My Japan Syndrome
 

Hey all.

I have what some people call 'My Japan Syndrome.' I have it bad. I've had it for what must be coming up 5 years. It's not a phase.
Basically I didn't even know there was a name for this problem until a few days ago. And so now I know, I want to bring it up here.

For anyone who doesn't know, My Japan Syndrome is a non-official term coined for people who have a strong dislike of other foreigners in Japan, or having a strong interest in it.

I probably have the worst case of this that anyone has heard of. As stated I've had it for around 5 years, which I'd say is pretty bad. It's only gotten worse since then.
It has literally taken over my life as an obsession. So much so, that when I actually went to Japan, I actually was subconsciously making a note of all the White people I saw wherever I was that day, then making a diary of the number I saw.

Being home isn't better. I constantly scour the web e.g. Youtube, Facebook etc to find people who are obsessed with Japan. Every single day. I then basically feel searing hatred, but can't do anything. I copy their profile link, and forever keep an eye on them.
I feel worse and worse the more Japan-related things they post. I literally feel suicidal when I see these people obsessing over Japan.
If possible, and I have contact with them, I try anything I can to sway them but to no avail. I'll admit that I've even trolled some of these people to try and vent my frustrations with them. Still no change.
I look over tourism numbers month after month. Jeez, I could probably recite all last years tourist numbers to Japan month by month, country by country I've seen them so many times.

I realise that posting this here will probably cause much hatred towards myself. I'm fine with that.
You can call me names, you can say I'm immature, stupid, a terrible person, whatever. I know I'm all these, so if you do want to insult me then go ahead, but it's a waste of time as I know I'm all of it.
And in case anyone suspects, no I am not trolling.

I only want to put this here in some miniscule hope that something someone posts can help me a great deal in getting rid of this.
Yes, I do actually want to get rid of it. I don't like feeling like this.

I'm considering hypnotherapy, but it's a bit too expensive for now.

So I guess what I'm asking is, has anyone here ever had this? Any tips on anything I can do, or anything you can say?
Generally peope on JF don't bother me, as you don't really get too obsessed. I think there's only one or two on here that have caught my attention.
People who catch my attention are the kinds who can't go 2 status' without mentioning something Japan or writing in Japanese, and who cant stop using '^______^', as well as joining countless Japan groups.

Please feel free to ask any questions too. I'll answer the best I can. :)
I don't have any mental problems that may have brought this on, besides mild OCD. That may have just compacted the problem.

Mild OCD? I'm afraid it's major OCD if you're obsessing over obsessions....

I would definitely look into talking to a psychiatrist or some other therapist. It is not a healthy thing if something beyond your control occupies so much time and energy that your health may be in danger....

I don't hate you. Hate is too strong a word to begin with. I don't know you, but am concerned your priorities are a bit out of whack. I don't have the right to judge you, nor do I want to.

I don't know what prompted this, but, sadly you're not alone. Hopefully you will find some balance and equilibrium in your concern and can deal with this affliction.

I agree with John. I think you need some professional intervention. This is not a healthy obsession.

Sounds like you desperately need some other interests and definitely need to take a break from anything Japan related for awhile. It seems you are very possesive of anything Japan related, almost like intellectual property. You believe no one can know as much as you or have the insights you have and you take great offence at those who also have any interest in the country. At least you recognise you have a problem which is a good first step. Like any addiction (which this sort of is) you need to wean yourself off it or even go cold turkey. And you need to fill the void with something else which is why I suggest getting some other interests. Basically you need to stop doing what you are currently doing. Accept that other people will have an interest in Japan but attempt to realise it doesn't matter. Japan will still be Japan regardless of what a few foreigners think about it!
As suggested you may need some professional assistance to do this.

This is interesting. I can tell that I had a bit of this in retrospect-- not NEARLY on the level that you have it though. For me it was wanting to isolate myself from English-speaking foreigners to help learn the language. That worked fantastically, but after a while I realized that I would almost go out of my way to avoid people, which was rude. Strangers are another issue, but doing that to people I already knew was getting to me. That didn't last too long, but I think it was too negative of a thing for me.

