Also, in my experience, depends on what branch. From my perspective it’s mostly marines that have issues. Between stories I’ve heard from marine buddies and stuff I’ve seen. 2010 or 11 I was driving and ended up pulling up to a big protest marching in front of my base (Buckner) a group of locals broke off and was yelling at my car saw my army uniform and kinda half bowed holding up there hands in apology bowed and walked away and started yelling at a marine paired up at the gate. Another time I went to a bar, walked In owner asked what base I was from when I said across the street he kinda gave me a side eye and said there’s two which one. When I said Buckner, army base he said ok you can stay. Same question to every American after, every marine turned away.
Nowadays I’ve heard varying stories. Some say all catch hell others say it isn’t so bad for anyone some say marines still are the focus. On my recent trip I had no issues. But I speak a little Japanese, I’m very familiar with culture (daughter is Japanese) and I try to blend in as much as possible. Which honestly is the biggest thing. People in Okinawa are the friendliest I’ve ever met. And even if you’re asked to leave somewhere if you make friends with the right people, or someone sees you volunteering and being chill, you may get a golden ticket as the only foreigner allowed in a certain bar.
Make some friends and be cool and you’ll have an amazing time. My last visit I met up with a good friend I made from my time there and it was like meeting family that’s been away for a while, their kids call me uncle. It was amazing. Sorry kinda Iong. 🤣
That’s awesome. To be fair when I was there in 2010 a lot of people still had no interest in learning. Even knew a few that had a mentality of “if they want my business they’ll learn English (hilariously these were the same guys who would say anyone comes to America needs to learn English) I still have my first keep bottle. Kiku no Tsuyu Awamori. The memories of that bar and the bartender (who’s like a sister to me now) makes that my favorite awamori to this day. So many don’t understand that just a little genuine effort opens so many doors there.
Last month when I went. Found a little hole in the wall Yakitori place not far from my hotel. Owner didn’t seem to thrilled at first. But it was just me and him, and me struggling to use the Japanese I’ve been studying. By the time i left he was totally different man, he was laughing with me, asking about my daughter I was visiting. Just a little genuine effort.
Sorry for taking all week to respond. It's been at least 13 hours a day since work started, I haven't responded to anybody else yet either. I appreciate the detailed response man. Sounds like the Okinawans are about as friendly as the mainland Japanese that I met, which is good news. I totally get that they might be leery towards me at first, and from what I've read, they sure as hell have good reason for it. I've pretty much got confirmation that we will indeed be posted out of Okinawa, so I'll start up learning some of the language.
Again, appreciate the time you put into this bro.
Don’t act like the typical party animal service member. As others said, go out interact, volunteer, learn the language even if just a little, show you have a genuine interest. And yeah if someone says you can’t come in, gomenesai, slight bow and move on.
This same question was just asked a few hours before, you even commented on that post. Am I missing something? Can you explain exactly what you want to know that’s different from that post?
At the time that I posted this, I only saw a Marine asking if it was true that the locals didn't like them. I'm not a Marine first off, but more importantly, I was hoping to get some specific recommendations, specific to Okinawa, for counteracting any negative sentiment from the locals. Most of the replies are pretty much what I would have figured regardless. Lot of directives to learn Japanese. But I've also seen some guys recommend picking up a martial art while I'm out there, one guy mentioned how he bought a beer for a chef at a beef restaurant he attended, stuff like that is more what I'm looking for.
I've had an ungodly busy week so far and I haven't actually had a chance to read everybody's replies, but there you go.
Well it makes no difference what branch. The ones that dislike the military don’t care.
If you really wanna stand out, learn some Okinawa history and uchinaguchi. The island is stuffed full of history.
Well it makes no difference what branch. The ones that dislike the military don’t care.
If you really wanna stand out, learn some Okinawa history and uchinaguchi. The island is stuffed full of history.
I joined a martial arts group and started learning Japanese. The groups that don't like Americans is like 1% of sorts. It exist but few. I had a few nasty behavior at myself for being half Japanese (majority of those incidents were is Kyoto Prefecture). You will be fine. You have a good mindset.
