I like keeping to the theme of Japanese chicks with guns (although in this pic it's harder to tell she's holding one):cool: :D

Last Samurai Syndrome. Awesome.

No no, this has nothing to do with me wanting to be special. I just want Japan to be... kind of left relatively unknown. I in no way want to flout any knowledge I have of Japan to anyone, nor do I want any bragging rights. I also have no aim to be noticed. I never mention anything about Japan on Facebook nor to other people. Not a word.

Probably what I've done most is a lot of self-persuasion, like that Japan's tourism number, especially from places like America, Britain etc is one of the lowest found in rich countries. Also that most people who would be on my watch list are probably in their late teens and will grow out of it soon enough.
So that, along with other self-persuasion methods are all I've been able to try so far. :/

Okay I think you should know that I don't care one bit who hates me and who doesn't. Even including Japanese people ;)

Yes, there are many people who can speak Japanese better than me. Congrats. Unfortunately for you people knowing the language don't bother me. Only if they butcher it and write 'Kawaii desu!' everywhere, or mix Japanese with English. Generally people don't learn the language for long before quitting either. I'm not hating on Japanese learners, it's just fact from personal experience.

About the Downtown part, that makes me feel like you're the arrogant one, being big headed about being the one noticed.

I don't know what gives you the impression I revere the Japanese like Gods. I really don't care how many of them have seen you, and I don't care if they fall to their knees and kiss your feet at the sight of you.

I take this obsession very seriously, and with how bad it is I'd treat it with the same seriousness as an actual disorder. So I hope you feel like a big man underlying all that hate in your posts, and making fun of someone with a serious unpreventable problem. I hope you feel great about yourself.

If you despise me, then just say so. Don't bother trying to hide it as an underlying message.

I guess it can be put along those lines, yes.

Although seriously, calling me a whacko is very uncalled for.
I admit I have a strange problem, but not once would I consider myself a whacko. I never manifest my obsession in person, and have only ever trolled when it becomes unbearable, which has only been once or twice. Just because my obsession makes you angry at me, I don't think I'm along the lines of a whacko.
There are a lot of people who have far worse than me.

Changing the way I view things is easier said than done. If I could just snap my fingers and be gone with it, trust me I'd have done that long ago. It's something I truly, truly can not control.

You seem to have the same opinion as a person further up the thread. I in NO way want to be loved by the Japanese, or have some fantasy Japanese village life. I don't want to be looked at as anything special or different.
I don't want oohs. I don't want awes.
I just want Japan to remain as a place that not many people know anything about, or want to obsess over. And before you suggest it, no, not to try and show off my knowledge or be special. Just because I think such a unique culture should be left unexplored and not exploited by everyone, and not be ridiculed by Otakus and Weeaboos who take every part of the culture in an obsessive way.

Very much in agreement here. I despise them too, for basically the same reasons you state. It's the reason most of these types of people are on my watch list.

Sorry, Jambo.

Seems like you like having a problem, as well as projecting it on anyone stupid enough to attempt helping you. Therapy still appears to be the best option for you, not flinging hoo-ha at words on a screen.

Get help.

No it's not "Last Samurai Syndrome",that makes it sound like fun. If he says it's My Japan Syndrome it's My Japan Syndrome. You know what,he said he knew he was wrong so just bloody leave it. Japan is about positivity. Looking forward. They would never just keep going like this. It's like someone beating themselves up,and then you beating them up as well. LOL I know that wouldn't happen and sounds ridiculous but it's true. What,because I tried to help him I'm stupid? That's a bloody good thing.

It's supposed to be satirical/be funny, because it is stupid.

It's not even a real diagnosis. People can call it whatever they want.

He posted on a discussion forum. We're discussing it.

This is incoherent.

I second this.. why are you even on this forum Mail747? If you really took your problem as serious as you try to portray yourself doing, get off your computer, and go talk to someone who can provide real help for you. Otherwise you seem like nothing more than a troll to me at this point.

