Path: ccsf.homeunix.org!ccsf.homeunix.org!news1.wakwak.com!nf1.xephion.ne.jp!onion.ish.org!onodera-news!newsfeed.media.kyoto-u.ac.jp!newsfeed.gamma.ru!Gamma.RU!newsfeed.icl.net!newsfeed.fjserv.net!newshosting.com!news-xfer1.atl.newshosting.com!newsfeeds.sol.net!posts.news.sexzilla.net!not-for-mail From: The 2-Belo Newsgroups: fj.life.in-japan Subject: Re: At least she was honest Date: Tue, 25 Nov 2003 09:19:54 +0900 Distribution: To Hell And Back Content-Disposition: Nasty X-Meow: yes X-Snuh: no X-Repeal-Article-IX: yes X-Yes-Archive: no X-Yes-No: Maybe so X-Chief-Weapons: Surprise, fear, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms. Approved: Meow Keywords: meow X-Cleared: A1 Level 500p3r 533kr1+ Usenet Black Ops ("Even We Don't Know Who We Are") Prepared: Modular Usenet Article Format 276B X-Spel-Chekr: BB22973 Uesnet Splell Chaejkaer Proeigram Versioin 28375 X-Line-Width: 80 characters, folks. EIGHTY CHARACTERS. EIGHT ZERO. Why can't you people understand this? X-Geek: GCM d-(++)@ s:(+) a C+++(++++)$ ULH+++$@>++++ P++(+++) L++(+++)$@ E--- !W++$@>-- N+++ !o K++>+++++ w$@>-- !O !M !V PS+ PE !Y PGP t++>+++$ !5 X--(-) !R- tv--? b++@ DI D+@ G++ e+ h-- r+++ y+++* Summary: Long live Meow, the Empire, and the Cabal. (TINMOEOC) Sender: Him. You know, that guy. X-Newsreader: a 20-year-old fax machine connected to an acoustic coupler, Ver. 6 X-In-Memoriam1: 2 0 9 . 2 3 3 . 1 3 5 . 2 3 3 X-In-Memoriam2: Douglas Mackall, 1958-1999 Organization: Christians Against Christ References: <1oa1svsdqefs285h69fm61grlssbtd86hq@4ax.com> X-Newsreader: Forte Agent 1.92/32.572 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-2022-jp Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Lines: 59 Message-ID: <3fc2a0a4$0$3172$df066bcf@news.sexzilla.net> NNTP-Posting-Date: 25 Nov 2003 00:21:56 GMT NNTP-Posting-Host: 20b4c3a4.news.sexzilla.net X-Trace: DXC=Z_cF[ADXj[88mhLl_lN:G78Z34V]EKbS:OOk^72fM8T7[MBS>e[<[::=AAlLSem >"Chris Kern" wrote in message >news:1oa1svsdqefs285h69fm61grlssbtd86hq@4ax.com... >> >> "For a foreigner, even writing hiragana is amazing." >> >> Gee, thanks. >> >> And is it just me, or do some Japanese people have a mental block that >> prevents them from believing that a gaijin can read or write Japanese >> -- even if the ability is shown to them multiple times? >> >> It's even funnier when they forget to be surprised for a minute. > >Don't worry. After you've been in Japan for about 5 ~ 10 years it will >appear quaint and you won't care anymore. And the really odd thing is, there will be situations -- especially in the larger cities such as Nagoya -- where some people won't even bat an eyelash. I was standing outside a Circle K the other day puffing on a cigarette on my lunch break, watching some sort of worker's group protest marching by, their fists halfheartedly in the air mumbling anti-Koizumi slogans. From out of nowhere, a man walks up behind me and thrust a yellow flyer in front of me saying "いかがでしょうか？", reminiscent of the old woman handing Marty McFly a pamphlet proclaiming "SAVE THE CLOCK TOWER!" in _Back to the Future_. It was a flyer protesting the construction of the 徳山ダム in Gifu, an anti-pork-barrel movement I was, in theory, supporting. I was so surprised at not having been completely ignored that I nodded in thanks and accepted the flyer. The man went merrily on his way. I wanted to scream after him, "Waitagoddamnminit. I could have been a total clueless temporary visitor tourist who can only read the kanji he's seen in ninja movies. Why did you give this to me and not even think twice about it?" Now, I realize he could have been just randomly handing the things out to get rid of them, but then again, there were people standing right nearby who had a higher probablility of taking the flyer -- of concern only to residents, and residents of the Tokai area at that -- than I. Yet he went out of his way to give *me* one. Made me feel warm and fuzzy for a few minutes, it did. -- The 2-Belo the2belo[AT]msd[DOT]biglobe[DOT]ne[DOT]jp news:alt.alien.vampire.flonk.flonk.flonk (mhm21x20) news:alt.fan.karl-malden.nose (Meow.) http://www.godhatesjanks.org/ (God Hates Janks!) Processing failed. Hit any user to continue.