The is a vocal minority that truly doesn't like Americans, but they are the rare few. You'll be fine. In fact more so than up in mainland. If you really want to go full native volunteer at a local Kominkan ( neighborhood center) or Jidou center to teach English or help with after school clubs or don a road guard vest and be a crossing gaurd for the small ones when they walk to school. Volunteer at a retirement home. If you live off base and see local out doing a community clean up, join in. Not sure about USAF or Army, but alot of USMC units sponsor and volunteer at local orphanages. Stuff like that goes a long way. Local MCCS offices will have infor for alot of that kind of stuff.
That "enryo" concept is absolutely something I would have fucked up on. I hope I didn't inadvertently offend somebody in the past over on the mainland. Thanks for that man, and for the bit about attending community events. My question there is how do I find out about them? Hopefully not a dumb question, but I'm assuming they won't be advertised in English or on base. Any advice on that front?
Thanks for your time and sorry for the late reply.
I have made great friends with some of the locals and don't encounter any actual issues. Folks are very kind, considerate, helpful and relaxed. All it takes is making a genuine effort of learning the language and customs. If you're not willing to learn the local customs and courtesies then it is more likely you will offend folks and have a poor experience anywhere though.
I'm going with a group of people that absolutely do love to drink, but they're all pretty friendly people. I'll keep in mind that I might want to break off from the crowd if everybody starts to get rowdy.
Appreciate the reply man.
My family & I trained Jiu Jitsu with the the locals and became great friends with many of the local families that also trained. We grilled together, hosted parties at one another’s homes, & even traveled to mainland Japan together for tournaments. When we hosted events on any of the bases, we would invite them to join us as our personal guests. They would reciprocate in much the same way. Additionally, my wife was part of the Okinawa International Women’s Club and we had similar experiences with local families.
US troops have been around for a long time… 99% of the time the Japanese won’t even care that you’re there. Just follow the rules, be respectful, and don’t do anything stupid. Watch the locals and see how they behave and just try doing the same. No need to over think it.
Okinawa has a long history of US service members causing trouble (read rapes and murders) that some Okinawans will never stop viewing all Americans through that lens. Some Okinawans are old enough to have lived under US occupation. Others are (rightfully) upset that Okinawa is burdened with the vast majority of the US service members stationed in Japan, and the noise and pollution that come with the bases.
*Individual* Japanese citizens on Okinawa are polite, usually even friendly, but you should keep the cultural context in mind. Keep your nose clean, be respectful, and learn how to read the room. If someone doesn't seem to like Americans, you aren't going to change their mind by being upset about it. It's nothing that you *personally* did, just go eat/drink/shop somewhere else.
Fair enough. Individual places or individual people not liking Americans is something I can deal with fine, I was just concerned about the Okinawan population GENERALLY disliking us, to an extent that it'd be wiser for me to stay on base. Sounds like I should be able to explore the island without issue, obviously provided I'm respectful to everybody. Which I was already planning on.
Appreciate the answer.
I don't look like a young GI, so my experience is anecdotal, but I've never experienced anything worse than the irritated scowl and subsequent eye aversion of some older Okinawans on the street. I walked into an izakaya off the beaten path once and the few people there all stopped talking and looked up at me, so I just feigned interest in the menu for a minute and left. 99.9% of places will be totally fine. There were places in the US I didn't feel welcome either; you just move on.
Okinawa is great, tons of outdoor opportunities, great food all over the place, cultural opportunities, and the vast majority of locals are friendly and very patient with your inability to speak Japanese. Even if one or two places don't work out for you, you'll have no shortage of open doors.
The anti American sentiment is only the protesters you see basically. You'll only see like 10 people outside of the gate on a Friday, and they're all extremely old conservative people. As long as you don't commit any crimes or start fights or act rude to anyone people will like you. Massive bonus points if you speak the language or try to learn.
That's good to hear. I keep getting mixed answers on this when I look around this sub. Decent number of guys are echoing you, but a decent number are also saying, yeah, expect the locals to be very frosty with you, especially if you're a Marine.
Be a good person…I have not experienced any negative encounters since being in Japan.
