Japanese Culture

The word cliché is an onomatopoeia which imitates the sound that a printing machine makes when the typeset strikes the molten metal. This word quite literally derives from the idea of making duplicates of an established master copy.

Likewise, the word stereotype was also coined in the world of printing, and was first used in literature in 1922 by a man named Walter Lippmann: "Whether right or wrong, imagination is shaped by the pictures seen ... Consequently, they lead to stereotypes that are hard to shake."

Last week I had the opportunity to discuss, challenge, and oddly affirm some stereotypes of Japanese culture. We were a bizarre group: 3 gay deaf Japanese boys and a white gay hearing American feeling-slightly-chunky-in-comparison me.

In Japanese culture it is entirely appropriate to comment on the body size of your friends. Makoto, a skinny little thing that couldn't metabolize fat if it killed him, noted that people with extra meat on their bones are quite popular in Japan. Then, he added that I would be a big hit in the Pacific.

BITCH.

He later retracted the statement (upon seeing my culture-shocked face) and quickly revised his comment: "No no no, what I mean is that you're chubby."

When the waiter brought empty plates to the table the Japanese boys instinctively whipped out their napkins and began to smooth away the porcelain surfaces. I felt immediately out of place, and in the spirit of true conformity I was half-tempted to begin wiping as well.

More gay Japanese cultural info: threesomes are frowned upon, bath houses are considered normal and are encouraged, disclosure of sexuality could upset the family line and is often hush-hush.

So, if you're ever having a conversation with some Japanese people and they ask you your blood type within 5 minutes of meeting you, please do not be alarmed.

And keep those stereotypes in check: Makoto and his boys talked about falling asleep on the metro, took pictures of all our food, and headed to a strip club after dinner.