- Who was the first non-Japanese born person you can remember in your life having a conversation with? How old were you? How did you meet that person?
- How many non-Japanese people do you know socially or work with today?
- People from abroad come to Japan everyday as tourists, students, short term workers or to become permanent residents. Tell us about a tourist attraction, university, college, factory or business in your area that attracts many non-Japanese people. What impact does this have on the economy?
- Tell us about a town or area in the prefecture/county/state either (i) where you live now or (ii) where you grew up that has suffered from depopulation*, underpopulation** or aging population***? What happens when there are not enough people to fill jobs? What did the local government do to attract people from elsewhere?
- Have you ever seen a shop, hotel, bar or hot spring hang up a "Japanese Only" sign or explain to a non-Japanese that "foreigners are not allowed"? If yes, how did you react? If no, how would you react?
- What benefits will the 5 to 10 million non-Japanese who will settle in Japan over the next 10 years bring to the economy and to society? Will an internationalized Japan be better off than an aging and isolated one?
Question 1
I guess my parents are the first non-Japanese born people that I remember having a conversation with when I was a child. The first Japanese born people that I remember having a conversation with was three young ladies when I was a backpacker in Austria. They were nice but very shy, we only talked about where we had been and where we were going to next.Question 2
I currently socialize and work with about a dozen people. There are not many foreigners in Nara.Question 3
I live in Ikoma and I think that the amusment park called Ikoma Sanjo Amusement Park could interest some foreigners as the view is very nice. For those people who live in Kansai, it is also a nice place to bring their children.Question 4
My hometown is quite rural and it had a decreasing population for many years. The local government decided to offer "Zero Fees" so students could study for free at the polytechnic. The population grew a lot and the city started to flourish again.Question 5
Yes, I have seen this. I didn't care and I told myself that they had the problem, not me, and I will spend my money somewhere else.Question 6
I am sceptical about how much the foreigners who come to Japan will benefit the economy and society. I do not think Japanese society is ready for an influx of foreigners as it is an old and very complex culture with some rules that foreigners do not understand.Tough Vocabulary
| - English - | - Japanese - |
|---|---|
| polytechnic | ポリテクニック |
| flourish | 継ぐ |
| sceptical | 懐疑的 |
| influx | 流入 |