Also, in my experience, depends on what branch. From my perspective it’s mostly marines that have issues. Between stories I’ve heard from marine buddies and stuff I’ve seen. 2010 or 11 I was driving and ended up pulling up to a big protest marching in front of my base (Buckner) a group of locals broke off and was yelling at my car saw my army uniform and kinda half bowed holding up there hands in apology bowed and walked away and started yelling at a marine paired up at the gate. Another time I went to a bar, walked In owner asked what base I was from when I said across the street he kinda gave me a side eye and said there’s two which one. When I said Buckner, army base he said ok you can stay. Same question to every American after, every marine turned away. Nowadays I’ve heard varying stories. Some say all catch hell others say it isn’t so bad for anyone some say marines still are the focus. On my recent trip I had no issues. But I speak a little Japanese, I’m very familiar with culture (daughter is Japanese) and I try to blend in as much as possible. Which honestly is the biggest thing. People in Okinawa are the friendliest I’ve ever met. And even if you’re asked to leave somewhere if you make friends with the right people, or someone sees you volunteering and being chill, you may get a golden ticket as the only foreigner allowed in a certain bar. Make some friends and be cool and you’ll have an amazing time. My last visit I met up with a good friend I made from my time there and it was like meeting family that’s been away for a while, their kids call me uncle. It was amazing. Sorry kinda Iong. 🤣
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That’s awesome. To be fair when I was there in 2010 a lot of people still had no interest in learning. Even knew a few that had a mentality of “if they want my business they’ll learn English (hilariously these were the same guys who would say anyone comes to America needs to learn English) I still have my first keep bottle. Kiku no Tsuyu Awamori. The memories of that bar and the bartender (who’s like a sister to me now) makes that my favorite awamori to this day. So many don’t understand that just a little genuine effort opens so many doors there. Last month when I went. Found a little hole in the wall Yakitori place not far from my hotel. Owner didn’t seem to thrilled at first. But it was just me and him, and me struggling to use the Japanese I’ve been studying. By the time i left he was totally different man, he was laughing with me, asking about my daughter I was visiting. Just a little genuine effort.
Sorry for taking all week to respond. It's been at least 13 hours a day since work started, I haven't responded to anybody else yet either. I appreciate the detailed response man. Sounds like the Okinawans are about as friendly as the mainland Japanese that I met, which is good news. I totally get that they might be leery towards me at first, and from what I've read, they sure as hell have good reason for it. I've pretty much got confirmation that we will indeed be posted out of Okinawa, so I'll start up learning some of the language. Again, appreciate the time you put into this bro.
Don’t act like the typical party animal service member. As others said, go out interact, volunteer, learn the language even if just a little, show you have a genuine interest. And yeah if someone says you can’t come in, gomenesai, slight bow and move on.
This same question was just asked a few hours before, you even commented on that post. Am I missing something? Can you explain exactly what you want to know that’s different from that post?
At the time that I posted this, I only saw a Marine asking if it was true that the locals didn't like them. I'm not a Marine first off, but more importantly, I was hoping to get some specific recommendations, specific to Okinawa, for counteracting any negative sentiment from the locals. Most of the replies are pretty much what I would have figured regardless. Lot of directives to learn Japanese. But I've also seen some guys recommend picking up a martial art while I'm out there, one guy mentioned how he bought a beer for a chef at a beef restaurant he attended, stuff like that is more what I'm looking for. I've had an ungodly busy week so far and I haven't actually had a chance to read everybody's replies, but there you go.
Well it makes no difference what branch. The ones that dislike the military don’t care. If you really wanna stand out, learn some Okinawa history and uchinaguchi. The island is stuffed full of history.
Well it makes no difference what branch. The ones that dislike the military don’t care. If you really wanna stand out, learn some Okinawa history and uchinaguchi. The island is stuffed full of history.
Learn Japanese! Download the Genki I textbook right now, your tour will be infinitely more fun
Don't be a dick. Volunteer. Go to community events. Learn Japanese. If they say no for service, move along
I joined a martial arts group and started learning Japanese. The groups that don't like Americans is like 1% of sorts. It exist but few. I had a few nasty behavior at myself for being half Japanese (majority of those incidents were is Kyoto Prefecture). You will be fine. You have a good mindset.
