| json_metadata | "{"app":"Musing","appTags":["japan"],"appCategory":"japan","appTitle":"Is there any resentment of Japan towards the United States due to the Second World War?","appBody":"<p><strong>Before traveling to Japan, I would have answered no.</strong></p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p><img src=\"https://cdnmundo2.img.sputniknews.com/images/105305/85/1053058505.jpg\" /></p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p>Now, I answer that Japan is great, that not all Japanese think the same, and that the effects of the Second War are felt today in things that one can not imagine from a distance ...</p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p>We visited Japan with my family, in 1999. We spent most of our time in Tokyo, but to try something different, we spent a few days in Okinawa, based in Naha. Unlike Tokyo where we slept in ryokanes (= traditional Japanese hotels, microscopic rooms) in Naha we stayed in a modern Western-style hotel. Since Okinawa is full of American naval bases, we took it for granted that people would speak English: to our surprise, the receptionists barely spoke a little (first clue that something was not right ...), and it was clear that we were the only gaijin ( = foreigners) at the hotel.</p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p>Driving in Tokyo is a torture, so we went there by subway and trains. But Okinawa is big, there are many places of interest to visit, and in the hotel there was a brochure (in Japanese, but the photos were clear enough) of a car rental company, showing a car I fell in love with: based on a Nissan, convertible, but with a retro design imitation Jaguar (!) So there we went with my wife to rent the car. Second surprise: employees spoke even less English than at the hotel. After a few minutes of trying to communicate by signs, we concluded that filling a contract without having the remotest idea of โโwhat he said (and we could not be sure that they understood how many days we wanted!) Was a bad idea, so I went back to the hotel to see if any receptionist offered to help us. They did not offer (supposedly they could not leave their post, although the car rental was five minutes away) so I turned to rent, and surprise: somehow my wife had found someone with whom she could agree to the basics (we never knew if we had insurance), and we were ready to take the car with us.</p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p>Leaving Naha there is a naval base behind another, so the routes with palm trees on the central road are identical to California, except that it is handled on the other side. There are McDonalds, KFCs and Burger Kings in bulk. My children had never seen a KFC (in Argentina there was no, now I think so) and they wanted to see how bad the fried chicken is (answer: it's abominable), so we stopped in one. There, the clients were all gringos, and the cashiers spoke impeccable English.</p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p>We continue our trip to a beach that was our destination, with a very promising tourist resort. Indeed, the resort was very beautiful and the beach paradise ... for who could be understood with the reception. Again to sign language, until someone decided to call a young man with a dazzling smile who spoke English more than correct. Great relief! We arranged with him, and while my wife and the boys were preparing to go to the beach, he could not help but ask our guide because it was so rare to find places that speak English, with the bases so close. The boy's smile faded a bit when he answered \"oh, yeah, the American bases.\"</p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p>I was not going to let the occasion pass, so I insisted until, with much effort (for the Japanese a personal confession is almost pornographic, although in Okinawa they are ethnically different, almost more Chinese than Japanese) the boy told us that the people of the place she was sick of the bad manners of the soldiers, the drunks, and-in the worst case-the rapes of the local girls. But at least they help the island's economy in some way? I insisted. There came a resounding \"no\". It turns out that if the bases pay something, they pay it to the central government, and they probably do not pay anything, so the Okinawans do not get anything from the bases. And what the soldiers consume remains for the American chains (it was clear that no gringo stepped on hotels, shops and resorts run by Japanese).</p>\n<p><br></p>\n<p>During the rest of the trip we tried to pull the language to other places, although between the linguistic barrier and the natural reserve of them, we did not learn much more. But we are convinced that, at least in Okinawa, Americans live in a different world, and are guests by force, not at all welcome.</p>","appDepth":2,"appParentPermlink":"p38shw7l5","appParentAuthor":"pritam43","musingAppId":"aU2p3C3a8N","musingAppVersion":"1.1","musingPostType":"answer"}" |
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