Mail747, unfortunately, the world has become a smaller place due to more sophisticated transportation and communications.

I often wondered why the old James Bond movies had such a grab on people when he went to different countries. I think part of that was the fact that many people hadn't ever been there except through the movies and it was exotic to them. "You Only Live Twice" was the Japan film where Bond goes to Osato Industries (New Otani Hotel). That wasn't my first intro to Japan, but close. It looked exotic and foreign. I thought I'd never go there. Perhaps that's one reason why the Bond movies were different in the 60s and 70s; they showed you places you'd probably wouldn't see in real life.

Then came the jet age in earnest and commercial travel became more affordable and prevalent. Most distant destinations became "closer" due to better transport. More people went places and the thought of knowing someone who had been "there" wasn't all that uncommon.

In the 90s and 00s, with the advent of the world-wide web, someone could virtually travel there even before getting on a plane. Flying became quite affordable and people traveled to those exotic destination of their youth.

Japan in one of those places. The language is quite unique, the alphabet is unlike anything in the west. the food has a world-wide appeal. It has a long history. It has many cultural interests. People are going to go there and see it for themselves. They will fly there, spend time there and spend money on the economy (much needed by any country, btw). It's happened in the past, it's happening as we speak, and it will continue to happen in the future. This is something that we cannot control and don't want to change.

It's a fact of life and people have to deal with the fact there are going to be foreigners in other countries. Whether they are tourists or people trying to make a living there, there isn't a thing anyone could do about it.

This world has quickly become small and intermixed. The Japanese have adopted some western ways and been influenced as much as other countries have by Japan. There is no going back. There is no more "pristine Japan".

If you want to see Japan without many foreigners, you'll have to go to small towns far from the major cities. I went to Nagahama in Shiga-ken, by Lake Biwa for the purpose of visiting the Kaiyodo Museum. I didn't see another foreigner all the time I was there.

I don't know what to tell you apart from what I mentioned at the beginning of the thread. You're going to have to deal with the fact that Japan is not pre-Meiji anymore and you are going to see foreigners. People from all over the world will talk about Japan. I think you need to ween yourself away from the internet and forget Japan for a bit....

You've never actually been to Japan have you?

I give up.

i do not understand how anyone can be so possessive about a country-- as if it is their personal possession. crazy.

there are so many people in this world---------variety is the spice of life. go get a real job--hard physical work done with such zeal as op focuses on in his or her world. why not focus on trying to do something to help the japanese in this present calamity.

perhaps fantasy has whipped up his or her mind-- unable to separate reality from such fantasys.

Speaking of crazy, check this out, it's quoted from my private message inbox lol

Wow, true colors show up when no one is looking. Another wacko out there. Add IT to the list....

Now I'd never say that to anyone. Although I have this obsession, I would never go as full out as to say that to anyone.
I hope everyone reading realizes that that's not a message from me, rather 'seaside911'

I said in my first post, I hate having this problem.
I don't think anyone trying to help me is stupid. I appreciate absolutely everyone who has not ripped on me for posting this, and has made an attempt to help.

Also mentioned in my opening post, there's no way I can afford that type of therapy yet, so I've posted on here to what other people have to say.

Thank you. Much appreciated. :)

One simple reason. Desperation. If you've ever felt an absolute desperation... a need to get rid of something as strong as I do, then you'll understand why I posted here.

As stated in my first post, there's no way I can afford that kind of help yet, so for now it's not an option.

And, I promise you, I'm not a troll. I don't know what I've done so far that seems troll-worthy to you. But I promise you I'm not.

Yes, globalization is something that's bigger than ever these days. I agree with everything in your post.

I guess its just that as I was growing up, where I come from, barely anyone knew Japan even existed, let alone wanted to travel there. From this, I always assumed that it would be an extremely untravelled country.

Of course, this was challenged and my obsession kicked in when I saw on the internet that Japan is a really big thing in places like America, and it had a LOT more interest than I previously thought. I guess that just caught me off guard and made me like this. :/

I very much do have a job. I am very much rooted in reality. Just because I don't like other foreigners in Japan, doesn't mean I've persuaded myself that none go there. I even suspect that when that assumption was broken, thats when my obsession started.