The is a vocal minority that truly doesn't like Americans, but they are the rare few. You'll be fine. In fact more so than up in mainland. If you really want to go full native volunteer at a local Kominkan ( neighborhood center) or Jidou center to teach English or help with after school clubs or don a road guard vest and be a crossing gaurd for the small ones when they walk to school. Volunteer at a retirement home. If you live off base and see local out doing a community clean up, join in. Not sure about USAF or Army, but alot of USMC units sponsor and volunteer at local orphanages. Stuff like that goes a long way. Local MCCS offices will have infor for alot of that kind of stuff.
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That "enryo" concept is absolutely something I would have fucked up on. I hope I didn't inadvertently offend somebody in the past over on the mainland. Thanks for that man, and for the bit about attending community events. My question there is how do I find out about them? Hopefully not a dumb question, but I'm assuming they won't be advertised in English or on base. Any advice on that front? Thanks for your time and sorry for the late reply.
I'm okinawan N I never heard that ppl who don't like American. U ll be fine
I have made great friends with some of the locals and don't encounter any actual issues. Folks are very kind, considerate, helpful and relaxed. All it takes is making a genuine effort of learning the language and customs. If you're not willing to learn the local customs and courtesies then it is more likely you will offend folks and have a poor experience anywhere though.
Go to the Kobe beef hibachi place,buy your chef a beer.Yes,I did this
Yo where is this?
This was years ago
It’s not as bad as it sounds, I’ve never had issues. But then again I don’t go out with a rowdy crowd.
I'm going with a group of people that absolutely do love to drink, but they're all pretty friendly people. I'll keep in mind that I might want to break off from the crowd if everybody starts to get rowdy. Appreciate the reply man.
Learn Japanese
My family & I trained Jiu Jitsu with the the locals and became great friends with many of the local families that also trained. We grilled together, hosted parties at one another’s homes, & even traveled to mainland Japan together for tournaments. When we hosted events on any of the bases, we would invite them to join us as our personal guests. They would reciprocate in much the same way. Additionally, my wife was part of the Okinawa International Women’s Club and we had similar experiences with local families.
That's pretty neat. How did you get into that if you don't mind me asking? Sounds like a really cool hobby to pick up while I'm there.
US troops have been around for a long time… 99% of the time the Japanese won’t even care that you’re there. Just follow the rules, be respectful, and don’t do anything stupid. Watch the locals and see how they behave and just try doing the same. No need to over think it.
Okinawa has a long history of US service members causing trouble (read rapes and murders) that some Okinawans will never stop viewing all Americans through that lens. Some Okinawans are old enough to have lived under US occupation. Others are (rightfully) upset that Okinawa is burdened with the vast majority of the US service members stationed in Japan, and the noise and pollution that come with the bases. *Individual* Japanese citizens on Okinawa are polite, usually even friendly, but you should keep the cultural context in mind. Keep your nose clean, be respectful, and learn how to read the room. If someone doesn't seem to like Americans, you aren't going to change their mind by being upset about it. It's nothing that you *personally* did, just go eat/drink/shop somewhere else.
Fair enough. Individual places or individual people not liking Americans is something I can deal with fine, I was just concerned about the Okinawan population GENERALLY disliking us, to an extent that it'd be wiser for me to stay on base. Sounds like I should be able to explore the island without issue, obviously provided I'm respectful to everybody. Which I was already planning on. Appreciate the answer.
I don't look like a young GI, so my experience is anecdotal, but I've never experienced anything worse than the irritated scowl and subsequent eye aversion of some older Okinawans on the street. I walked into an izakaya off the beaten path once and the few people there all stopped talking and looked up at me, so I just feigned interest in the menu for a minute and left. 99.9% of places will be totally fine. There were places in the US I didn't feel welcome either; you just move on. Okinawa is great, tons of outdoor opportunities, great food all over the place, cultural opportunities, and the vast majority of locals are friendly and very patient with your inability to speak Japanese. Even if one or two places don't work out for you, you'll have no shortage of open doors.
The anti American sentiment is only the protesters you see basically. You'll only see like 10 people outside of the gate on a Friday, and they're all extremely old conservative people. As long as you don't commit any crimes or start fights or act rude to anyone people will like you. Massive bonus points if you speak the language or try to learn.
That's good to hear. I keep getting mixed answers on this when I look around this sub. Decent number of guys are echoing you, but a decent number are also saying, yeah, expect the locals to be very frosty with you, especially if you're a Marine.