【龙腾网】作为一个外国人住在日本是什么感觉?
正文翻译
What is it like living in Japan as a foreigner?
作为一个外国人住在日本是什么感觉?
评论翻译
Drake Duhaylonsod
I’m currently living in Japan as an ALT (Assistant Language Teacher) - I live in Fukushima’s Iwaki, and it’s absolutely wonderful.
I used to live in Hawaii, and I absolutely disdain big city life, ridiculous amounts of obnoxious tourists, overly nosy and pushy locals… so my slow life here in Iwaki is perfect. It fits who I am, and what I expect in life.
我目前住在日本，是一名助理语言教师——我住在福岛的岩城县，那里的生活非常棒。
我曾经住在夏威夷，我很鄙视大城市的生活，讨厌至极的游客，过分管闲事和咄咄逼人的当地人…所以我在岩城的慢生活是完美的。它符合我的身份，也符合我对生活的期望。
I don’t care too much for shrines and temples, and there are inconveniences with being an Asian in Japan, but….
我不太喜欢神社和寺庙，作为一个亚洲人在日本有很多不便，但是……
Living in Nagoya as a married expat with small children
So this was when my family eventually joined me in Japan. Also, I specifically point out Nagoya because it seems the location matters. Apparently, Nagoya isn't a very friendly place. When I complained to some Japanese friends that people in Nagoya weren't very friendly towards foreigners, they told me that people in Nagoya weren't very friendly to other Japanese either. Obviously, not ALL are unfriendly but it seems enough of them are to get themselves stereotyped.
已婚，有小孩，住在名古屋
这就是我的家人最终来到日本与我一起生活的样子。另外，我特别指出名古屋，因为它的位置有问题。显然名古屋并不是一个非常友好的地方。当我向一些日本朋友抱怨名古屋人对外国人不太友善时，他们告诉我，名古屋人对其他日本人也不太友善。显然，并非所有人都不友好，但似乎他们中的许多人的处事方式都已定型了。
If you have a baby and need a stroller, what a hassle! Space is a premium in Japan so most places where you need to push your stroller are narrow: doors, corridors, spaces between tables and chairs in restaurants, etc. This causes inconveniences for you and others. And others don't seem to hide their annoyance at you. Forget about bringing your heavy duty stroller from abroad. To get around, you're going to need a light and compact Japanese model that you can fold and keep in your pocket (ok, I exaggerate).
如果您有孩子需要婴儿车，那就麻烦了！在日本，空间是非常珍贵的，因此大多数需要推婴儿车的地方都很狭窄：门，走廊，餐厅桌子和椅子之间的空间等。这会给您和其他人带来不便。而其他人似乎并不会对你隐藏对你的烦恼。不要考虑从国外带来您的重型婴儿车了。想要外出的话，您需要一个轻巧紧凑的日式婴儿车，可以折叠放在口袋里的那种（好吧，是我夸张了）。
The subway system is excellent! Unless you have a stroller (or are in a wheel chair for that matter). Not all subway stations (in Nagoya) have elevators or even escalators. We lived next to such a station so whenever my wife wanted to go anywhere not walking distance she had to managing going up and down flights of stairs with a stroller, a baby, and a young child. Did she get any help? Did I mention that people in Nagoya aren't very friendly?
这里的地铁系统很棒！除非您有婴儿车（或诸如此类的轮式车子）。并非所有的地铁站（在名古屋）都有电梯甚至自动扶梯。我们住在这样的车站旁边，所以每当我的妻子想去任何超出步行距离的地方时，她都不得不带着婴儿推车，婴儿和年幼的孩子想方设法上下楼梯。她会得到别人的帮助吗？我是否提到过名古屋人不是很友善？
Never mind about not being friendly. Many are downright rude. Imagine you get off the subway train and are now waiting for the elevator to take you up. What many will do, especially teenagers and young adults, is as soon as the elevator doors open they'll just cut in front of you from the sides and fill up the elevator with you still standing outside the elevator waiting to get in. And it's not because you're a foreigner. I've seen them do this to others with strollers and even to old people too.
不用介意他们的不友善。许多人是彻头彻尾的粗鲁。想象一下，您下了地铁，现在正在等待电梯把你送上去。许多人，尤其是青少年和年轻人，会做的事情就是，一旦电梯门打开，他们就会从侧面抢在你的面前进入电梯，并在你仍然站在电梯外等待进去的情况下将电梯塞满。这不是因为你是外国人他们才这么做。我见过他们对其他推着婴儿车的人这么做过，甚至他们对老人也这样做。
Along the way, I got severe depression and now I am taking medications. My Japanese teacher, knowing my depression and seeing how weaker I have become, told me to wait until I get back to my country, in case I want to kill myself. I was once told by my other Japanese homeroom teacher, “You're too honest and straight forward, it hurts other people’s feelings” - This was her way of telling me to keep a low profile and perhaps, score less? I already lost more than half of my hair, my weight went from 46kg to 35kg and I still have trouble sleeping and trying to get the meaning of my life back. The thing is, I grew up having Japanese visitors at home for years. My family always welcomed them as guests, and yet, seeing their true colors after living there was a huge shock . Obviously I want nothing more to do with them. Nothing at all.