If what happens in mainland Japan upsets you, Okinawa would infuriate you to no ends. ><

About globalization, I think it's a lot more than that.
Other South-East Asian countries are being affected by globalization heavily and still have WAY less of a western influence and presence than Japan does.
For good reasons or not, for better or for worse, if it deserved it or not, Japan got socially violated raped used and run through a fine tooth comb after world war two. The generations of people produce after that each have their own nicknames which relate their psyche to aftermath of the social changes post-war.
There are cultural similarities to the Japan of the past but it's an entirely different place.

If you see the "untouched by westerners" feeling, there are in fact many places you can go to have that effect!

If you're in the UK then psychiatric treatment is free. If you're in the US then check with your insurer as it's likely they'll cover some psychiatric treatment, depending on what it is and why. I can't think of any countries that would deny psychiatric treatment to a man, obssessed so much with a country that he admits to feeling suicidal at the thought of seeing other foriegners in it . . . in fact if you ask them nicely they might even have a special, white, padded room just for you :)

Seriously - I'll be constructive - look into help. If you can't, for whatever reason, get help then you need to help yourself . . . cancel your internet if you can't restrain yourself from forums and youtube, maybe buy some self-help books, try meditation to clear your mind . . . do whatever it takes really.

Or just commit suicide. All your problems solved in an instant! And one less nutter in the world. That's a win win situation! :mtongue:

That's spectacularly unhelpful of you.

To be honest when you look at the real suffering of people from the devastating tsunami in Japan and then look at the ridiculous mental problems of this fool it just makes me laugh. He feels suicidal because foreigners live in Japan? How pitiful is that really? Frankly the world would be better off without such idiots in it. Is that a bit harsh? ;)

Very well, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. I just cannot see what you hope to gain from talking to strangers on the internet. Unless just dicussing the problem no matter what people say to you about it makes you feel better? If that is the case do you have a close friend that you can open up to? I think they would benefit you, and be able to support you much more than this forum.

In the end though this is a peculiar and serious problem that you have and you will need to talk to someone professional who can find the root of the problem, or give you the trigger mechanism to be able to overcome it.. Even if it is expensive you really should try to find a way, because it is totally affecting your quality of life, and will be worth it in the end I think.

I will say though that you could try to take comfort in the fact that there are still remote places in Japan, and islands that are part of Japan that very few if any foreigners exist. In fact there are probably many many Japanese who have not talked to a foreigner in their life. Last year a friend of mine introduced me to her grandma and I was the first foreigner she had ever talked to. They amount of stares i still get in the medium sized city (800,000 people) I live in is testament to the fact that despite foreigners being in Japan many Japanese people are untouched by them. In fact unless trying to (ie hanging out with friends), I probably see less than 1 foreigner a week.

But come on though, anybody with a high school education could guess that major cities in the world's.. well now 3rd largest economy would have more than its fair share of internationals. I mean really man, you seem to be educated, this is 2011 after all, anyplace in the world that you have actually heard of is probably going to have a lot of foreigners, it is just something that you and everybody has to except, the world has been and is getting smaller and smaller. You should convince yourself not to be angry and obsessed about something that you have no control over.

First, like everyone else has said, the OP really should do something about this if it's as serious as he claims. Avoid Japan websites, seek professional help, something.

Second, if you go to Japan and don't want to see foreigners, get the heck out of Tokyo, or any other large cities! Akihabara is going to have lots of foreigners, if you look for them, it's a tourist magnet in Tokyo! Go into the mountains, go to some seaside fishing village, don't go to any city with more than 150,000 people or any very popular tourist destination (like Miyajima Island), and you're very unlikely to run into foreigners. Stay well off the beaten path!

