Conference quark::mennotes-v1

    I don't know any personally!  They seem to be less open then American
    men.  I also think, but don't know for sure that they have a much
    different attittude towards women.  Are Japanese men always serious?
    What do Japanese menb think of American men?
    
    
     

    Hard to say.  Like .1, I don't know any personally.  I also think
    it's unwise to generalize.  Everyone is an individual.  There is
    not a universal "Japanese man" any more than there is a universal
    "American man."  
    I have seen some EXTREMELY competent Japanese businessmen being
    interviewed on TV; are those the people I should think of when
    I think of "Japanese men"?  I have seen some segments of UTTERLY 
    ridiculous Japanse TV game shows; are those the people I should
    think of when I think of "Japanese men"?  A Japanese man, Kozo
    Hiroka (I probably don't have that spelling exactly correct), 
    writes superb construction articles for "Live Steam" magazine
    describing how to build working 3/4" scale locomotives; should I
    think of him when I think of "Japanese men"?
    
    What are *you* like?
    

    While I also, don't know any Japanese people personally, I did receive
    some help through notes and mail from some people in Japan. My daughter
    had to find out about this obscure chain of islands off the coast of
    Japan. There wasn't a thing in the encyclopedias regarding them. This
    was for a 9th grade project. She was getting desperate. I put out the
    call in a couple of notes files and received responses from several
    Japanese men. I found them open, warm, caring, and more than willing to
    take the time and do some research for me. I am still grateful to them.
    Despite what we hear on the news about Japanese businessmen buying up
    the U.S. and how good their products and economy are compared to the
    U.S., I'll think warmly of these people whenever I have cause to think
    of and deal with anyone with an Oriental background.
    
    Phil

    The Japanese people are a mystery to me. Because of Digital I
    have had a chance to meet several Japanese men in person. I've
    dealt with a good number more through Notes and mail. They're
    still a mystery to me. I do not trust American media descriptions
    of Japanese men, women, culture or politics.

    Things I know. The Japanese men I have met have all been friendly
    and helpful. They've also been very intelligent and professional.
    I've liked them all.

    On the other hand I'm not always sure I knew what they thought.
    Even more confusing, in terms of understanding Japanese men who
    do not work for Digital, is that I've been told that just going to
    work for an American company makes Japanese DECcies not typical.

    I don't believe Americans can get a good understanding of Japanese
    men from visitors to the west. No one is quite the same outside
    their environment as they are inside. Also Japanese visitors are 
    unfailingly, in my experience, so accommodating to their American
    hosts and so willing to adapt to American customs and so polite
    that I would not be very surprised to find that they hide it when
    they find things we say or do rude or distasteful. It is hard to
    know when one upsets a Japanese visitor sometimes. I worry that 
    this causes Americans to do "the wrong thing" repeatedly.

    Americans are not so polite. This is good and bad. One of my
    dreams is to visit Japan and see Japanese people in their own
    environment. I suspect, though I could be wrong, that Japanese
    people are more talkative in Japan then they are in the US.

    Of course Japanese women are the most mysterious. First because
    they are women, second because they are Japanese, and third
    because I've met so few of them. There sure are a lot of attractive
    ones though. That at least only takes eyes to know.

    		Alfred

    "Mysterious...because they are women".  Gee.  Most women are
    nothing more than just people of the female gender.  Methinks there's 
    a bit of stereotyping going on in your appraisal of "mysterious" Japanese 
    women.  Unless of course you find, for instance, Alaskan or Dutch women 
    equally "mysterious".  Or do you mean that you think Japanese men tend 
    to hide women more than American men do?  If so, it doesn't translate
    into being a quality of the women, but rather a quality of the men, no?

>	Most women are
>    nothing more than just people of the female gender.  

    You say that as if it were a minor difference like the color of
    someones skin. It's not that minor.

>	Methinks there's 
>    a bit of stereotyping going on in your appraisal of "mysterious" Japanese 
>    women.  

    Methinks you either read my note fast or you are deliberately trying to
    distort what I said or you're not very bright.

>	Unless of course you find, for instance, Alaskan or Dutch women 
>    equally "mysterious".  

    	Of course I find those other women mysterious. That was obvious
    	from my note.

    Women are different then men. I find all women somewhat mysterious
    to me. In fact I believe that any man who says they understand women
    as well as they understand men either don't understand men or are
    making an incorrect statement. If you want to talk about that though
    start an other topic.

    		Alfred

    
    I have the impression that :
    - Japanese men think women can work until they are 25, and then they 
    should have babies.
    - Japanese men think women aren't very bright and certainely not very
    technical.
    - Japanese men make their wives walk behind them.
    - Japanese men like camera's.
    - Japanese men don't know how to say "excuse me", at least not to small
    women.  (Several Japanese people have practically run me over with no 
    apology.)
    	
    On the other hand:
    - I like the Japanese approach to business : treat workers like people
    not commodities.  (Keep your workers for as long as you can even if the
    economy is bad.)
    - I think that the Japanese are cleaner than other Asian people.
    - I think that Japanese women are mostly beautiful.
    - I think Japanese people are generally healthy.  
    - I LOVE Japanese food.
    
    Since my impression of Japan is that it's controlled by men, why do
    these men think that we are treating them unfairly when they won't open
    up trade with us?  (ie : the auto industry.  The Japanese say we're
    bad-mouthing them)
    
    By the way, I read "The Japan that Can't Say No".  (Written by Akio
    Morita and Shintaro Ishihara.)
    
    
    Well, that's all I can think of about Japanese men.  I've met probably
    5 of them.  (If you don't count the ones that ran me over.)
    
    Rachael Barlow