一路走来，我患上了严重的抑郁症，现在我正在服药。我的日语老师知道了我得了抑郁症，看到我变得那么虚弱，就告诉我等等就可以我回到自己的国家，以防我想自杀。我的另一位日本班主任老师曾经告诉我：“你太诚实和直率了，这会伤害到别人的感情。”-她告诉我要保持低调，也许，可以少得几分。我的头发已经脱落了一半以上，我的体重从46公斤掉到了35公斤，我仍然难以入睡，还在努力找回生活的意义。事实上，从小到大，我家里常年都有日本游客。我的家人一直欢迎这些人，把他们当客人对待，但是，在日本生活之后我看到他们的真面目，我感到非常震惊。显然，我不希望再与他们有任何瓜葛。一点关系也不想有。
In my opinion, considering my own experience, the student exchange program is slavery. Japan sucks us foreigners dry, in exchange for their crappy visa. They use foreign students to do their dirty work, which THEY are supposed to do. Such as cleaning public places, picking up trash all over there, dancing on the roads for festivals, begging for money when an earthquake hits one of their cities, which they call volunteer/charity work. That's not why I paid a fortune and joined the school for. Be extremely cautious when you choose a language school. They may tell you that the cost covers everything, but that’s a big lie. You will still be expected to pay for many other things including text books, occasions, meals during extracurricular activities, and all the unnecessary things. And you won’t get any help or advice from them regarding studies unless you suck at it and they personally like your stupid helpless self. Not to mention the dormitory was in horrible condition. Not worth the amount of your time and money. And if you get terribly sick from overworking? Or if your employer refuses to give you the company’s contact number for you to contact them in an emergency? According to the school, It's your damn fault. When I finally wanted to quit school, the school had me pay for another month, just to blackmail me saying, “book your ticket to leave within one week and show us or we won't refund your money”. And the principal’s farewell for me? “Make sure to give us all your money before you leave!” Not to mention they were so hungry for money they mistakenly charged both the school and me before I left, for the same thing, and the officials came to me asking to pay the bills which I already paid. I am honestly disgusted. They do not have a drop of humanity, decency or manners.
在我看来，就我自己的经验来说，学生交换计划就是变相奴役。日本榨干了我们这些外国人，以换取签证。他们利用外国学生做本来应该他们做的肮脏的工作。例如打扫公共场所，到处捡垃圾，在节日的道路上跳舞，在地震袭击他们的一个城市时向我们要钱，他们称之为志愿者/慈善工作。这就是为什么我付了大笔钱并进入学校的原因。选择语言学校时要格外谨慎。他们可能会告诉你，费用已经涵盖了所有内容，但这是一个很大的谎言。你仍然要为许多其他的事情付钱，包括课本、场合、课外活动的饭钱，以及所有不必要的事情。你不会从他们那里得到任何学习上的帮助或建议，除非你学得很烂，而他们很喜欢你愚蠢无助的自我。更不用提宿舍的状况了。不值得你花那么多时间和金钱。如果你因为过度工作而生病了呢?或者你的雇主拒绝给你公司的联系电话，以便于让你在紧急情况下联系他们?学校会说，这都是你的错。当我终于决定退学的时候，学校又让我多交了一个月的学费，只是为了要挟我说:“订一张一周内离开的机票给我们看，否则我们不退钱。”还有校长为我送行呢?“走之前一定要把钱都给我们!”“更不用说他们对钱如饥似渴，在我离开之前错误地向学校和我收取了同样的费用，那些官员还来找我要求支付我已经支付过的账单。”我真的感到恶心。他们一点人性、礼貌和风度都没有。
It may seem like a dreamland for you before you go there, but I assure you, the reality is quite different.
Btw, this school I went to was Kyushu Japanese Language school (KLS) in Kagoshima.
在你去那里之前，对你来说，这似乎是一个理想的国度，但我向你保证，现实是完全不同的。
顺便说一句，我去的这所学校是鹿儿岛的九州日语学校（KLS）。
Brandon Holmes
, Currently live in Tokyo, lived off and on in Japan past 20 years
The question is pretty vague so can not offer much beyond a general answer.
In addition to some good answers already provided, it is going to depend on a lot of factors. I think something that hasn't and is rarely addressed is that the single biggest factor affecting your life in Japan is your Japanese fluency. Most expats in Japan can not speak Japanese even at a basic conversational level.
这个问题提的相当模糊，所以只能笼统地回答。
除了已经提供的一些好的答案之外，它还取决于很多因素。我认为有一件事没有也很少被提及，那就是影响你在日本生活的唯一最大因素是你的日语流利程度。大多数在日本的外国人不会说日语，即使是最基本的会话水平都不具备。
This would be no different for example than a Chinese person living in San Francisco and not understand English. There is a common misconception that most Japanese can speak and understand English similar to say visiting Germany. This is not the case, but through "International Hand Gesture Language", talking English more slowly and loudly (think the movie Rush Hour and CAN YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORDS COMING OUT OF MY MOUTH), guessing .
