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GoNative (Offline)
Busier Than Shinjuku Station
 
Posts: 1,063
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Inverloch, Australia
09-11-2010, 01:03 AM

I find it amusing though when foreigners complain about other foreigners getting drunk and obnoxious as though this is just something peculiar to foreigners! Either some people don't go out much or they choose to ignore all the Japanese guys getting drunk, obnoxious and trying to pick up girls as well. In the bar I own in Hakodate it's hardly unusual to see Japanese girls getting drunk, obnoxious and trying to pick up foreign guys for that matter.

I personally don't act like that myself but I am almost 40, been married for over 10 years and have a kid so my days of heading out partying and trying to pick up girls are well and truly over!

I don't think I would want to live in Japan though if I didn't live in the Niseko area. Most of the foreigners and Japanese alike who live at the ski resort are here for very similar reasons. We love skiing/boarding and the laid back lifestyle of living at a ski resort in an absolutely beautiful part of the world. This commonality very quickly breaks down any barriers between the different peoples living here. Extremely few of the foreigners here are english teachers just over for a year or two. Many have settled in the region with their families and hope to be here for good or at least very long term.

This makes a big difference to their behaviour I think because if you're only here short term it's easy not to care how you effect others around you or how you are perceived. When you've committed yourself to a place long term and invested time and money into the local community you're much more likely to be respectful and caring of that community.
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