Being black in Japan

[Troo]

My other half is also 6ft3. He didn't have to duck much, but there was the odd occasion where it was necessary even for me to drop down a little at only 6ft.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Compaqmac321

oh ok, i looked it up too, and yea it was popular, they had story books and dolls, real racist, BUT, i will actually give them the benefit of the doubt on it because like u said, they didnt know.

Originally Posted by SSJup81

If I'm not mistaken, a couple of years ago, I saw a group (maybe it was the Gospellers) on Hey! Hey! Hey!, and they were dressed in blackface. The type of music that the group plays was influenced by blacks and stuff. Jazz and all that. Even though we would find it extremely offensive if done here, since it was done here, it was a way to make fun of blacks, saying we're slow and ignorant, etc., they seem to be doing so out of admiration, so in this sense, it's difficult to get mad at it, but it would be nice to let them know it's offensive. I honestly don't think some know that is.

Lil Sambo characters and Blackface singers like those that appeared on Hey Hey Hey are NOT, I repeat ARE NOT an indication of the racism against blacks in Japan. Black face = Racism is a WESTERN concept. So when it happens on Japanese TV it is easy for Westerners to see that as degrading, where in Japanese eyes it is simply imitation.

Does that show ignorance of Western ideals of racial relations? Sure. But they are Japanese shows intended for a Japanese audience.

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by MMM

Lil Sambo characters and Blackface singers like those that appeared on Hey Hey Hey are NOT, I repeat ARE NOT an indication of the racism against blacks in Japan. Black face = Racism is a WESTERN concept. So when it happens on Japanese TV it is easy for Westerners to see that as degrading, where in Japanese eyes it is simply imitation.

Yeah, I know, hence what I said. "Admiration", unlike here where it was used as a way to degrade blacks. What I was saying is that they obviously don't, and wouldn't, see how it would be offensive because the stigma of racism doesn't come to mind there because, in a way, it doesn't exist and isn't associated with anything negative there.

[newgaijin]

Initially being a gaijin in Tokyo is a little difficult irrespective of whether you're black/white/brown because of language problem, cultural differences and different food habits. But in general, people are helpful- there's no discrimination. Sometimes you may feel that people are ignoring you or are trying to avoid speaking to you- that's more because of the language problem though. So if you can speak Japanese, it will be quite easy. And yeah- Japanese girls love gaijins

[Compaqmac321]

oh ok ok i get it
i understand not to take offense to it
but still my initial reaction would be wow, wtf is this, but i understand that its not meant to be anything racial...where as if i were to see the same thing on tv here i would be pretty much pissed off.

i have a question for MMM or anyone else thats been to japan
what kind of like over the counter pain medication do they have....i have sickle cell, not the full blown out one tho, but pretty much like when u go into a crisis i would need pain medication, like advil pm works best for me if its over the counter but if i get it from the hospital they usually give me vicodine. so yea, do they have any really effective pain medicine?

[Troo]

Well yeah, of course they have. They're not a third-world country

Whether you can read enough Japanese to understand the packet, though... Best to take your own.

[Compaqmac321]

nah what you dont understand is, most medication HERE isnt even effective for me...other than advil pm, which mostly only puts me to sleep, and vicodine which isnt over the counter. i was in the hospital for a month and a half in 06 and the whole time i was on morphene which made my medication tolerance go up, so now stuff like regular advil, tylenol extra strenght, bayer, stuff like that, doesnt do anything but make me have to wait hours b4 i can try sumn else....
and a reason why we couldnt go to japan when i was younger (dads military) was because i have this, so i was just wondering why, because all it is is having the right pain medication and id be good.

[Troo]

Yeah but maybe the military wasn't able to absorb the insurance costs involved in transplanting a family with a known ongoing medical requirement like this. Insurance companies the world over will hike premiums at the merest whiff of incurable conditions which might result in hospitalisation.

The problem with painkillers is that very strong ones do indeed induce drowsiness, and Advil's one of the better ones (it being Ibuprofen, which is as good as Acetylsalicylic acid with much less damage to your stomach). Advil PM is, obviously by dint of its name, a night-time drug, and actually contains Diphenhydramine citrate, which is a sleep aid, so will only compound your problem there.

