Apparently Tokyo hates women and Paris is racist
So the whole learning Japanese and French thing is going a whole lot slower than I had hoped for, as I forgot about that whole job thing I have and all the work I have to do. However! I have made time to read the Rough Guide books on Tokyo, San Francisco, and Paris that we bought.
While these aren't necessarily books you can read from cover to cover, I have read through the whole Customs, Etiquette, and the General Pointers section of each book..and I'm not gonna lie. I was a tad bit alarmed by what I read in The Rough Guide To Tokyo:
"In this very male, strictly hierarchal society, men always take precedence over women. so ladies shouldn't expect doors to be held open or for seats to be vacated. Sexual discrimination is wide spread, and foreign working women in Japan can find the predominately male business culture hard going."
Right. Okay. It's fine. I'm going to a different city, a different country, and their culture just happens to be a bit more misogynist than my own. It's fine. I don't need doors opened for me. It's cool....
...And then I read further on:
"The generally low status of women in Japan is reflected in the amount of groping that goes on in the crowded commuter trains - there are even pornographic films and comics aimed at gropers. If you do have the misfortune of being groped, the best solution is to grab the offending hand, yank it high in the air, and embarrass the guy as much as possible. Fortunately, more violent sexual abuse is rare; though most stalking, harassment and rape are seriously underreported...Women should exercise the same caution about being alone with a man as they would anywhere."
So...I know that there's a big problem with men groping women on trains in Tokyo. That's why they have the women only carriages. There's just something about seeing the phrases "low status of women" and "groping" in a guide book about a city you're really excited to go to that is really depressing. I also enjoy the sentiment that, "Hey! It sucks you've had the misfortune of being groped by some sleaze bag on the subway. Fortunately, you weren't raped."
I'm not really sure what to think about that. It, of course, doesn't make me any less excited or happy to be going to Tokyo, it just makes me wonder if any of you who either have lived or have visited Japan have experienced anything like this?
Out of all the 300-something pages in this book, which highlights all of the wonderful things about this city, only about 2 paragraphs touch on the supposed misogynistic, perverted part of Tokyo and the Japanese culture.
On the same token, in the The Rough Guide to Paris book, there's only a short blurb about how, oh by the way, Parisians are sort of RACIST.
"France has a bad reputation for racist attitudes and behavior...there are occasional reports of unpleasant incidents such as restauraunts and hotels claiming to be fully booked, and travelers of north African or Arab maybe unlucky to encounter outright hostility or excessive police interest."
They go on to say that if you are "unlucky" enough to have an "unpleasant" experience like they described, they give you the number of a support line to call as the "police are unlikely to be sympathetic". But! There is good news if you're a woman:
"Full-on sexual harassment is extremely unusual, though female travelers from Anglophone countries may find ordinary male behavior chauvinistic."
Ordinary behavior, huh?
I was pleased to find that the Rough Guide To San Francisco had a whole section on Women Travelers, and they didn't really have one negative thing to say, aside from the fact that if you'd like to carry gas, whistles and pepper spray if you're traveling alone, that that would be a good idea.
"In the West Coast's most politically progressive city, women are treated with respect and courtesy almost everywhere, and commonly hold positions of power and authority."
That sentence just makes me want to lick the city of San Francisco.
While most people who are proud and love the cities they are from and live in don't want to admit that that "they're a tad misogynist" or that "yeah, some of us grope women on trains" or especially that "um, we're definitely a little bit racist", I still appreciate the fact that this information is included in these books....I think.
No city is perfect, no culture is perfect.
If you were coming to London, and I had to write a completely honest, unbiased paragraph on how women are treated here, I would have to mention that, "Yeah, the door won't always be opened for you, and some of my friends have had men grab their ass on the tube." But, on the same token, you also get the lovely British men that will give you their seat if you're struggling with grocery bags in a pair of stilettos on the train, and even a busy Londoner who will happily open the door for you, despite their gender.
Do you think that travel books like Rough Guides accurately depict the culture and the personality of the city their describing?
Advice...I needs it.
Comments
You talk about Paris, Texas, right ? ;)
i'm sad that the Tokyo guide said all of that! I've been to TK -- with 2 girlfriends, no less -- and we had NO trouble. seriously. we rode the crowded subways, we went out at night, we walked around the city ... all without ANY trouble whatsoever. yes, i'm sure that japanese men aren't very nice to japanese women (culturally, they *are* pigs), but we didn't have any trouble as visitors. while native men might not respect women of their own country, they are equally afraid of foreigners, and you may find that you have extra space around you on the train. (i did!)
you'll have an awesome time!
oh, and P.S. - one of my girlfriends from that trip accepted a job transfer to TK about 3 months after we had visited, and in the 2 years that she lived there, she had NO problems with local men. none. that's good news!
A friend of mine lived in Tokyo for 4 years teaching and I don't think she had to deal with one groping incident/any incident involving men being threatening in any way. Am v. jealous of your trip!!
