Random Thoughts Regarding the Situation

Maybe it's been due to the meager meals I've been having recently, currently flat broke for the next 4 days and only instant spaghetti and other cheap, bland-tasting Japanese crap left in my cupboards, but I've been thinking about the whole `studying in Japan' thing, and have come out feeling the worse for it.

When I first got the scholarship, it was the best thing I could have ever had - money, education paid for, escape from hell, a country where the salary was high, etc. In addition, I got to learn another language, which was pretty cool as well. But those precepts didn't last forever, for better or for worse.

After I got rejected by the fucktarded professors at Tokyo Medical and Dental University because some goddamn Malaysian retard managed to fail the 3rd year 3 times in a row, I just gave up on everyone. Fuck the Malaysians who don't give a shit about how their shit affects the rest. Fuck the Japanese who generalize people. Just fuck them all. People in general are fucking retards - the only difference is whether they realize it or not.

So I'm stuck here in the countryside in Gunma University, a place which has its moments, but ultimately overwhelmed by how shitty it is. I'm gonna be stuck here for the next 5 1/2 years, so I have to get used to it soon, but several things really worry/piss me off.

First off, I'm never going to fit in with my Japanese classmates. Everyone knows how hard it is for the foreign student to learn the language, but no matter how long, it's still going to require effort to interact with the foreign student. I know this from personal experience, finding it really hard to talk to someone who doesn't know the language completely, what more the culture.

Another thing is the fashion. I stand out among my classmates - not for the right reasons. I dress casually even for a casual dresser. Homer Simpson shirts, jeans, slippers. The thing is, I have no idea how to dress fashionably, and even if I do, things probably wouldn't change and it would just be a hassle keeping it up. So I don't give a shit anymore. Not like anyone's going to care how I dress anyway.

Recently too, I talked with a friend over here, and he said something really interesting. Maybe we were wasting our youth here - missing out on normal interactions that we get in university simply because we don't speak Japanese natively. Guys like us (or me, at least), don't date in university, don't join many clubs in university, and probably unable to form close friendships, simply because it's hard to trust someone who's speaking a language you only half-understand. Simply put, what the fuck am I doing wasting my years here? I'm not going to make any friends here that I would bother contacting decades later. I'm not going to find love here, because being unable to express deeper thoughts in a different language crushes any deeper bond. Note: This is also because I am Asian. Furthermore, an asshole. So basically, I'm just here to study. But when I graduate, I'll be at least 27, with only a degree to show for it - will I have grown personally, socially, psychologically? I have serious doubts now.

In many ways, I feel like I've wasted so much time. I'm only in my first year but so many of my friends have graduated, and some are already working. Others are doing graduate studies, Masters, etc. Those who are doing medicine are already halfway through. I'll be years behind them in entering the workforce and making my own money - all because I chose to get a free education. Will I even be able to work in Japan after I graduate? Will I want to, with all the racism and discrimination about? The economy is turning to shit, and the country soon will too, I expect. Unfortunately, going back home too is not an option - leaving racism and discrimination behind was why I chose to come here in the first place. Ironic, eh.

One of my most worrying problems regards my friends back home. The Pervert Alliance is the one thing constant in my life, and the only thing that anchors me to my past, who I am and what I am now. But being in Japan, a country that probably means nothing to them, is what I'm worried about. After all the years, when I meet up with them again, what experiences can I talk about? The smelly otaku? The crazy obsessions of the Japanese? The racism? The general fucktardness of the place? The crap food? Somehow I don't think it would be the topic of conversation for long. And we can't talk about the past, we've talked about it so much before that it's redundant. The only thing I can think of is making new memories - which is why I'm so anxious to get home and recover the me that I was back in Malaysia, not this me, who's sick of Japan and its hypocrisy. But I worry about whether I'll be able to show much interest in what new experiences they've accumulated as well - this really worries me.

Do I regret coming to Japan? Yes, and no. If I hadn't come here I would've remained obsessed with my hobbies for a long time, not known Japanese, continued going to a shit university, and been trapped in the same house as my parents for god knows how long. I've learned a lot of stuff here - good or bad, who knows. And yet I'm starting to see Japan for what it is, and beginning to realize the consequences of coming here - somehow, I'm dreading the next 5 1/2 years.

To end, here's a scene that I would never have been able to see in Tokyo, nor back home. I still fucking hate Gunma, though. Goddamn countryside.

The Decline of Japan?

I'm sure many of you have heard great stuff about Japan. OMG samurai, geisha, fashion capital of the world, technology central, etc. But how many people actually see it for what it is? Most of what we've been fed through the media is what Japan wants us to see - greatly preserved history, economic power, honest, trustworthy and moral people, good government. Is this what the tourist sees when he/she comes to Japan? Aren't they seeing only what they expect to see?

