Notes: I don’t want to offense anybody. I just want to share my experience and give my opinion about this stuff. You can give your comment below ’cause everybody can fill the comment window.
I am entering my third year in the faculty of Engineering in one of the state universities in Indonesia. I’ve completed 3 years studying Japanese language and Japanese society in the faculty of humanity at the same university. I’d been studying about Japanese society in the field of Japanese culture for one year and Japanese cultural profile for just one semester. I’m not saying I can understand Japanese. But, at least I can understand that there was a nation, that in my opinion, is the most complicated nation in the world (just my version). 🙂
Because sometimes, It took time for me to understand a Japanese way of thinking.
For Japanese, they differ 2 types of people, 日本人(red: Nihonjin, means themselves as Japanese) and 外国人or外人(red: Gaikokujin or Gaijin, means foreigner or stranger). And I’m wondering that are they differ their behavior upon these types?
A story about my professor whom studying Japanese society for years…
I was in her class of “Introduction of Japanese Society 1” when I was 17. She said that, “I have a Japanese friend and we are friends for years. When she got married I didn’t even be invited. As you know, Japanese will invite their close friends to the ceremony they think is the most important in their lives. When I knew that I wasn’t invited, I was shocked. But, well…that is a Japanese.”
I don’t really have any negative thought about this case. After all, me, maybe have a little shock feeling like my professor has. Just wondering…
How should we know whether we are considered by Japanese as a real friend or not?
Is it all the matter than my professor was a “Gaijin” for them?
I have many Japanese friends for real and in the internet. Some of them still have, what I call it-> “old characteristic” of Japanese. Since my professor is old so maybe the happening was a long years ago.
Another case, my lecturer said to as. We had been told that there were a couple of Japanese going for holiday outside Japan and they said in Japanese 「外人がいっぱいいるんですね！」 which means “There are many foreigners here”. I’m sorry.. but we are all laughing.
Because we think like…”wait..is they call a society in the country which is not Japan a “foreigner”? I thought the Japanese themselves were foreigners”.
I forgot how my lecturer explained this to us.
Another case, there was a 19 year old boy say to his friends.
「は？外人と付き合ってる？お前、何してんだよ！？」 means “What? You are dating a Gaijin? are you crazy or something?”
Is it really a matter what “GAIJIN” is?
Unfortunately, that boy whom dating a foreigner girl is my friend. He was dating my Indonesian friend.
I’m not saying all of Japanese are like that..just some of them. And when I’m think of it…there are many people who has similar characteristic.
Gonna write about my experience with Japanese again later~see ya 🙂
Deanils' Life Report 
Oneday I watched news about how Japan’s condition after the world recession and how Japanese solve this problem. Indonesian ambassador for Japan was interviewed, one of the questions is what Japanese should do to get out from the recession?
And the ambassador said Japanese people have to open up their mind so many investor coming and established cooperation with Japan. And they should learn about the culture of the other country.
My friend also tell me about his sister’s experience when she lived in Japan for a year. She told my friend that she found that very difficult for her to make friends and get some help from Japanese. She said that they are too introvert.
I hope not all Japanese do the same, because I really want to continue my study in Japan.
yup…there are some Japanese who have already opened their mind^^