For some reason I have tourist slotted in my mind as a bad thing to be. I wonder if a trip Mikey and I made to Tokyo caused me to have this negative impression. They loathe American tourists and anyone who steps out of the social code for that matter. At times we're all tourists. So while in Boulder we just went with it. Here's pics of our visit to the lovely Dushambe Tea House, the local meadery.
2 comments:
Actually they don't like tourists from the U.S., and neither does the rest of the world because as a group you tend to be arrogant to the point of disrespect and difficult to the point of absurdity. That may not be you personally but unfortunately you bear the stigma of your collective reputation until you prove yourself otherwise.
I encountered actual situations that reinforced that stereotype numerous times while I was in Greece, Turkey, France and Japan. They were truly cringeworthy moments.
I spent a fair bit of time in Japan, wandering around, visiting obscure places and meeting people. Once they learned I was Canadian... i.e. not from the U.S., attitudes changed dramatically. One reception clerk at a hotel I stayed at in Osaka took me out to all the cool spots on his own time. Osaka is a miserable place to look at with the terrible concrete brick architecture, but the people are great.
Also the Japanese get uncomfortable around tourists for a second reason: In Japanese culture if someone needs your help you become temporarily responsible for that person. However, tourists rarely speak Japanese... So out of a sense of duty they'll spend an inordinate amount of time and energy trying to help you. So to avoid having their entire day turned upside-down they do a willful ignoring routine. They see you but avert their eyes... lest they be trapped by a sense of politeness.
Also, being unable to serve a guest properly is a big embarrassment. Hence a lot of establishments in urban areas have little English signs saying "No foreigners." Not because they wouldn't necessarily like the patronage, but because nobody there speaks English. If you show them you speak Japanese, then that rule doesn't apply to you. Yes there's some who just don't like foreigners, but that's the case in any country.
I've shared some of these experiences. I was actually spit on in Japan! It's interesting to hear that you become their responsibility. Now their avoidance makes more sense.
If I were to leave the country again I'd surely claim to be Canadian.
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