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Indians see the Japanese Dream, but Japanese don’t seem to

The Daswanis

The Japan Times has interviewed Paul and Neeta Daswani, an Indian couple that founded a clothing store in Okinawa City back in 1978, achieving success selling stylish tailor-made suits. Here’s an excerpt that explains the headline of this post:

Japanese don’t know how lucky they are to live in such a great country. In elementary school and middle school, I worked after classes and dreamed about moving to Japan. I didn’t graduate from high school. I had no money when I came to Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture in 1965 to work in a garment factory. I made $25 a month, which was good money back then. I sent it all home. I worked from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. and never complained. Why should I? Everyone worked hard. They were good to me, gave me free food, free clothing, room and board. I stayed for four years and got a raise every six months. Japanese don’t want do better, because they already have it so good. Kids live with their parents, so they do not save any money — they work, then blow what they make, not worrying about the future. Indians always worry about it and always want to improve their situation.

Photos of their shop can be seen on interviewer Judit Kawaguchi’s blog.

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18 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - October 28, 2008 at 3:01 pm

Categories: Foreigners in Japan Tags: immigration, japan

http://www.cosmodeonline.com/blog Philip

Well said. Once I saw a kid working at the conbini wearing a massive Bulgari watch. He probably did exactly what the Indian said.

Am I the only one annoyed with the imvu ads?

Marco Polo

Me, too, too many clothes. Oh, isn’t that what you meant?
Osakesan

Eyes too big… is that what you mean ?
The Overthinker

“a massive Bulgari watch”

Could be a fake of course. Mind you, there are plenty of tales of salarymen who buy a Ferrari and live off cup ramen to pay back the loan.
And yes, the imvu ads are annoying, wear too many clothes, and I will never ever click on them so they’re not even generating revenue.

LB

Dear lord. They seem to have a nice shop, but how big a market for zoot suits is there in Okinawa?!?
andrew

Young Japanese people are spoilt rotten. Truly ‘parasites’, as the press calls them.
Jonathan McDonald

Yeah in 1965 $25 was good money. This old guy in this article doesn’t know sh-t about what’s going on these days. He sounds like any other foreigner in any other country with a success story: I CUM TO YER CONTRY AND STEEL UR JOBS HAHA LZY JAPANESE.
ponta

P: The silent majority needs to speak up and make some noise. In Okinawa — especially in our city, where many Americans live — everyone loves the U.S. military. Americans are fun and spend money, so Okinawans have it really easy. N: Those who complain about the U.S. military live in Okinawa’s capital, Naha City, and have nothing to do with Americans. Yet because of these few, the security of Japan is threatened and the economy of Okinawa is going down.

Journalists should pay close attention to this remark and check it themselves and take it into consideration when they write about the protests against the U.S. military in Okinawa.
Chris

That’s an interesting quote Ponta, I’d like to read the full article it was in. Having said that, I feel I must point out that your massively off topic, when did this become a US Military discussion?

As for the article itself, the reason the Indians worked so hard is because they came from a country with, at the time and place they were in, far fewer opportunities. When you come from that to a first world country, the difference is staggering in a way that’s difficult to fully understand. I’m half Indian and my mother experienced something similar when she came to the U.S., its like getting a sip of water after running a few miles in the heat. You notice it, but the people who didn’t run don’t even care.

ponta

That’s an interesting quote Ponta, I’d like to read the full article it was in.

It is in the article linked on this post.

I feel I must point out that your massively off topic, when did this become a US Military discussion?

Sorry I thought this post was about the interview with Indians in Japan Times linked to this post, their perspective on living in Japan.
Sorry, was it massively off topic?

Lee

people should know that all these luxuries in life kids have isn’t just for free. In return, japanese society demands these kids to study very well and pass tons and tons of exams. Does your country have a cram school? The perfect evidence

http://klj one

Good public schools in america have just as many tests. Ask a japanese HS student how many papers they had to write, most who attend public school will say zero. We had a two hour exam, a one hour mid term, and a paper due in every class every semester. Most kids had six classes(some chose to have seven) and a studyhall every day, most public school kids here have four to five 50 minute classes and it is time for club. Juku exists because the schools are more worried about “clubs” and “festivals” than teaching. 90% of private school kids in japan never step foot in a juku.

http://bensescapefromny.blogspot.com Ben

I disagree with this. While it is true that Japanese students take more tests and write less papers, it’s no proper indication of the workload, nor the standard they are being held to.

Having graduated from a public high school in New York 5 years ago, I can say first hand my writing skills were atrocious before college, and the educational standards they beset were downright insulting to mine and many other students intelligence.

Getting back to the main point here, Japanese youth can be parasites or what have you, consumer whores or other labels, but they have to survive brutal schooling which American educational systems can’t hold a candle to first.

http://klj one

It does depend on what school you go to. I was lucky, small town with too much money. My average class was 12 students and my graduating class was an even 100. Most inner-city schools are crap. Where you live is a huge factor, social classism maybe?

http://www.victorymanual.com Alex

Lee: You’re missing the point. Parasite singles are people who are in their 20s and 30s and still live at home, mooching off their parents. They work part-time jobs and blow all of their cash on material goods and have absolutely no plan for the future. They take for granted the hard-work that their parents put in to provide a nice home for their children. To be brief, they’re useless, self-centered, and short-sighted.

D

New York Public Schools have never been known for their education. Elsewhere in the country public schools are usually better.

As for Japanese kids, they work hard, but it’s all just so they get into the right university. It’s not fair to say that American schools are like so-and-so and Japanese schools are like so-and-so because the educational system is completely different. Japanese high school students have to work their butt off to get into university, but once you’re in, it’s easy livin’- with the exception of senior year, when everybody is running around looking for a job (but that’s anywhere)
In the US, I tend to think that maybe things are a little bit more balanced. Our educational system is built so that you do you need to go to university to learn some things too, unlike Japan, where it’s a non-stop party@ uni, but kids are killing jumping off of buildings if they don’t get into the ‘right school’, sealing their fate forever at 18.
Eddie

It’s all relative.
D-San

i totally agree with what the man said. My fiance is 26 and she still lives with her parents who provide almost everything for her. She only has a few thousand (dollars) saved up, though she’s had steady jobs the last four years. All of her friends are pretty much the same.

Most young Japanese girls will stay with their parenst right on up until they find a guy to marry.

Indians see the Japanese Dream, but Japanese don’t seem to

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