What can one really know about Japan without coming here? What kind of information leaks out from this country isolated from the world by a language barrier? When I first heard about Japan several years ago, I just automatically assumed all the Japanese watched anime, read manga and were all electronically proficient. Only after some time when I'd actually thought about it did I realize that only a small portion did so. Even the Japanese live normal lives, go to normal schools, go to work - only the circumstances and culture were different from everyone else's.

So I came to Japan trying to keep an open mind about the Japanese, assuming that they were just as normal as the rest of the world. I was of course surprised by the lack of garbage, politeness and quality of service, but even that started to fade away. Garbage is everywhere if you open your eyes wider, and behind the polite smiles of the service people, you don't know what they're thinking. They've been trained to give you quick and efficient service almost mechanically. Behind their smiling eyes they may be thinking "Fucking hell you dumbass foreigner, figure out what you want and leave so I don't have to deal with your half-assed Japanese and arrogant tourist attitude.".

So if the Japanese people are normal, then they do have the same problems as everyone else does. It's just that unless you're Japanese or have been assimilated into Japanese culture for a long time, you can't pick up the subtle signs in their mannerisms and language. I know that for one, I haven't.

The Japanese people are not infallible. But the problem is that everyone only sees the image they have projected since the 1980s, an economic, social and political utopia brought about by their miraculous economic rebuilding after World War 2. Somehow, everyone just seems to ignore that the bubble burst in the last 1980s, and since then, Japan has sunk into a decline from which I wonder if it can recover.

I'll try and list several of the problems that have cropped up in the news in recent times, as they seem to be the ones that may plagued Japan for some time more in the future.

1. Ridiculously low command of English and an ignorance of the outside world. The Japanese learn about other countries in school, but apparently this is exceptionally limited, and treated as just another subject. Furthermore, they happen to pigeonhole each country, as if each country could be describe in just a few sentences. I would suspect that all students in all countries do the same - however the supposed standard of Japanese education even fails at this. I wonder how they would feel if someone did the same to Japan: `Japan. Capital Tokyo. Delicacy: Sushi. Lost World War 2, suffering two atomic bombings in the process. Rebuilt economy thereafter to First World country standard, before collapsing in the late 1980s. Most popular export is anime. One of the latest fads in Japan is being an otaku.' Learn some geography, fags, and that applies to all non-Japanese people as well. However, this problem also seems to be plagueing America - if they can get all their stuff domestically and live their lives not caring about the international scene, why bother learning about the capital of Mongolia or other shit?

2. Extreme social problems - Bullying in school in Japan is one of the worst in the world. Delinquency in school is bad, especially since corporal punishment is not allows. Teachers have to treat students like customers. Politeness and decency are declining. Sexual discrimination and sexual harassment are still high, a throwback to Japan's history of male dominance. School exams are toughest in the world, creating a pool of those who know nothing but schoolbooks, and an atmosphere of extreme competitiveness. Hikikomori, those who isolate themselves from society and never leave their room, are most common in Japan. Violent crimes are rising. Thefts are rsing due to the economic situation. Paedophiles are rampant. Middle school girls and high school girls are prostituting themselves. There are many more, but I'm sure you can come up with a few yourself.

3. Falling birth rate - The high cost of living in Japan, and the high cost of raising a child, is driving many to only have one child. Some even choose to not marry, so as to have more money to spend on themselves. In 2006, Japan's birth rate fell below its death rate, meaning that the population is decreasing. You could actually say that Japanese is a dying language, since the number of native speakers is falling. At this rate, Japan will eventually disappear. Before then, it would be full of old people - and who knows what would happen to them?

4. Aging society - As stated above, due to Japan's social security plan, more old people would be getting pensions - however the number of people working and pumping money into the economy that supports such a plan would be decreasing. Eventually a collapse is predicted, leaving the old to fend for themselves. This may not be too far away - Japan is expected to have one in three people to be over the age of 65 by 2025. How did this come about? Because Japan had a baby boom lasting only 3 years - before the oil shock of the 1970s and then the 1980s.

5. Government bullshit - Lately, a scandal involving losses of records of pension payments plagued the government and resulted in horrible election results for the ruling LDP party. Furthermore, secret slush funds, theft of taxpayers' money and scandals involving ministers not reporting receipts, receiving kickbacks and other dirty deeds, demonstrate that the government is not the squeaky clean, efficient entity it appears to be.

Where is Japan going? For now, all I can see in the future is further decline. If you want to visit Japan, now's the time before it all turns to shit.

