First of all, glad to have you aboard. My question isn't so much about rules as about the culture of officiating in Japan. My understanding is that Americans -- all non-Japanese, for that matter -- are held in extremely low regard. The word, I think, is "gaijin" ("foreignor"), and has a very negative connotation.

Do you find that this attitude is directed at you in your everyday life? Do you find that it's harder for you to get respect from the players and coaches b/c you're American? How about respect from Japanese officials? Do they accept you as part of the team?

I'm just curious how they respond to an American official in a place that has a reputation for being notoriously unwelcoming to Americans.

Chuck

While I can't speak to the issue of refereeing or anything related to sports... I can say simply that your "Understanding" may be a bit skewed... I have had the opportunity to spend a considerable amount of time in many different countries. "Extremely low regard"??? There are a few out there, I'm sure, but lets not generalize... Or at least until "you've" been there...

BTW I'm "Just Curious"....... :)

Hey Chuck, I've been to Japan a number of times on business
and I've had Japanese folks visit me here in the US on
business. I can tell you that nothing could be further
from the truth than what you say here, IMO. Americans
are just plain loved & respected by Japanese in general.
And I'm not just talking about the people I visited. On
the subway, busy streets, in restaraunts, cafeterias, shops,
cabs, busses, hotels, everywhere I have been in Japan I got
nothing but open respect & admiration. China, on the other
hand...

Culture question
 

Dear Chuck,
Many people have heard similar horror stories about living in Japan, but my experience of almost 20 years is far from what you describe. Japanese coaches and officials are extremely dedicated to and love the sport. They treat anyone who loves the sport equally. In fact, I have probably been treated especially well because of being American. My colleagues value my imput regarding American basketball as well as offering a different point of view. Although I started officiating rather late, I have been given the opportunity to officiate in the national highschool championships coming up this summer and have been approached about refereeing at the semi-pro level, where many foreign players belong to company teams. The hope is that I can serve to improve communication both ways between foreign players, coaches and their Japanese counterparts, as well as Japanese referees. This discussion board is extremely valuable in providing me with the current information that I need to serve as the bridge.

Wow. Thanks to all for enlightening me. I really had believed that the Japanese culture was very exclusionary. Obviously, I have never been to Japan, so my information comes thru media outlets. Just another ignorant American, I guess. Thanks for sharing your impressions. I guess I have some reading to do.

Chuck

Hey, anybody who knows the proper response to "what's your
favorite color?" is not ignorant!

I wonder if this attitude is directed mostly toward males. My wife used to be a stewardess and flew frequently to Japan. She is a 5'10" blonde Swedish babe and really "stood out" over there. She said she was always treated as a queen and never heard a negative comment. In fact, she said a lot of the men there were in awe of her and her equally tall co-workers.

Blue. NO!! I mean, uh, red! Yeah - that's it, re . . . . AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

:)

(That's what I feel like when I call one color and point the other direction!)

That's still not as bad as calling out loudly and assertively....

a color that's not in that game!!