这和一个住在旧金山不懂英语的中国人没有什么不同。有一种普遍的误解，认为大多数日本人都能说和理解英语，就像你去德国旅行时一样。不是这样的，你只能通过“国际手势比划语言”，放慢语速，大声说英语(想想电影《尖峰时刻》，和 你能听懂我嘴里说的话吗)，猜测着进行交流。
The second biggest factor is your race, gender, physical appearance, nationality and even age. All those things which people are (theoretically) programmed not to affect interactions , but in fact do, will be greatly amplified in Japan.
第二大因素是您的种族，性别，外表，国籍甚至年龄。那些人们（理论上）生来就具备的所有不影响交流但实际上会影响到交流的因素在日本都会得到极大的放大。
There are no discrimination laws. If you look at some job postings, you may see a listing for a flight attendant as "Light skinned attractive woman, less than 50kg, at least 167cm and between the ages of 22 and 30". Once she hits 30, she will either be transferred or let go. Schools that do home stays for students have difficulties because the Japanese family may only want a blonde, blue eyed female student that's not fat but legally the school can't accept such a request. Companies the same thing. You may see an foreign recruiting agency trying to get around things by putting a requirement of "no more than 10 years work experience", which is their roundabout way of saying the Japanese client requested someone under 30.
没有歧视相关的法律。如果你查看一些工作招聘启事，你可能会看到空姐的招聘信息是“肤色白皙、魅力女性，体重不超过50公斤，身高至少167cm，年龄在22 - 30岁之间”。一旦到了30岁，她要么被调任，要么被解雇。为学生提供寄宿服务的学校遇到了困难，因为日本家庭可能只想要一个金发碧眼，身材不胖的女学生，但从法律上讲学校不能接受这样的要求。公司也一样。你可能会看到一家外国招聘机构试图通过提出“不超过10年工作经验”的要求来回避问题，这是他们拐弯抹角地说日本客户要求应聘者年龄在30岁以下的方式。
People's perceptions/experiences also change over time. When I finished undergrad, I quit a corporate job and moved to Osaka working as a English teacher and bartender. The race influence is pretty dramatic and immediate, with Caucasians instantly becoming the life of the party while darker skinned foreigners were either ignored, shunned or down right avoided. This really changed over time though. Often people who stayed over a year, their feelings about Japan changed quite a bit. Caucasians who stayed often started to resent and become bitter towards the Japanese society while Asians and blacks started to embrace it. I felt many became bitter because they were enamored by the initial infatuation they received and upset that it didn't pan out into opportunities beyond an English teacher.
人们的观念/经历也会随着时间而改变。大学毕业后，我辞掉了公司的工作，搬到大阪做英语老师和酒保。种族的影响是非常戏剧性和立竿见影的，白种人迅速成为了聚会的核心人物，而肤色较深的外国人要么被忽视，被回避，要么被完全回避。但随着时间的推移，情况发生了变化。通常那些在日本待了一年以上的人，他们对日本的感觉会有很大的变化。留下来的白种人开始对日本社会充满怨恨，而亚洲人和黑人则开始接受它。我觉得很多人都很痛苦，因为他们被最初的迷恋所迷惑住，而令人失望的是，除了当英语老师之外，这里并没有给他们带来更多的机会。
What I heard from blacks, especially Americans, was that even with the bad interactions it was a lot better than experiences in the US and they found many Japanese interested in the black sub-culture that they could drown out the negativity. Asians realized that while they aren't given any special treatment for being foreign like Caucasians, found that they would generally be more accepted for having a common face and history.
我从黑人，尤其是美国黑人那里听到的感受是，即使有不好的互动，也比他们在美国的经历要好得多，他们发现很多日本人对黑人亚文化很感兴趣，而且他们可以隐藏他们的负面情绪。亚洲人意识到，虽然他们不会像白种人那样因为是外国人而受到任何特殊对待，但他们通常会因为拥有共同的面孔和历史而更容易被接受。
Education and job are highly regarded in Japan, and most of Asia. If you are well educated and have a great career, you will be treated well and respected even more so than in the US.
Lastly, where you are coming from will of course greatly change your perception. If you are coming from a small town in Idaho moving to Shinjuku of course it's going to be different than someone from Midtown.
日本和亚洲大部分地区都高度重视教育和工作。如果你受过良好的教育并拥有一份伟大的职业，与美国相比，你将得到更好的待遇和尊敬。
最后，你来自哪里当然会极大地改变你对日本的看法。如果你从爱达荷州的一个小镇搬到新宿，这当然会和从市中心搬来的人感受不一样。
Keep in mind these are all general observations over the past 20 years. Obviously each person's experience is going to vary. Of course someone will write that this is not their experience but that in no way changes what I myself have experience or observed.
请记住，这些都是我基于过去20年的一般性观察的结果。很明显，每个人的经历都会有所不同。当然，有人会说，这不是他们的经验，但这不会改变我自己的经验或观察。