Advil PM also only contains 200mg of Ibuprofen. You'd probably be better off taking two regular 200mg Advil (to total 400mg Ibuprofen) than taking an Advil PM if you wish to stay alert. Just remember that you shouldn't total more than 1,200mg of Ibuprofen in a 24-hour period.

Because of the chemical composition of certain painkillers and the organs they pose risks to, you can actually mix them with others if required, but only specific others. For example, you can take your daily limit of Ibuprofen and your daily limit of Paracetamol (branded as Tylenol in the US) within the same 24-hour period with no ill effects - so long as, as with all pain medication, you do not continue for a prolonged period. 48 hours is the maximum I would go before seeking medical assistance, and I have ongoing pain-management issues. For someone to whom pain is a new thing, I wouldn't suggest waiting that long!

Tylenol Regular Strength limit is 12 per 24-hour period, and Extra Strength is 8 per 24-hour period.

You cannot however mix Ibuprofen and Aspirin, because they are made from the same basic chemical, and attack the same organ.

Codeine is a third option which can be mixed with either, but you'd have to be in serious agony to consider taking all three at once. I believe that Codeine is not an over-the-counter medication in the US, though, so you may require a prescription for it and, as it's an opiate, it's likely to be even less effective than Ibuprofen and Paracetamol due to your tolerance.

Alas the Japanese don't have access to chemicals which don't exist elsewhere in the world, so their pain relief medication will ultimately consist of the same three groups - opiates, acids and acetamides. Even dosages are pretty consistent across continents - Ibuprofen, for example, usually comes in 200mg and 400mg in over-the-counter form.

Why, yes. Yes I do know far too much about painkillers

[Compaqmac321]

haha yea you do know alot about pain killers
only 500mg (at the least) works for me , regular advil and stuff just doesnt work at all ive tried it allll.
even codine doesnt work anymore, it stopped working when i was in like 8th grade. since ive been taking meds for this since i was 4 or 5, i dont know what meds it was at the time tho. in the military we have tricare, everyone does, and when you stay on the military base, theres hospitals on base, so if i went to the hospital id go on base, and my tricare medical insurance would take care of me off base, usually for a big emergency they would take me off base..but when i got to around 3rd grade, i was able to deal with my pain better, when and IF they came, because after a while i was able to control weather or not i got sick, its easier when u understand what makes u sick, the main thing for me is, being cold, when its cold make sure your wear a jacket or a coat, and you wont get sick, so like i had never been hospitalized for it until i was 18, and the dr's thought i was like a superhuman cus they had never seen some1 with what i had and had never been hospitalized, and even that time i was my sickle cell flared up because of food poisoning and my body was shutting down and pretty much going out of whack....
i get what your saying, but still, regular meds just dont work, not matter how many i take, i remember once i took WAAAAAAY more than i should have, of tylenol ex strenght (prolly like over 20) and nothing happened, next day i got my prescription filled (vicodin) and one pill did the trick...with advil pm, i get...tired, not really sleepy, its a weird feeling, like i could go to sleep if i wanted but its mostly a tired feeling, but even then id have to take more than 2 a day...thats why im glad i rarely get sick.

[Troo]

Originally Posted by Compaqmac321

i get what your saying, but still, regular meds just dont work, not matter how many i take, i remember once i took WAAAAAAY more than i should have, of tylenol ex strenght (prolly like over 20) and nothing happened, next day i got my prescription filled (vicodin) and one pill did the trick...with advil pm, i get...tired, not really sleepy, its a weird feeling, like i could go to sleep if i wanted but its mostly a tired feeling, but even then id have to take more than 2 a day...thats why im glad i rarely get sick.

D'oh! That's extremely sucky.

I'd certainly make sure you get a supply of vicodin before you go, then, just to be sure. It's also worth (I always recommend this) learning Japanese phrases specific to your medical needs, or having something translated and written down that you can show doctors in Japan if the need arises.