For me it wasn't a process of realizing it was a problem and working at it. It's just that by the time it worked itself out I could see that I was becoming a little weird in retrospect.

However, your case is definitely strange. I think you seem to realize this yourself, but solving your problem isn't a matter of warming up to foreigners. I think it's deeper than that. In other words, if it wasn't "My Japan Syndrome" then it'd be something else, I'm afraid. I think it's ironic (not in a ha-ha kind of way) that you ended your post by saying you don't have any mental problems other than OCD. From the way it sounds, I think you have more than a minor case of OCD and probably some other problems. The whole data collection thing reeks of this in my opinion.

I think you may very well need professional help... but I'm not so sure. I think this could just be a matter of finding better ways to spend your time. Doing something productive might be key for you. Defining productive might be difficult, but doing something that makes you feel better about yourself (aka positive things) would be a step up.

You need to kind of dig deep into this and try to find out what the root of all this is. For example, what kind of motivation do you have for doing this? A lot of what you are doing seems irrational as these foreigners that you're concerned about would otherwise have no contact with you. It's like you're going out of your way to make these confrontations with yourself. I see a similarity in this and in people who like to cause discord-- which I think people do in order to kind of liven things up in their lives or to look for attention. Are you really bored or lonely or something like that? Maybe you just need to take a break from this irrational fantasy land that you've created and just get out there in the real world and mingle with other people.

What do you do with your time? Maybe you could work on your time management and try to slowly shave off these weird activities from your daily life.

Do you smoke, drink, play games, use the internet, or do anything else habitually?

If this is not some sort of weird trolling joke.. which it most likely is... but if it is not.. you need professional help and fast. Check yourself in somewhere before you hurt yourself or someone else.

i confess that i disbelieved the original post. seems like a wind up to me.

Perhaps realizing that Japan isn't any more or less awesome than any other country, might help.
You can evenly obsess about anyone that likes any country and become a global tourism travel expert lol.

I avoid English speaking friends here as I'm learning the language, I don't feel it's all that bad, I don't go very far out of my way but it's also part of wanting to experience this culture, not just a dislocated version of my own.

Oh and I'm way better than you when it comes to Japan. For sure. Does that irritate you? ;) I mean I'm still here, doing all the things you wish you could be doing, and doing them better than you can imagine. Does that also bother you?
v=^-^=b

フフフフ！　おかしいなー

I agree with you there. I guess I got it wrong, and I do have quite major OCD. :/

It's just a shame it's so expensive, and I'm skeptical to how successful psychiactric treatment is...

Thanks :) It's nice to not be attacked for this thread, I appreciate it.

Me either. Thanks for the good wishes! :)

I agree it's certainly not a healthy obsession. I'm very aware of it and the negative impact it's having on me, but I have yet to find a fully effective solution.

Taking a break from Japan-related things is pretty difficult. You may call me a hypocrite for this, but I do very much like Japan, and I don't want to reduce it or give up cold turkey.

I think that's kinda true... but I don't like people who are more like... they THINK they know loads about Japan, but they just don't expand their knowledge beyond certain pop culture. I'll admit I'm no expert on everything, but I've definitely spent many years absorbing from every aspect of Japanese culture and history I can.

I'm afraid my OCD makes that very difficult. I'd drive myself crazy (well... crazier) if I couldn't keep a check on my obsession. I will most certainly try my best to cut down though, to hopefully get some kind of result.

And the thing is, the internet is what mostly feeds this. But I use the internet at night when I can't really do any other activities.

Thanks for the advice. :)

Heh, I'm guessing no one's had it on my scale xD

Yeah, but n the time scale I've had it it just doesn't seem to want to go away of its own accord, even when I realize there's something weird about it.

And as written to one of the other posts, I've admitted it's probably major OCD like you say. If there is anything else up there, then it's definitely not obvious because I've done pretty high responsibility things in the past like flying aircraft.

I agree that I don't know if anything but hypnotherapy would work. But I have tried every self help method and self-convincing you can imagine.

I have absolutely no idea what my motivation stems from. It has just came and stuck. And for reasons I don't understand, it's an aggressive, unrelenting force.