By the way, the capital of Mongolia is Ulanbaatar.

Memories of Fuchu

I couldn't find many opportunities for pictures worth taking during the one year in Fuchu-shi (more precisely, Asahi-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo-to), and this was one of the best I found. It means a lot in many different ways.

FAQ (Fucking Answer these Questions)

Some time ago, some shit American band passing off noise as music released an album titled American Idiot. Leaving aside the fact that the band sucked ass (and still does), the title bears relevance to the following rant. The faggots were referring to narrow-minded Americans who were following the government line with regards to the `war on terror' and the supposed need to invade Iraq. Their main point of contention was that these Americans were allowing their government to do their thinking for them, by believing in everything that the government was saying, without bothering to dig deeper into the issue.

"But why is this wrong? Citizens of democratic countries vote to put their governments in power! Isn't the government executing the will of the people, then?"

The answer, however, is a definite no. Regardless of the democratic ideal, governments rarely do anything for the benefit of the people, nor the country. Governments are not one-man shows by the president or prime minister, they too are bound by those who put them in power.

`Those who put them in power'. Many expect that this would mean the citizens who voted for them. The answer however, is `the political party to which they belong'. The head honcho did not get there alone, nor can he run the country alone. He needs his party, hence the party controls him. And when you control the leader of a country - you rule the country.

The government does not work for the people. It works for the party who controls the government. Some would say that the best government is one who does this without letting its citizens on. What this leads to is that if you stop thinking for yourself and let your government think for you, it is tantamount to dictatorship.

Let's look at this country, Malaysia, of which I too, am a citizen. My questions for the rest of you are:
1. What does Merdeka mean to you?
2. What is the purpose of the government's 5-year Economic Plans?
3. Why do we have racial quotas and affirmative action?
4. Why do we have racial violence?
5. Despite the government's best efforts, why are so many of the citizens still entrenched in poverty (currently made worse by the increasing fuel prices)?
6. Where does all the money from the economy go?
7. Why isn't it being put to use resolving the the economic divide and improving education?

I was asked these questions in secondary school, and answered the following:
1. The day Malaysia got its independence from British overlords.
2. To improve the economic situation of the Malays.
3. Because it reflects the racial composition of the country and hence is a fair application to university applications and the economy, among others.
4. Because the races do not understand each other well enough, and the economic situation does not reflect the racial demographics.
5. Because currency speculation, foreign assholes, etc. ruin our economy, making everyone poorer. The government also has not enough money to tackle the problem efficiently.
6 and 7. "Good question."

Note that I was fresh out of secondary school. The realization comes sooner for many people, unfortunately it never comes for many as well. I was quoting exactly what was implied in the texts, what the textbooks wanted me to say, what I was expected to say. Simply put: I was half-brainwashed. How many others have not broken out out of this education-imposed shell and started thinking for themselves?

As for me, I started pondering my answers and eventually revised them:
1. It means nothing to me as long as we are still defined and classified by races. As long as we cannot call ourselves `Malaysian' instead of being either Malay, Chinese or Indian, Merdeka means nothing, because we are still as divided as we ever were under the white man. This was the reason why I began to put `Malaysian' as my race whenever I filled out applications, blacking out the Malay/Chinese/Indian options.
2. To improve the economic situation of the POOR, regardless of race. Why we equate poor to Malay, blame the subtle twisting texts.
3. There is no reason to have them, if we can solve the goddamn economic problem first.
4. Ditto.
5,6 and 7. The money goes into useless megaprojects and into the coffers of the rich and corrupt. Amazing how a government can spend millions building two long phallic towers connected by a mid-air bridge, only for it to be used as office space, while so many of its population struggle under the yoke of poverty. One may suggest that they're overcompensating for something else.

Why isn't it being used to resolve the economic gap and improve education? One hypothesis put forward is as follows: Poor people produce angry people looking for someone to blame. Angry people vote for the government which promises economic reform. Government plays them off someone else by claiming the economic situation is not their fault. Introduces quotas and benefits. Who's going to vote out a government who gives them benefits? Answer to the second part: Educated people ask questions. If the questions are not those that you want them to ask, to the government, it's not worth giving them education.

Education is not what the government gives you, it comes from the conclusions, questions, and opinions that you construct yourself after you've read the textbooks.

I'll leave you all with the final question.

8. Why aren't you asking these questions too?

"Yoroshiku?" "No, Eat Shit And Suck My Balls, Japanotard."