I think guide books post certain things to warn you that these things might happen so you are prepared. I've read what guidebooks have to say about my country (Canada) and my city (Vancouver) and its shocks me because some of it is just so waaay out there. I think all traveler's should be prepared and that as along as they pay attention and are respectful of local customs and etiquette, they should be ok. Its the dumb-ass traverelers, who expect the locals to conform to them, that end up having bad experiences. You can, quite honestly, have a bad experience anywhere......just as you can have a good experience anywhere.
I have heard bad things about Tokyo but also MANY good things. I was there when I was 12 and had a great time....but that was a long time ago and I was considered a child so not a lot to report there (although as a blonde, I was revered....LOL!). I do remember my dad leaving his camera in a taxi in Tokyo and he got it back...but that was a long time ago so no clue what its like now.
I haven't been to Paris but its on my list and I have done some reading. Parisians have a rep for being somewhat arrogant but I don't think its everyone. They don't like touristy people.....so if you want to have fun in Paris, don't act too touristy...whatever that means! LOL!
Have fun...we are all jealous! :p
As to arrogant French people, that is a total myth. I have encountered some, but no more as I would encounter in any other country. Some may mistake the behaviour of some waiters as arrogance till you realize it is part of the game, but you only really see this in totally traditional places.
In London, when I give up my seat on the Tube, women look at me as though I have fallen out of a dog’s bottom, or that it must be some Jeremy Beadle (RIP) gag. But then, I also talk on the Tube just to scare the locals. (I’m British. I’m allowed to.)
I have not been to Tokyo, only to Osaka, and being a man I cannot really comment on the groping. The Japanese men do have a reputation, and I know in Taiwan a lot of massage parlours rely on Japanese trade. JuSaMee is right in any case: mutual respect is the name of the game!
I figured that these guides are just supposed to sort of warn you about the worst case scenario...but especially with what they wrote in the Tokyo book, it's a bit much and enough to make someone a bit paranoid.
I really appreciate all the wonderful things you've had to say about Paris and especially Tokyo. Everyone I've spoken to says how much they love Tokyo and how great of a time they've had there, so I'm not too worried. I think I'm more worried about the toilets, actually. Are they really just holes in the ground, or are there more western toilets than everyone is actually telling me??
Maybe you could just put on a wig and wear a pink cardigan and hop on the women's only carriage in the morning, and then toss them in your backpack on the way to work, lol. :)
They seem to be written on the theory that if you know about potential problems, you can more easily avoid them. I've followed their advice when traveling to Osaka, Barcelona, Venice, Amsterdam, and a few other places and have had nothing but safe, fun experiences.
Just be prepared, and be smart, and you'll be fine.
The first thing I would say is that, having travelled quite a lot on my own all over Europe/Morocco etc and also lived for the last two years in France and Spain respectively, the Lonely Planet appears to be written by extremely paranoid people who have never set foot outside their home town before..
I'm from a very small town in the Highlands of Scotland so probably had the most sheltered upbringing you could imagine and even then I have never, never found things to be as bad as the Lonely Planet makes out..
I spent a lot of time in Paris and have found that 'male harrassment' is fairly bad in terms of people making comments at you in the street, continuing to try and chat you up long after you've made it clear it's unwelcome (sometimes even if your boyfriend is standing there too) BUT all this has happened to me in London , Glasgow and Manchester too, including the ass-groping on the metro/in the street and in Britain it's not like I stand out in the crowd as a foreigner like in Paris...
Anyway you're going to PARIS baby, get excited about it! Vive la France..
Make it up Fuji, if you can. The mist is amazing. Bring cash to sleep at the top and wake up above the clouds at sunrise.
People will try to get you into bars. If you don't want to, say 'gomen-e' and keep walkin' along. Forget ever using a car while you're there. Bring a nice camera. Leave your credit card at the hotel and bring if you plan on shopping - it forces you to keep a budget. If you're a foreigner who at least attempts decent Japanese, they'll like you a lot more than regular gaijin.
Don't waste your money on tourist traps. Don't ask what the food is made of. Don't plan your meals too well - allow for randomly walking into places. Lord knows there's enough restaurants there. Try to make a pen pal while you're there.
Have fun.
Steve (http://www.impulsenine.com/homepage/pages/blog.html)
are they really being racist, or just (just! ha!) snobby? Hmmm...
Cuppy-cate, please tell me that you couldn't raise a ruckus if some French guy pulled that shit with you... please tell me that so we can pull the plug on your blog and start feeding you soft foods. Because I don't believe for a minute that you'd let anyone get away with any kind of crap in your presence.
Anyway, when you go, have a drink and think of me. Conjure up a little Manon while you're there, please, because that's the fucking closest I'll probably ever get to being in Paris ;)
What happens in Tokyo happens in India too. That reminds me ... I need to blog about it.
but for tourists, I think it's probably "safe."
Of course racism is present in France, like in other countries, but it doesn't mean you'll see it when you come. Our President is a son of immigrate after all.
(sorry if I don't write perfectly well, I don't pratice that much)
And please don't apology, I don't know much about US, just what I see in movies or in our medias...
And there is no need to apologize - you're far better at writing in English than I will ever be at writing in French. ;-)
I think the fact that US schools no longer teach Latin is a real barrier to people here being able to learn many European languages....