I think you have me there, I do create if for myself. I actively look for things that otherwise wouldn't present themselves to me.

I agree with you about me being bored and lonely, I guess I am, and I can see you've attempted to make a connection with it. But I personally don't see how this can be a cause. I think even if I had friends 24/7 it wouldn't help. I've had friends who were interested in Japan, and even when true friends mention it I get a little uneasy. Terrible I know. And before anyone speculates, my friends didn't lose contact because of this obsession. It was with moving college issues etc.

I don't smoke, drink or anything. BUT yes, I use the internet VERY much, through the night.

I can absolutely, 100% assure you this is NOT trolling or a joke. I don't know what the word of a man over the internet means to you guys, but I give you my word that everything I have said is truth.

Do you really think that I'd spend this much time writing all this out just for some trolling?

Hehe, ironically I'm doing Travel and Tourism at college.

Not too much really. It's another strange thing about it. When someone has been there... for so long, and basically reasonably assimilates into the culture, those types of foreigners don't bother me that much. It's mainly tourists, people who talk about visiting, or people who talk about / plan on living there.

I have a feeling that drastic measures are needed to nix this in the bud.... If the Internet is your source of information, then the Internet is not your friend. If you truly want to get rid of this ailment, you have to cut the umbilical, literally and figuratively. Get rid of your Internet connection at home and quit cold turkey. It's not going to be easy, but you'll be better off in the long run.

I plan on living in Japan one day... I got a really good feel for the country during my travels with my camera.

Gee. This is the lamest syndrome I've ever heard of. It is so I find it real hard to believe the OP's being serious about this whole thing. I mean, irrational hate towards foreigners living in Japan, that's so messed up... Dude, no wonder you get suicidal, if what you say is true then you probably are the most obsessed of them all.

That would be the perfect solution, but cutting off my internet would be like cutting out a part of my brain. Maybe I'll try it someday, but as mentioned it'd be extremely difficult. :/

Awesome.

It may sound lame to you, and many others. But as with many other things, unless you have it you'll never understand. To me it's very serious, and it's as bad to me as a proper illness.

I am being deadly serious. I can only promise that I'm being serious, and if you don't believe me then there's not really much more I can do to prove it to you.

I know how messed up it sounds. But alas, it's something I can not help, no matter how silly it sounds.

And yeah... thats the point I'm trying to make. I realize I most probably AM the most obsessed of them all. I don't want to be though, but it's just how I am. :/

I agree with JohnBraden-- I think if the internet is where you go to wind yourself up then you need to maybe cut down on how much you use it.

I think that if you find something else, particularly something positive, to do with your time then you will find that it cuts out of your internet time significantly. I think that would be healthy for you. If you're really using the internet that late into the night then it must really be affecting you to the point of losing sleep.

Take care

maybe get rid of your computer and start living in the real world. there is so much else you could become involved in rather than waste your life on this crazy path you are on.

If there was a Facebook "like" button on JF. I'd of liked this. :vsign:

I have a friend who would love you, OP. He hates Japan, but thats probably because I go on, & on & on & on & on & on & on about it :D

Okay that's not an option. And if it was as simple as going out, I'd have beaten it a long time ago. I go to college and so it's not like I'm house-ridden. :/

It's not that I hate Japan. Quite the opposite actually. It's because I love it that I have this obsession. :/

So what is the first emotion you felt when you were walking down the street in Japan and you suddenly saw another foreigner?

My heart and stomach sank. I just felt everything else in the world shut off, and my sole focus was those people. I stopped in my tracks, and attempted to hear the language they were speaking etc.

I then just felt very depressed for a little, and then I just kept seeing more and more before I had the chance to regain myself.

I counted how many seconds between each easily distinguishable White person I saw: less than a minute each. Thats a lot.

I asked around and was told I'd only see like... 10 foreigners a day in even the busiest areas. More in Roppongi, but I had no interest in going there.
So this low number made me confident.

But alas the estimates were WAY under. In one day I counted near 250 foreigners while I was outside, in the Akihabara area.

