The Ask Josiah About Japan Thread

[Voltaggia]

does Japan have problems with immigrants?

[Josiah]

My Japanese skills aren't good enough for me to want to spend much time with newspapers or TV news shows so the following is based soley on my own experiences and may or may not be entirely correct.

I'd say no. For one, Japan is surrounded by water so they don't have to worry so much about people sneaking across the border like some countries (for example the US) does. In addition, they have very strict immigration policies so unless you've got a steady job lined up or are married to a Japanese person you're gonna have a tough time getting anything but a tourist visa and even people with that stuff are hardly ever granted actual citizenship from what I've heard (just permanent residency). Finally, immigrants would have a pretty hard time hiding in Japan, especially non Asian ones since non-Japanese people kinda stick out like a sore thumb.

[Kisori]

3 things, 1: If you have american parents, and you were born in japan, you will look japanese( this is from experience),but when you grow up anywhere else, you will look like an average citizen.
2: If you are also in the air force, you can live in japan if you are sent there to work.
3: School uniforms in japan cost about 200-500 US dollars, try putting that into yen!

[Josiah]

3 things, 1: If you have american parents, and you were born in japan, you will look japanese( this is from experience),but when you grow up anywhere else, you will look like an average citizen.
2: If you are also in the air force, you can live in japan if you are sent there to work.
3: School uniforms in japan cost about 200-500 US dollars, try putting that into yen!

1. Your looks are determined by your parents genetics, not where you're born. If your parents are white Americans and you're born in Japan you won't look Japanese. On the other hand if they're Japanese (or Japanese Americans) you'll look Japanese no matter where you're born.

2. Well, this is that. But those type of posting and general temporary and you're still a US citizen the entire time, plus that's a fairly small number of people. Which is why I didn't mention it when I was talking about immigrants.

3. Depends on the exchange rate but probably around 25,000-60,000 yen.

[Kisori]

My dad is part mexican and he had slanted eyes, in fact, the japanese thought I was japanese,Plus I had fuzzy hair, not I have lots of hair that sticks up, if you still wont belive me, I'll give you a picture.The japanese said to my mom,"Oh you adopted a japanese baby?" my mom said,"Nono, mixed baby."

[Josiah]

My dad is part mexican and he had slanted eyes, in fact, the japanese thought I was japanese,Plus I had fuzzy hair, not I have lots of hair that sticks up, if you still wont belive me, I'll give you a picture.The japanese said to my mom,"Oh you adopted a japanese baby?" my mom said,"Nono, mixed baby."

Even if you look Japanese, it's still because of your parents' genetics. Scientifically speaking, the physical location of your birth has no bearing what so ever on your appearance.

[Kisori]

I was wondering, do you get the Ninja Worrior show in japan?

[Josiah]

Well, it is a Japanese show but it's called Sasuke here. Also, they only do it every so often so the show isn't on constantly, especially not during winter.

[Kisori]

Ya I can see why...

[Giga-Gar]

If you have american parents, and you were born in japan, you will look japanese( this is from experience),but when you grow up anywhere else, you will look like an average citizen.

1. Your looks are determined by your parents genetics, not where you're born. If your parents are white Americans and you're born in Japan you won't look Japanese. On the other hand if they're Japanese (or Japanese Americans) you'll look Japanese no matter where you're born.

Thats what my dad and I said to him! But will he listen? No. My aunt was born in France, but that doesn't mean she's part french. He still thinks he's japanese even though half of him is white and the other half is mexican. And before anyone starts asking questions, my dad was born in New York. My grandparents were born in Mexico, but moved to America legally. Please excuse me for over reacting.

I have a few questions myself. Are books such as Harry Potter and plays by people like Shakespear popular in Japan? Are there any diseases in Japan that are common over there but rare outside the country? For example, drug overdoses and anorexia are common in the U.S. and Europe but rare everywhere else. Oh, and who is Japan's Brittney Spears?

[Josiah]

Are books such as Harry Potter and plays by people like Shakespear popular in Japan?quote]

Some foreign books are fairly popular. Harry Potter for one. The Deltora Quest kids books are also extremely popular here (so much so that there's an anime and video game). Although Japan has quite a lot of authors of its own so the vast majority of books in Japan were written by Japanese people.
Not really sure about Shakespear but lots of broadway plays are translated to Japanese and performed in places like Tokyo.

Are there any diseases in Japan that are common over there but rare outside the country? For example, drug overdoses and anorexia are common in the U.S. and Europe but rare everywhere else.

Well, there's Japanese Encephalitis, but that's throughout all of Asia, not just a Japanese thing. And it's not super common (30,000 - 50,000 cases per year throughout all of Asia). That's really the only one I know of. There used to be some seafood based bacterial stuff bu that was pretty much eliminated thanks to improved food handling and storage. Might be more but that's all I know of.

Oh, and who is Japan's Brittney Spears?

I'm gonna assume you mean a big pop singer, not a screwy has been who gets way too much press coverage of her personal life.
Well, there really isn't one person. At any given time Japan has tons of "idol" singers (cute girls singing mostly J-Pop type songs) though very few have much staying power, with their popularity often disapearing after several years at most. A couple idol singers that have lasted a particularily long time (growing into more than just idol singers in the process) are Puffy Ami Yumi (ok that's a duo, but still) and Hikaru Utada (most known in the US for doing the theme songs for the Kingdom Hearts games).

[Giga-Gar]

I ment the screwy, but that works to. But you still have to tell me about the crazy that seems to have a magnetic atraction to camras and paparatzi.

[Kisori]

Why do I feal like Gar asked a stupid question? I think that the crazy you mean Gar is the bad crazy, I think in Japan whats crazy there almost everyone likes, take some of the shows for example.

[Josiah]

I ment the screwy, but that works to. But you still have to tell me about the crazy that seems to have a magnetic atraction to camras and paparatzi.

If there is someone like that, I don't know about him/her.

[Blastotoise]

Do you watch new episodes of Naruto: Shippuuden when they come out?
And if so, where do i put in my special prize code that they give from time to time?