wanted, opinions from japanese people
 

I notice that there seem to be far more international members on this forum than Nihonjin.


I wonder how some of the Nihonjin feel about many of the comments made by members from the international community.

You'd have to know the demographics. As far as I know, I've only talked to a handful of people here who are Japanese natives. I'm not sure if this site is actually frequented by Japanese.

I agree. I have only "seen" a couple of people from Japan on this site.
(kind of stinks if you ask me)

that seems strange really although I guess they have their own sites in their own language.

I do hope we hear from some of them.

A rough guess is 5%

But the non-Japanese here seem friendly enough. There are sites that are extremely anti-Japanese in contrast.

so why are we talking about Japan? with so few Japanese members?

its always others who give opinions but I really want to hear from NIhonjin.

I guess its the language and lack of interest in a site that has so many foreigners.

I think it`s the subject matter most of all.

This is a forum about Japan. Japanese people who already live or have lived for a long time in Japan don`t really have a need to research their own country - especially in a foreign language.

Everyone seems to be shocked at how few Japanese we have on here, but let me ask - Are you a member on any forums about your home/birth country? Any that are in a foreign language? Chances are, you`re not... And undoubtedly the reasons are the same as those for Japanese people not being on here.

I've already seen several, mainly asking for help on English though. It's just not many Japanese people speak English at a level where they can participate in discussions on an English forum. I'd guess less than 0.1%. English and Japanese are really different, it's hard to be fluent in both...

I think it's not bad to have Japan lover community like this forum. I think not much Japaneses are fluent in English enough to post in English.

Anyway, I wish there will be more Japan natives here, but it will take times. I believe that more and more Japanese people become more fluent in English nowaday and they may come to this forum in the future.

I am sure you are right re the language-- no doubt they belong to their own groups I believe Twitter is very popular.

the thing is that many foreigners ask questions about Japan

I was hoping to get to know some japanese members via this group PLUS getting to know their views and daily lives etc.


Who set this group up in the first place?

was it mainly for language exchange- anime/manga etc?

So far, 2 out of 7 participants of this thread are native Japanese. I say it's not bad. Actually, this forum have way more Japanese natives than any other English forum I have ever seen. Anything more than this, I think you'll need to go to Japanese forums like 2ch, mixi, 発言小町, はてなぶっくまーく, etc. or may be more language exchange kind of places like lang8.

I don't know much about the history of the forum. I've been around only for a month or so...

I don't know of any English speaking forum which is mostly frequented by Japanese members.

I know some sites which are the opposite of Japan Forum. ie. Forums with Japanese members who live abroad (or are planning to do so) who have questions about a certain country but to no surprise, it's all in Japanese.

Either way, there are many sites where you can find Japanese pen-pals who are dying to try out their English. If you really want to exchange views and info regarding daily life, perhaps you should give them a try.

There is a few Japanese people in any forum, I think.
Because many Japanese go on 2ch if we want to talk about and search for something.

Are there any forums by foreigners interested in the US? I don't know of any, but I'd be willing to join one if it's in English...

I am Japanese but spent so much time in the states that my ability to read kanji is pretty bad(it was never very good) So my ability to read is no better than a nisei. Though in other ways I am a complete issei including my citizenship.

I would LOVE a forum of Japanese that can speak English or nessei,sansei Japanese. That would be heaven for me, I've searched but I have not found any sites like that.

How old were you when you moved to the US?

^ 14. But I wasn't the studying type. So the reason I can't read Kanji is really laziness. I could have studied here in the states. I have no problems speaking though.

chiuchimu-- Do you ever return to Japan? would you like to live there again do you think?

It`s easy to find forums talking about the US, living in the US, wanting to go to the US, etc... But good luck on any in English. Well, I`m sure there are some, but they`re by users in other native English speaking countries. In general, people wanting information look for the information in the language they`re most proficient in.

Not in the last 8 years, but yes I used to go about every other year when I was a kid and as an adult, every three to five years for things like weddings and funerals.

Would I like to live in japan? Yes and No. I'm pretty established here in Southern California. I don't want to move around even in the states. Also, SoCal has a big Japanese community so it's not like I'm missing out on anything. I get the best of both worlds here.

But the Idea of retiring in Japan in a rural community has crossed my mind. America is a bit harsh for the old and weak.

Depends on what part of the US your in for some of that. Midwest, Southwest, Mountain west, Pacific, Deep South..New England states..they are all practically different countries in some ways. I'm from Iowa, wich has a large population of older folks.

I don't disagree that it can be rough in the states, however, that's part of the American culture. Government stays out of your buisiness and gives you the freedom to succeed or fail on your own. If your down on your luck you depend on family, friends or neighbors, cause government won't help. ( leastways they aren't supposed to.)