250. This destroyed my early hopes and basically set the tone for my entire trip. :/

I can really relate to that feeling. When I arrived in Japan for the first time I remember feeling special. I was lucky to be stationed in a small city in which you would only see 3 or 4 foreigners a day walking the streets. I lived about 45 mins out of town by train and out there I never saw any at all.

It really gave me a sense of identity, of feeling unique. Almost everyone Japanese person would glance at me and sometimes even stare with a curious look, no anger or fear. I remember feeling depressed when I went into bigger cities and saw more foreigners that this feeling of being special would wane and I would start to feel like boring old me again. It was hard to adjust to this and it took a few years but in the end I realised that sharing Japan and my experiences of it with other foreigners who were there did sometimes give my that special feeling too. Instead of feeling like "My Japan" it started to feel like "Our Japan".

So it's like a problem with sharing as well as a problem with not feeling special- like not being noticed?

Mail 747, what have you done/ will you do to try to fix your problem?

Imagine if a Japanese person came to your hometown and started hating other Japanese people, or just asians, who also lived there, even if they were there longer or were even born there etc, and even if they spoke English better haha. You'd hate that first Japanese person.

That's how Japanese people think of you mail747, they hate you and think you're ridiculous for behaving that way, they'd never welcome you into their country if they knew this about you.

"my Japan" or "our Japan" or any kind of possessiveness is so delusional it's actually pretty funny.

Oh and I speak Japanese better than you too, and if we were both seen downtown no one would pay attention to you, cuz I'd be there. How does that make you feel?

Oh and I've been on TV in Japan, on Friday night of all times, that's prime time foreigner exposure, one week after the big tsunami/earthquake of all times. Feelings?

Sounds like mail747 hit a nerve here...

obsession does strange things to your brain.

But your love of Japan goes beyond what is considered normal and you are aware of this. You're kind of like a possesive boyfriend who wants to beat up any other guy who even looks in the general direction of his girlfriend. You are possesive of Japan in a way you have no right to be. It isn't yours! You're a whacko who needs help. At least you realise this, you just now need to go get that help and start changing the way you view things. Unless you like being unhappy, depressed and obsessed...

to be honest his strange life seems kind of interesting haha, I'd never want it though (>_<)

Take a look around YouTube. Well I don't think they'd have it specifically for this but there are a lot of hypnosis videos on YouTube and there might be hypnosis for something like enjoying life.

What it comes down to is OP is just overly jealous. It's the same thing, but rather than "My Japan Syndrome," I've coined "Last Samurai Syndrome." (I call it this because of the hilarity of the movie, which involves moving to a remote Japanese village, falling in love ((and reciprocation)) with a Japanese girl even after killing her husband ((Jesus!)), and becoming a "hero" in Japan, among other things).
OP wants to be different, a novelty if you will, because he/she is plain where he/she is from. OP was hoping to get some kind of special treatment (oohs and awes) but it's not like that. I know it seems redundant to have to explain this, but I hope this post will reach anyone else who's thinking they'll be the first foreigner to reach Japan since Matthew Perry.

Last Samurai is a bloody good film.

I second this :)

Okay, so visas may not be required.... Do you speak Japanese and are willing to interpret for the entire nation? Are you rich and are willing to pay for the relocation of 127,000,000 people? I surely hope this was a vague attempt at humor, because anything else is just rubbish, well-intentioned as it may be....


btw, I can copy and paste too!:mtongue:

It's also a weeaboo's wet dream.

If you met me you wouldn't know what to do. You wouldn't know if I was a weaboo or what.

I never accused you of being one.

That'll be why I like it then :mtongue: Hahahaha :D

The point I am making is that there is such a grey area[when is somebody a weaboo and when aren't they] not to mention being a weaboo isn't the worst thing you could possibly be;just don't hate.

I'm ging to go for... any amount of delusional admiration towards Japan and it's people or any part of it's culture will make the cut...

And it's messed up, a problem, which should be corrected, or taken advantage of and exploited for tourism lol

PS: Wings, nice Avatar.

And my point is, the movie is a great example of not only creative liberty at its finest in a historical peace, but also right up a weeaboo's alley when put into context.

I personally despise weeaboos, but of course that's my opinion. They make a mockery of Japanese culture and I find it offensive, as well as many Japanese people.