Next, try to realize that these are simply fellow foreigners with an interest and love of Japan, same as you. Maybe they haven't broken beyond the stage of appreciating anime and j-pop yet, but everyone starts somewhere. And if they cared enough to go and visit Japan, then they are likely having a fun vacation and enjoying the sights in a place they've longed to visit... shouldn't you do the same, rather than worry about them?

Finally, when I was living in Japan, I lived in a small town. I got the stares from Japanese people, the amazed "what is a foreigner doing here? He must be lost..." But I didn't mind meeting other foreigners at all! In fact, I felt an instant kindred relationship with them, even if they weren't from America like me. I went out of my way to talk to them, help them if they needed it (because I probably had more experience there than they did), etc. Believe it or not, it can get lonely being a minority of 1 in a country where you hardly speak the language and stick out like a sore thumb. It was always nice to see another gaijin, because they probably had at least some of the same feelings and experiences I had, and that gave us a bond.

Heh, I'm not so sure why, but Okinawa doesn't bother me as much. I think it's just because Army guys aren't really the type to be big fans of other countries. They just go where they're posted.

But yeah, about the after WW2 thing, I agree with that.

I do agree to myself going to those types of places, but the fact remains that the people who aren't or haven't been to Japan get to me just as badly. :/

I am from the UK.
Heh, it's not that I'm obsessed with the country, but I'm obsessed with people who are obsessed with it... obsessed with the obsessed, in a way :L Weird I know.
Sometimes I think it may just be Weeaboo / Otaku hate taken to the next level, rather than My Japan Syndrome.

The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of foreigners who I completely wouldn't mind in Japan. It wouldn't bother me if you went, Robin, or most of the other people on this forum. It's one of the reasons that I posted here, because most people here are not obsessed with Japan, but rather have a mature attitude about it.

In fact, so far there's only one person that I know of on this entire forum who I have... issues with. And that person is obsessed with Japan.

Hehe, don't worry I'm not a complete Scrooge. I don't mind some cheeky humour in posts :)

Thanks for all the tips, I'll definitely look into them.
And about treatment being free, even so I'm still very skeptical about just talking. I've told you everything on this thread. I haven't held anything back, but the problem remains. It's why I would much rather invest in Hypnotherapy, but of course that costs. But of course, if it leads to it then I'll follow yours and most other's advice here a see regular Therapist. I'll just have to wait for when I have more free time, busy time of year for me at the moment. :L

Thanks for the tip, but not an option sorry. I love life. ;)
I expected hate towards me, but calling me a nutter? I just don't see that that's called for. Many other people in history were nutters. Hitler was one, for example. I don't see myself being the next Hitler any time soon.

Ah, so because other people in the world are suffering too, I'm not allowed to? I'm not allowed to have my own 'ridiculous problems?' Jeez, I hope you never meet a person with a problem that disrupts your perfect vision of the rest of humanity.

As stated, it's the people who are more fond of Japan than normal, not 'everyone.'

Well I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the world's just gonna have to bear with the great burden and evil that is me until the end of my life naturally comes, eh. ;)

It's a shame too. I've been around these forums a lot and I like you GoNative. I always agree with your points and how you put them across. My opinion of you hasn't changed however, even though this time I'm on the receiving end.

Yeah I'm aware that I'd get very mixed reaction here, and I'm fine with that. I did genuinely just want to put it out there, and see what people thought and had to say.

I'd be too embarrassed to tell a close friend about it, and I know that their reactions would either be false to not hurt me, or would just lose me a friend. It's why I prefer the anonymity here, and I do really want genuine responses. The people who have called me a whacko and nutter, although I think that takes it a bit far, will say what they say and I'll take it on board that people really do think I'm a madman. At least I know I really do need to sort things out from it.

I agree, peculiar doesn't even come close. :L
I think I'm just a person that randomly has it, probably because of my OCD. There's no possible 'usual' trigger for it I can think of. I've had a perfect childhood, and adulthood. I'm not repressing anything, and I am a happy person... well besides the obsession bit.
But I'll take your suggestion on board. :)

Thanks too for your comforting. I do realize such places exist, and they'll be interesting to visit. It's just that the people who want to, are close to, or go nuts about wanting to go to / live in Japan hold just as much, if not more influence on me.

