外人 vs. 外国人

外人 (gaijin) vs. 外国人 (gaikokujin). What's the big difference?

Since it came up again the other day, I thought it'd be useful to truly explain the difference to anyone who is not familiar with the terms. Kanji tends to be pretty literal, so sometimes you might miss the little implications of a word. Both gaijin and gaikokujin mean "foreigner," but the meaning depends on where one is in Japan, who they're talking to, and what age the person is in relation to oneself. Let's take a quick look just for a linguistic point-of-view.

A gaijin is literally a "foreign person." Some Japanese will find it not to be offensive, and they'll use the word frequently. It's shorter, easier to say, and you do hear it quite a bit in daily conversation. However, I feel that the majority of people would still label this a discriminatory term. Oddly enough, there seems to be this weird trend among foreigners to use this term to refer to themselves. If they make a mistake, they'll say something along the lines. "Oh, it's ok because I'm a gaijin." There's even a phrase that has popped up called the "Gaijin Smash." Used by foreigners, it refers to doing something that one knows is frowned upon or illegal and getting away with it due to the fact that one is foreign. For this reason, the Japanese are somewhat at a loss. Even though many of them feel that it's discriminatory, they can't seem to get rid of the term because the people who should feel discriminated against keep using it to refer to themselves.

On the other side of the argument is gaikokujin, which means "a person from a foreign country." Across all boards, this word is considered more polite, but it's also considered more formal.

So, there's a problem. Which to use? The one which is considered a form of 差別 (sabetsu), discrimination by many? Or the word which many will agree is more polite, but sounds a little formal between friends? It's up for debate, but this writer's opinion is for using 外国人, gaikokujin.

Valentine's Day and White Day

I really apologize for the delay in blog updates lately. I've been swamped with exams, papers, and tests, so I haven't had the time. But I'll make it up to you in the coming months. The first semester is officially over, and I only have one more report to write. I'm doing it on Japan's problem of 高齢的 or an aging society. There's a ceremony tonight which I'll be going to to show everyone off and then we're all going to a 飲み会 (nomikai), which is really just a really big drinking party.

Since it's been so long, this post will be a light-hearted and yet cultural one. Congratulations.

It's nearing that time of year as we all know. The time when hearts pop up everywhere, things mysteriously become pink, and the stores start selling chocolate like it's going out of style. Yes, it's almost time to think about Valentine's Day. Valentine's Day is pretty much the same world round. Hang out with your special someone, give them a gift or two, and spend your time in blissful love. So I'm sure, you're asking, "Michelle, why are you writing this post?" And you know what? Hold your horses. I'm getting there.

Valentine's Day in Japan is special too, which is why this post exists. Contrary to the States, in Japan women give men chocolate and gifts. Imported around the late 1950's, there are three main types of chocolate giving.

1. 本命チョコ (honmei-choko) - Literally "true feeling" or "genuine sentiment" chocolate, this is the chocolate you give to your loved one. This chocolate can be bought, but it's tradition to make your own. Normally this is elementary, middle, and high school children, but university students also participate. This chocolate can be anything from your standard type chocolate to things which are chocolatey like cookies, cakes, muffins, pastries, etc. Heart shapes are suggested though.
2. 義理チョコ (giri-choko) - Called "obligation/duty" chocolate, this is the chocolate that you give to your boss, male friends, or anyone that you feel doesn't have a girlfriend and therefore deserves to get chocolate out of pity. Your goal is not to let any man feel left out. This does not need to be anything extravagant but it is required to fill the obligation.
3. 友チョコ (tomo-choko) - This is what we call "friend" chocolate. Basically, girls are sad that they don't get any chocolate on Valentine's, so they send chocolate to each other. 

If one feels particularly close to a person, then a gift of some kind normally accompanies the chocolate. This is particularly true of 本命チョコ (honmei-choko).

Of course, except for 友チョコ (tomo-choko), women seem to be left out of this mix. But fear not, for a month later, the men return the favor. This happens on ホワイトデー (White Day), which was said to be brought to Japan by a marshmallow company, therefore giving the day it's name. Set a month after Valentine's Day, on March 14, men send women that they're interested in or by obligation a gift. However, they are not required to return a gift to all the women that sent them chocolate. If it's chocolate or sweets, the color white is preferred, though other gifts are acceptable. These gifts are either equal in value or priced slightly higher it seems.

Michelle