from personal experience that some of the wildest sex that I have engaged in (naturally safe) has been with other Asians, especially with those that were smaller than myself. One guy, only about 165 cm, was perhaps the hottest, wildest guy that I had ever met. We did it every which way except anally, and even then I had to forcefully pull his dick out of my mouth when I thought that he was going to climax. He even tried to get his prick inside me and I had to push him aside.

If you need a friend, try the Japanese PLUS magazines or the PLUS Asian web sites. Or just slip into Paragon for some wild action if sex is all you want. Japan really offers so much that it will take a lifetime to explore it all. Japan痴 PLUS magazines like BADI have an excellent directory of nearly all the places in Japan in their advertising section. I suggest that once there you purchase a copy. Again, be careful!

Good luck and let us know how you fare!

HS



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I mentioned in my article WORKING that the US population was around 300 million. The census puts the figure at 282 million. I also said that the figures do not take into account the 20 million or so, who are either illegal aliens, did not get the census, or did not bother to fill it out.
The headline story on Friday, March 16, 2001 in the New York Times puts the population of New York City at over 8 million. Again, these figures are vastly understated. I say that the population is more like 9 million or perhaps even more. The city痴 infrastructure, like that of so much of the US, is heavily strained, and Asian readers should make note of this point.



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As I am sure you all can surmise, I am very interested in posting the thoughts as well as experiences of my readers. I am especially interested in getting mail from readers who have had experiences in Vietnam, especially during the war. I have been to Vietnam and have encountered many PLUS there. However, I have heard that many US servicemen during their tours of duty were also able to find men in Saigon and elsewhere. Given the politics of the time it would be very interesting if anyone who knows of such instances can give his/her opinions. Naturally even accounts of PLUS activities after the war are welcome. I have heard from many that Vietnam is another Thailand waiting to happen.
Thank you.

H.S.



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This information is from the Japan Immigration Association.
Readers seeking free legal consultations on immigration to Japan may want to contact a voluntary group of immigration lawyers at Nyukan Tetsuzuki Kenkyukai (Immigration Procedure Workshop). This is a voluntary association of nearly 60 immigration lawyers who specialize in immigration procedures, such as applications for certificate of eligibility, change of status, extension of status, permanent residence, naturalization, invitation of own family, international marriage and divorce, divorce, etc.

Free consultations are offered at the Toyonaka Kokusai Center and on the Internet. The monthly free consultation at Toyonaka.is held at the Toyonaka International Exchange Center 2nd floor (conference room) 3-1-28, Kita-sakurazuka, Toyonaka-shi, Osaka-fu Japan

Phone: 81-6-6843-4343 Fax : 81-6-6843-4375

The consultation is held on the 3rd Friday of the month. No reservation is needed.

Readers are asked to please outline their respective situations. It usually takes them a couple of days to get questions answered. There may be questions that the group is not able to answer but hell, it痴 worth a shot.

Nyukan Tetsuzuki Kenkyukai (Representative: Tatsuhiro Nakano) Information Bureau 590-0076 Popy Bldg., 1F, 1-2-15, Kitakawara-cho, Sakai-shi, Osaka-fu, Japan

Phone: 81-722-32-9364 Fax: 81-722-24-1236

Director: Yukiko Enomoto (in Japanese)

For more information readers can contact Shinji Tatsumi (person in charge)


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Readers who are interested in the PLUS scene in South Asia (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, etc.) may want to log onto the SALGA (South Asian Lesbian Gay Association). SALGA is a New York-based social and political group for PLUS, bisexual and transgender people who trace their descent from South Asia.
Their monthly meetings are held on the second Saturday of every month from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Lesbian and Gay Community Center's temporary location at 1, Little West 12th St., New York. Readers note that their meetings are open to South Asians only, but everyone is welcome to their social events.

SALGA is currently fighting for its right to march in NYC's India Day parade, organized by the FIA, the Federation of Indian Associations. The FIA has allegedly refused to allow SALGA the right to march in the parade.

SALGA has an excellent web site with a great links page for anyone interested in South Asia. I mention it here since I believe that South Asia is one part of our continent that has had the least exposure to the mainstream PLUS Asian media. I also welcome readers with accounts of their own with South Asians or in any of the countries in that part of Asia for posting here. It would also be great if South Asians were to come forth with their own personal thoughts and experiences for posting. Yoroshiku!



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One reader, referring to NIPPONISM Part I, could not believe the situation that I described of my forced anal interlude. Well, it happened, and I am afraid that it still happens on occasion but is almost never reported or talked about. I once witnessed one younger guy having a bigger man start to hump his ass. He started crying and the other fellow decided to pull out. I was considering getting one of the attendants to intervene. Then again, you never know if that was in fact one of the scenes that the younger guy wanted to engage in.
Frankly, when recalling the incident and writing about it, I get pissed. The amount of fear, pain and sorrow that fellow caused me is enough to make me angry again. My advice to all readers is to take the utmost precaution when entering sex rooms, be they in Japan or elsewhere. This is especially true for younger or weaker readers. Once inside a sex room you open yourself up to all sorts of experiences, not all of which will be moments to be treasured. (This includes getting colds. Most sex rooms in Japan are not well ventilated, and the air is stale. Running around almost naked during the winter, despite the heating system, is also not conducive to good health.) No, I do not think that this kind of incident is a daily occurrence, but it happened to me and it can happen to you, only you may not be as lucky and come out of it with only mononucleosis and a few swollen lymph glands.