Yeah, it's an inevitable fate. I guess I could just be anti-globalisation, because I do feel that cultures should keep their own identity and pride, not just Japan, and as time goes cultural identity just gets less and less. I just feel it way more stronger with Japan though, because of the amount of people who act stupidly mad about it's culture. It may sound like they'd be rare, but if you've seen the amount I have, I think you'd feel down too. :L

I don't think getting a girlfriend would stop an obsession. If it did there'd be a lot less smokers in the world! :L

I'd guess it would help, going to these places. But the people who want to, are close to, or go nuts about wanting to visit / live in Japan have probably even more influence over me back home. And just knowing that somewhere very close is flowing with foreigners would probably pull me back like a magnet, just so I could get maybe that one more foreigner count. I do rely a lot on statistics to calm my obsession.

Others here have tried to get me down and failed... but a passage like this makes me feel very uneasy, especially the last sentence. Don't get me wrong, it's nothing against you. It's just that something like this... is something that makes me uneasy. I know that'll make me look horrible... but please try not to take it the wrong way, I'm just being straight out honest. :/

I know too that I should do the same, but if I could it wouldn't be the obsession that it is today... it's just easier said than done.

Although it'd probably never get to that stage, I'd love to be the kind of person you are. The type of person who actually likes the sight of another foreigner.
I just think that doing that though would make it worse.

Believe it or not, when I was in Tokyo an American family from my hotel invited me out with them for the day. I accepted, because they were nice. I also accepted because I TRIED to see if bonding with foreigners in Tokyo would get me over the obsession. I had a good day with them, they were even kind enough to treat me to my first ever snowcone. Then I waved them off later in the day when they left the hotel to spend the rest of their trip in Kyoto.
It was a great day.
But alas, it did absolutely nothing to my obsession. I was tracking foreigners while I was walking around with them (discreetly of course), and when the day was over, it was back to the counting the very next day. Not even full exposure on a day out with foreigners in Tokyo could change how deep this obsession has taken root. :/

Well hypnotherapy relies on a lot on the individual's desire to get better. The idea is to put you in a completely relaxed state in order to get to the root of your problems without you holding back, which is great in theory, because you say you have problems talking to a professional. Its downside is that - from what I've heard and seen - you need to want to get better. Like someone who smokes will have to really want to stop smoking, because if they go in all 'this is stupid' or 'I really want a cigerette', then it won't have any effect. It seems like you really want help though, so I doubt you'll have the problem of holding back or fighting treatment.

A good hypnotherapist - and you must check credentials, reviews from other patients, etc. - will cost you around £100 an hour, usually with about two or so sessions, depending on your needs. It's a worthy investment, but depending on your monetary situation it's admitedly expensive.

I would suggest classical therapy. The waiting list can be long, but it's well worth it. There's everyone from psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellers, psyciatric nurses . . . and there's many types of therapy: cognitive, Freudian, behavioural . . . so it's worth going in and checking it out, because - bear in mind - if you don't get on with it then there very likely will be another method that is right for you and that you can get on with. You can request chaperones or second-opinions or even to see another doctor, so don't feel trapped by it at all ;)

I've unfortunately been through the therapy route a gizillion times with various people, and I can say it does help. Even when it doesn't "cure" an issue, people do seem to come out feeling somewhat better for it, because it can teach you techniques to cope or to re-evaluate yourself and your actions, and - if nothing else - talking to a person face to face, knowing it's all confidential, can be a relief.

So yeah, hope that helps you to make a decision, but good luck, whatver you do :)

Yes, I'm lucky I have a big desire to get better :P
I would be sure to check all things like that when I can afford it, I've already looked at some but will check external reviews too.

I'll still look into classical therapy like you said however and will keep my fingers crossed, especially if the techniques you mentioned are used and can help. :)

Thanks for all the help, much appreciated. And thanks for the luck wishing! :D