I like meeting new people. It's a necessary evil of being part of society. Unfortunately there are several dumb fucks who just fuck it up for everyone else. Once again, Japanotards never fail to disappoint in bringing out the desire to remove them from the gene pool. Being unable to suppress their obsession with Japanese stuff, they have to insert a few random phrases here and there just to display their retardation despite the fact that no one fucking cares.

A few choice phrases:

Ohayo/Konnichiwa/Konbanwa - Why the fuck are you speaking to me in Japanese when we can communicate just fine in English?

Minna - Nope, no one cares about you. Stop trying to get attention with random Japanese phrases.

Yoroshiku - Not pleased to meet you at all, you fucking Japanotard.

Ja ne/Sayonara/Mata - Good, get the fuck away from me and play with your plastic tentacular dildos, retard.

Why do they insist on using these little phrases that most people can't understand? Because they feel that they need to advertise their preference for all things Japanese in the hopes that someone will think that it's vaguely `cool'.

Guess what: Everyone thinks you're a loser.

Why use random Japanese phrases, despite the distinct possibility that no one would understand them? Are you so inept and insecure in your use of the English language that you have to resort to something so pathetic to cover up your inadequecies?

I encourage anyone and everyone who has met a Japanotard and felt even a mild irritation to castrate them on the spot, preferably with a blunt instrument. Don't worry, you'll be doing society a favour.

I fucking hate Japanotards.

- DJnerate

Another Pseudo-Japanese Movie, Yet Another Japanotard Magnet

We've been inundated with the sheer amount of pseudo-Japanese movies these days, movies which supposedly showcase Japanese culture, yet produced by the West and containing various cultural inaccuracies that, despite the protestations of experts, are ignored time and time again so that it would fit the picture of perfect Japanese culture as seen through the sakura-coloured glasses of the raving Japanotard.

Not surprisingly, these movies have become blockbusters due to the efforts of Japanotards and the ignorant public who lap them up, thereby creating a skewed view of the culture itself. Some time back it was The Last Samurai, soon it will be the upcoming Memoirs of a Geisha. Japanotards have raved about TLS, maybe they will too about Memoirs. And then start spewing information about the distorted culture they've seen only from movies.

This ignoring the fact that The Last Samurai showed an overly simplified view of history, written by a team comprised of non-Japanese, and implied the superiority of the samurai culture over Western culture. The fact that the main character learns how to fight with TWO swords in a span of something like six months (despite some people struggling to master the sword their entire lives), while getting over his alcoholism and having the woman of the man he killed fall in love with him. And the best part: Seeking to punish his former commander for slaughtering innocent Native Americans. Wait, wasn't his commander just doing his duty and following orders? You mean, like that thing in the code of Bushido called Chuugi - what does it mean again - oh yeah, fucking LOYALTY. Sounds like yet more nonsensical drivel for the average retarded Japanophile. Doesn't help that the last surviving samurai just happened to be the Westerner, who probably goes on to fuck that Japanese woman silly and repopulate the village or whatever.

Memoirs of a Geisha? Based on a critically acclaimed book? Directed by Steven Spielberg?

Not to forget, denounced by the very geisha who provided the author with all her first-hand information, only to be distorted to fit the worldview of fucking Japanotards. And starring in the movie: 3 non-Japanese as the main geisha characters. Talk of Oscars for these Asian women abound - even while the movie is still in post-production. Yet more manifestations of the Japanotard phenomenon. Sometimes you have to wonder whether their mothers dropped them on their heads and fed them crack.

What makes this worse is the fact that Japanotards will use these movies as an excuse to show off their supposed `knowledge' of Japanese culture. After The Last Samurai, shit like `that's a katana he's holding' and `that's a wakizashi at his belt...' became commonplace. Wonderful stuff, considering that their only source of information was Google. Oo, I'm so impressed by you knowing the name of such wonderfully mystical Japanese stuff. Now tell me why you aren't also talking about the American-made gatling guns which kicked their asses.

This problem will only proliferate even more during the next release of a pseudo-Japanese movie. With Memoirs of a Geisha coming later this year, be prepared for more retarded comments by idiots who've suddenly become experts in Japanese culture by watching something vaguely related to Japan. Expect them to start spewing shit about geisha culture from the Discovery Channel or Google. What can you do to actually shut them up? Details follow.

DJnerate's Tips on How to Silence A Japanotard During A Cinema Screening of A Pseudo-Japanese Movie

1. Learn how to speak Japanese to a reasonably fluent level (at least ILR Level 3). A few rapid-fire, demeaning and insulting sentences in the language of the culture that Japanotards worship will shut them up. Most of them won't understand you anyway since most Japanotards never bother to actually learn the language, but they'll still be silenced from the shock.

