Panda's

After reading Andrea's post and since I was in one of the pictures, I thought I would blog about it.

I empathize about feeling like a "panda." I feel like I am treated like that often. But sometimes people will just treat me like a person and not some object to be stared at. I have also felt the unbelonging that she feels and is expressed in her post, but sometimes I get the feeling I do belong. I do not believe that everyone treats gaijin like "pandas." I feel welcomed when I am able to speak Japanese and are responded to in Japanese and not given some English supplement. But as Andrea points out more often then not we are labeled as "pandas." Andreas pictures are able to express that feeling. The picture with me in it was a very awkward situation. While I had the ablity to refuse I just didn't know how to politely refuse. It also felt like it was easier to get a sale from foriegners because I never saw Japanese people stuck in that situation. So I felt singled out because it is harder to refuse when you dont have mastery of the language.

The second picture at the danjiri festival does really capture the feeling of be a "panda." It seems like they were just dragged out due to being gaijin. I know that some people will always view gaijin this way, but there are other who treat us like any other person. I hope that one day Japan opens its doors wider and be more accepting about gaijin in their country.

Why is Japan so in love with foreigners, but at the same time despises them?