JAPAN NEWS AND DISCUSSION
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- English Instructor (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe)
- Berlitz Japan, Inc. (ベルリッツ・ジャパン株式会社), Kansai
- Salary: ¥125,000 ~ ¥250,000 / Month
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- FT English Teachers for Kids - Osaka
- Kohgakusha Co., Ltd. （株式会社興学社）, Osaka
- Salary: ¥255,000 ~ ¥275,000 / Month Travel Expenses, Encouragement of Japanese learning*
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- Translator
- ZAIHON, Inc. (日本財務翻訳株式会社), Tokyo
- Salary: ¥6.0M / Year Negotiable
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forinagai
Penelope - of course we all generalize. The flyjins we are ALL taking about are those who left the rest of us here with extra work and extra BS to put up with. THOSE who took longer than normal holidays. If every employee were to do the same as those who left irresponsibly, companies would close rather quickly!
I wonder if my company would be happy if I decided to take a 2-3 week holiday with 2 day's notice....I don't think so!!
Of course THOSE people were not cowards....just looking after themselves.
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
AdamB - They didn't run?!?! Did you see the same shots of the immigration center and airport as I did? OK, I'll give you that. They didn't run. They walked in an orderly manner and left their company with enough time to cover for their absence.
They protected themselves...by becoming flyjin - i.e. flying out of the country to protect themselves.
Thank you for the offer of a medal. What I did was not brave.Not at all. It was certainly a lot braver than flying out of the country in an orderly manner, giving the company the usual notice for taking an extended vacation, and in looking after my own or family's personal safety in another country.
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
y3chome - agree with you. Meanwhile, those of us who stayed and perhaps returned were/are in a position to help. Unlike many of those people who, at the first sign of danger, ran to the hills...or to their home country.
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
nigelboy - strong/harsh words indeed. I totally agree with you! The people who fled from Tokyo and its immediate surrounding did so out of irrational fear. I do love that word....irrational.
If only those people took the time to read/listen to what the real experts were saying what could've happened at Fukushima. Even in the worst case scenario, a 'perfect storm' situation, the worst that would've happened was that by staying indoors for a couple of hours would've protected Tokyo. THAT was based on the worst case happening. So as far as fear from radiation was concerned...yes, the fear (in Tokyo area) was totally irrational.
As for leaving because of 'family concerns'. What a stupid excuse! It's kinda like saying that those people who chose to stay in Tokyo have family who don't care about us or that, if we have family here, that we don't care about them. Stupid excuse. Most of us have family or friends who wanted us out of here.
Taking up slack. Yes, some people left in an orderly way and may have continued to work while overseas or in another part of Japan. But there were many of us left in Tokyo (Japanese and foreign) who had to work all that much harder because some people left like frightened rabbits. Of course, we will never welcome those people back with open arms. Why should we? Why should we continue to act as if those people did nothing wrong?!
Anyone, Japanese or foreign, who didn't follow their company's policy regarding their paid vacation deserve to get fired. Simple. If they keep their job...they should consider themselves very lucky. I'm sure that on the surface there will be smiles, but smiles can hide our true feelings regarding such flyjins or flynihonjins.
Perhaps the derision these people experience is one of the consequences of their decision- so learn to live with the derision.
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
Well...it is all about personal decisions. If people want to label you...so? 'Sticks and stones may hurt your bones, but names will never hurt you'. What's the problem if others call you 'flyjin'?
If it's such a free world, then let others call you names. :P
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
Why? Have they done something illegal?
Posted in: Once the nuclear crisis is brought under control, should TEPCO executives face criminal charges at some point in the future?
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forinagai
Horrified - Did I say you were 'chicken'? No. I said the managers I work with were! Each person has their own circumstances. I have not, nor would I presume to judge your situation or any other person's situation (of whom I know nothing about).
I am, however, in a position to judge my managers' situation. Their situation certainly did NOT merit repatriation at their earliest convenience.
Also - I don't need your thanks. That's what the whole post was about. Obviously you have some kind of guilt complex if that's the tone of your reply to my post.
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
I stayed. Not to prove what a loyal little foreigner I am. Far from it. Just one simple reason:
Japan is my home now. I have family and friends here. Nothing heroic - just like the millions of Japanese who stayed and continue to stay around the Tohoku/Kanto region. I'm not expecting any thanks. Not expecting people to treat me any differently. I'm here to earn a living like everyone else.