2. Learn about every nook and cranny of the issue presented in the movie that you're watching. Pre-cinema preparation is extremely important for this. Once you know the cultural issues presented in the movie (e.g. the geisha culture for Memoirs), research everything you can, from academic, historic, psychological, medical, anatomical, behavioural and anecdotal sources. The moment the Japanotard makes a false comment, pounce on it and give him a lecture about everything you know. Japanotards are afraid of people who know more about Japanese culture than they do - USE THIS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!

3. Practice how to use a few important phrases in the most effective way possible, such as "Googlewhore", "Japanophile" or even "Goddamn motherfucking obsessed-with-Japanese-culture retard". Use your imagination. Even a simple sentence like "Nobody likes you, fuck off" will suffice.

4. Bring a few burly friends with you. Turn around simultaneously and stare at the Japanotard witheringly when he makes a comment. Don't stop until he is visibly afraid.

5. Fling popcorn at him whenever he starts talking crap.

6. Physically remove him from the cinema. Most Japanotards are weak losers whose only knowledge of martial arts comes from dressing up as ninja and saying bullshit like `Kage Buttfuck no Jutsu' while fondling their own prostates.

7. Punch him in the nuts. This always shuts anyone up. Don't worry about causing permanent damage, they'll never have a chance to procreate anyway.

8. Bring a machete and aim for the jugular.

This concludes the public service message from the DJnerate.

I fucking hate Japanotards.

- The DJnerate

Random Japanese Phrases? Oops, You're A Fucktard.

In the time I've delved into the whole `J-culture' scene, I've come to notice several things that really fucking piss me off. Be it the whole retarded anime scene, J-drama, hentai movie/game scene, among others, there are always several retards I like to refer to as `Japanotards'. Unfortunately, the proliferation of Naruto has spawned countless numbers of these mindless idiots.

These retards happen to piss people off all the time in several ways. Firstly, they just cannot SHUT THE FUCK UP about Japanese shows/culture/girls/assdildos. If it's Japanese, they have to spread the word to all and sundry, regardless of how irrelevant it is to the conversation at hand. It's fucking irritating when I'm trying to have an intelligent conversation and some dumb fuck chips in with some random piece of information about something Japanese.

Here's a tip: YOU'RE NOT JAPANESE.

And you never will be. Stop lowering the average IQ of the world population and go kill yourself, no one will miss your random comments about Japanese shit. If I wanted to know more I'd go online and learn about Japanese used-panty vending machines, you retard.

What kind of retarded thinking spawns this behaviour? Easily answered. Anything remotely Japanese is the `in' thing, and by trying to pass themselves off as knowledgeable about this crap they're trying to prove that they're not losers for watching that shit. Now, of course you could just be mature enough, watch your anime/drama/hentai, play your hentai games or collect your weird fluids from high school girls, and just shut up about it. Nobody's asking for your opinion until we're actually on the topic.

The second thing that pisses me off about these retards is, as the title says, RANDOM JAPANESE PHRASES. I'm having a perfectly good conversation in English, and suddenly the fucktard responds with: "BAKA". So exactly why are you calling me an idiot in Japanese? Why aren't you calling me `Bodoh' or using some other language like Chinese? Because they think using random Japanese phrases and words are cool, and will therefore prove their superiority. OH MY GOD, IT'S THE ATTACK OF THE 5-WORD JAPANESE VOCABULARY!

Anyone who knows even the most basic Japanese would refrain from such an immature act. Why? Because they know that such an insult is ridiculous. The Japanotard would never use such a lame comeback as `baka' against anyone who knows more Japanese than they do. It would be like someone coming up to me saying `idiot' over and over again because that's the only thing he or she knows how to say. Oh by the way, I speak English and you're a cocksucking motherfucker, and the only way you could do the gene pool any good is by cutting off your maggot-ridden, gangrenous testicles. I fucking hate retards.

Several other popular Japanese phrases uttered by retards:

Ittekimasu/Itterashai/Itadakimasu/Tadaima/Okaerinasai/Gochisousama - HEY RETARD, IF YOU'RE NOT JAPANESE STOP PRETENDING TO BE ONE.

Sayonara - Yeah, goodbye and I hope I never see you again you goddamn fucktard.

Basically anyone who speaks Japanese pretending that they know more than what they gleaned off from whatever gay shit they watched pretty much knows nothing. The ones who actually do know something say nothing until the time is right. Like they say, an empty vessel makes the most noise.

You're only succeeding in insulting the Japanese and irritating the rest of us. For the future of humanity and for future generations of smarter people - PLEASE KILL YOURSELF.

I fucking hate Japanotards.