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Turkey's PLUS and totally out singer Tarkan is helping the local PLUS community with increased visibility. Tarkan is Turkey's most popular singer, and, according to a report in Lesbian and Gay New York (4/26/01), "is a gay man who openly shows affection for other men and who discusses being gay in his songs and in the nation's nationalized press. He is mobbed when he hits the streets of any village in Turkey." The article goes on to state that in Istanbul the scene gets so out of control that he is required by law to be escorted by police when on the streets. His biggest hit is a song about kissing a man. Readers having more information on Tarkan please inform me.


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One reader comments on my article NIPPONISM Part I as well as my other articles.
Greetings,

Just finished reading your excellent article on line from OG. As a 59 year old white guy who has always enjoyed Japanese men I must say you were very forthright in your comments. I enjoyed and learned so much from your comments about Japan.

I have been giving much thought to your article. One thing I have thought about is that from the time I was out, I have always been attracted to Asians.

I am 59 now and first was attracted to Asian men when I was 35 I think. What has always puzzled me is that I always wanted to meet Asian guys who were older than me but I was never able to find any. Even now one rarely sees in chat rooms or personal ad Asian men who are in their 50 or 60. Why do you think that is? I know this is different from the usual stereotype.

From your articles I get the feeling that a guy my age who is attracted to Asian men is somewhat looked down upon. Do you think this is true because the perception and maybe reality is that guys my age want docile, submissive, young guys?

For me this is not what I am looking for at all. And not what I found. I have been in a committed monogamous loving relationship with an Asian man who is younger than me but certainly not docile and submissive. He is a wonderful professional man who enjoys an excellent reputation in the community.

As for your dislike of Japan and America from my experience it can be difficult to live anywhere. My partner and I were in Thailand this past year and enjoyed it very much. The people were very very friendly and your $ sure goes a long way. But I think cultural differences are striking and living in a country so different than where I live now would be difficult.

Thank you again for your articles. They are most informative and I read every one I could find. Look forward to reading more of your writings.

Keep up the good work,
DW

My reply:

Thanks for your comments. As for your questions, here are my answers.

First off, the fact that you want an older Asian guy is rare. I almost never hear of any Westerner who wants an older Asian. Truth is, nearly all want younger guys, either because they perceive them to be docile or cuter or simply because they can no longer attract similar white men. So your case is rare, although I am sure that you are not the only one. Yes, many Asians look down upon much older white men with much younger Asians, but the reason has more to do with the idea that the Westerner must be "in charge." Also, many of us look down upon the inferiority complex of the younger Asians. True, not all have such complexes and a few may really want a much older white guy, but I believe them to be the exception rather than the norm. As for your relationship, I think that it is great.

Why don稚 you see ads from older Asians? I see some in the Japanese magazines but few in English. I guess it is because younger Asians are more willing to come out of the closet and look for what they really want. The older of our generation are still closeted. In Japan they are content with the bars and sex clubs. (Read JUST ANOTHER EVENING WITH THE FOLKS.)

As for my ideas on the US and Japan, I do NOT dislike them. I love Japan very much. However, I believe that it is time that we start to make Japan a really great country and the only way is to see our faults. With all our technology and learning and we still have a medicore state. We can easily be a real superpower if we wanted to be, without threatening our neighbors. As for the US, it has its good points for sure. Trouble is that it is highly over-rated and too many Asians come here expecting much more than they will ever receive. I am constantly meeting those that come here and get stuck! Yes, they are partly at fault for not checking out the situation thoroughly before coming, but that is hard to do with the press until recently always talking about labor shortages and high wages, etc. It is for the most part garbage and I know some really talented people WITH US PR VISAS who can't find suitable work.

Thailand? Did you say Thailand? I think it is great but of course as you said it has its own problems. Still I think it is one heck of a place for PLUS, especially Asian PLUS to live. This will be especially so once this damned Asian economic malaise is done and over with. M and I may very well live there in the future.

Many Westerners will also go there, but I doubt that most will stay for more than a few years due to the extreme differences in culture, etc. Instead, I see places such as Mexico and other destinations in Latin America being the main destinations for Americans and other Westerners that want a better lifestyle and a more luxurious retirement. I also believe that this trend of Westerners (and Japanese) retiring abroad will increase as the cost of living in the West rises without subsequent increases in living standards and pension outlays.

Mexico offers an excellent lifestyle for PLUS, my friends there have informed me. Many of the men are also hunks. Readers with more information please send your comments. I am planning a trip to Mexico in the near future and hope to get information for my readers.

Again, thanks for the support and your great comments. It all means so much to me. -- HS



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Readers may be interested in logging onto Fridae, a new Asian website based in Singapore. This is yet just another sign that PLUS life on the island nation is growing faster than most suspect. Readers may remember that I also believe Singapore to be another excellent place for Asian PLUS to live. (See MY THAI HIGH.)
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