And why should Japanese care?!?! Just because I'm foreign, doesn't make me 'special'.
The disaster that unfolded on March 11 was no respecter of age, sex, or nationality. HUMANS died. The only thanks or respect I should get from other people here is the respect due to any human being.
In saying all that...I have no respect for the managers in my company who bailed out at the earliest opportunity...only to return a few weeks later...all smiles and cheery. I'm treating them with professionalism...but respect?...no chance. Reason?...they chickened out, while many others didn't...of ALL nationalities.
I also have the same feeling of contempt for the 'hoarders'.
Perhaps, that'd be another good question to ask, 'Did you buy more than your usual foodstuffs or daily goods just after the earthquake? And, do you continue to maintain a larger than normal stock?'
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
At the end of the day....does it really matter?
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
In answer to the question posed: Perhaps one reason is that those foreign friends/colleagues who stayed felt let down by others leaving so quickly. Who knows what other people are thinking?
It's just a simple case of looking out for oneself/one's family. Each to their own.
Perhaps there would be a feeling of resentment of those people returned 'as if nothing happened' ie. back into their job/position/role in management. Personally speaking, any respect I had for my foreign managers who were very quickly repatriated...and have since returned, went out the window. I stayed and several other foreign colleagues stayed...all Japanese colleagues stayed...ONLY foreign managers left. Why should any of us have any sense of respect for those managers?!?!
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
Absolutely everyone's right to leave Japan at this time. I wouldn't call those people 'flyjin'.
My irritation would be if those now returning would expect to get their old job back after being away for however long they were away...perhaps a minimum of a week....perhaps longer. If they did a similar thing back in their home country ie. take a holiday with minimum notice, they'd probably lose their job. Same thing should happen here.
Perhaps in many Japanese companies, Japanese doing the same thing would lose their job. Just because the person is a 'foreigner' it doesn't mean they should be treated like everyone else.
Think about it. If every employee expected to return to their job after taking a sudden 'holiday' for a couple of weeks, companies would very quickly go out of business. The rest of us who stayed had to work all the harder to make up for the people who left on 'holiday'.
By all means leave Japan. But do not expect to fall back into the same job with the same company you left. And do not expect a hearty welcome from colleagues (Japanese or foreign) if this happens.
Posted in: Why did those foreigners who decided to leave Japan in the aftermath of the March 11 disaster come in for so much derision from some people who labeled them with words like 'flyjin?'
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forinagai
As for the photos...stunning.
As for the guy pictured...lucky, lucky, lucky!!
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forinagai
Why of why do people live here in Japan??!? It's a dangerous place!!
OK... I can understand why Japanese live here. But for the foreigners whose 'home country' is perhaps safer - I know mines is, why do we still live here?!?!
I'm just venting...perhaps at myself... I should be asking...why do I live here? :P
For anybody up north reading this...I can't imagine what you're going through...all these shakes...it would do my nut in, if it were me there!
Posted in: M7.0 quake jolts eastern Japan; two killed
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forinagai
Words somehow don't seem enough to express one's feelings here...
Posted in: Mother accepts kindergarten graduation certificates on behalf of missing daughters
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forinagai
A very simple picture.
Really only word other word for me describes this: Moving
Posted in: Praying man
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forinagai
YongYang - That is a very nice way to put it... 'Don't attack a flicker of life caught by a camera, you can contextualize the moment, but not, in this case, the man.'
Little sad that people do choose to attack.
Posted in: Praying man
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forinagai
czykent - Agree with you totally. Perhaps those people who choose to voice their negativity feel they are being clever or it makes them feel superior in some way? I don't really know....just a couple of ideas.
Posted in: Praying man
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forinagai
Agree with others. If this monk and other religious types can offer help and support through what they do, then all the best to them.
I have great respect for people like this who are doing selfless acts to help others.
Posted in: Praying man
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forinagai
I am not a 'believer' but I do believe in respecting others and respect the fact they believe in a higher being. It's a pity that a certain other poster doesn't have a similar respect of others.
A very good photo that just captures one human's feelings of loss. Pointless speculating about the rest of this monk's situation. The photo is powerful enough.
Posted in: Praying man
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forinagai
A touching/sad photo.
Posted in: Praying man