The official "I hate the Japanese" thread

[ysc]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

I was talking about things like property ownership. There are large restrictions on foreigners owning property in Mexico. Can you imagine the hue and cry if the US restricted non-citizens from buying a house is much of the country?
I did not know that, and I am sure the US would get it in the neck if it tried. It is pretty unreasonable. I learned today that the Swiss did this at some point in the past, whilst my grandparents were in mid transaction buying a skiing chalet there, which would have been an awesome thing to have. So today I don't like the Swiss, but everyone else is ok.

 

[Alter]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

I was talking about things like property ownership. There are large restrictions on foreigners owning property in Mexico. Can you imagine the hue and cry if the US restricted non-citizens from buying a house is much of the country?

Then Japan is less strict. No problem for a foreigner to own property. The banks are hesitant to give mortgages unless you have a permanent residency visa but I had no issues with government regulations when I got my place.

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Alter

Then Japan is less strict. No problem for a foreigner to own property. The banks are hesitant to give mortgages unless you have a permanent residency visa but I had no issues with government regulations when I got my place.

Apparently, and I'm really not that knowledgeable about it, you can outright buy property in areas that are not desirable. But in the good spots, you can't. Someone I know told me he has some sort of elaborate bank trust set up that owns some property for him. I know many people with houses down there and they have to lease the land the house sits on. Every once in a while you hear talks about expropriating property from "wealthy" Americans.

 

[Alter]

Originally Posted by Piobaire

Apparently, and I'm really not that knowledgeable about it, you can outright buy property in areas that are not desirable. But in the good spots, you can't. Someone I know told me he has some sort of elaborate bank trust set up that owns some property for him. I know many people with houses down there and they have to lease the land the house sits on. Every once in a while you hear talks about expropriating property from "wealthy" Americans.
Hey, are you saying I live somewhere "undesirable"?

Interesting, and possible, but I have never heard any of those stories. I do know that in the 90's and 00's a lot of real estate was being bought up by foreign investment companies, including some prime properties in Tokyo and a lot of resort areas that were undervalued due to the poor economy. A couple years ago, a friend of mine was working in real estate in Hokkaido selling huge pieces of land for ski resort development to foreign investors...but I heard the market died with the recent economic slowdown.

 

[Gus]

In Mexico, Americans and Canadians can own property and businesses (except oil) due to NAFTA.

However, you wouldn't want to be in business in Mexico without a well connected local.

 

[Svenn]

Originally Posted by Garage/Surf Rock

I have a general dislike of Japanese because they are so discriminatory of foreigners in their country. Yet they can do as they like in places like America and Europe, because these countries do not have as racist of societies, and Japanese are held in such high esteem. It's an extreme imbalance that they continue to take advantage of.

Originally Posted by jpeirpont

The more countries you visit and people you interact with, you find that America is among the least insular.
These are very important points I think a lot of Americans who don't travel/aren't observant don't realize. For all the crap in the U.S., we still vastly exceed other countries, even Britain, in terms of our notions of equality and non-discrimination. No other country in the world would even consider a concept like affirmative action had the U.S. not initiated the concept. So yes, I agree that the Japanese, but in reality all conservative Asian cultures, are generally racist towards outsiders, towards themselves within their strict social hierarchies, and generally all-around xenophobic. Hell I had a taiwanese-american friend in med school, perfectly nice and otherwise reasonable, tell me with a straight face he's only going to marry another taiwanese-american "but might go out on a limb and marry a mainland Chinese" cuz his racist mom wouldn't otherwise approve. I would have thought by now that it was obvious that all the world's cultures are contributing to modern society... yet a rich Japanese or Chinese businessman, wearing an Englishman's suit, or driving a German's car, will gladly take any opportunity to look down on people from either of those countries and claim their country is superior. As always, these are generalizations...

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by CunningSmeagol

I'm sure rachel could finagle you a nantaimori invite.
The "rach" is short for "rachmaninov," so pronounced like "rock" not "ray-ch."

I never realized there was an alternative reading until somebody in another thread called me "Rachel" and I wondered what the hell they were talking about.

 

[MetroStyles]

Originally Posted by rach2jlc

The "rach" is short for "rachmaninov," so pronounced like "rock" not "ray-ch."

I never realized there was an alternative reading until somebody in another thread called me "Rachel" and I wondered what the hell they were talking about.

I always thought it was pronounced "Ratch" as in Ratchet. Kind of how some morons on this forum think that threak is pronounced "threk".

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

I always thought it was pronounced "Ratch" as in Ratchet. Kind of how some morons on this forum think that threak is pronounced "threk".

Get a brain, morans! Yeah, it's been the same screen id I've had on any forum I've been on since probably 1999 or thereabouts; I just don't have the heart to change it. JLC are my initials, "rach2" is for the 2nd rachmaninov piano concerto, which at the time I made it I was trying to learn (in parts, anyway) It seemed like a good enough ID at the time... but you can ask manton, Jlibourel, iammatt, and others with old screennames whether we thought that we'd still be playing online after all this time. (haha)

 

[CunningSmeagol]

Originally Posted by rach2jlc

The "rach" is short for "rachmaninov," so pronounced like "rock" not "ray-ch."

I never realized there was an alternative reading until somebody in another thread called me "Rachel" and I wondered what the hell they were talking about.

I, of course, know this.

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by CunningSmeagol

I, of course, know this.

 

[CunningSmeagol]

Originally Posted by Rachel

O RLY?

 

[rach2jlc]

Originally Posted by CurdingSmegma

YA RLY

My ORLY own is, like, totally more FABULOUS than your ya rly owl.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

 

[Piobaire]

Originally Posted by Alter

Hey, are you saying I live somewhere "undesirable"?

Interesting, and possible, but I have never heard any of those stories. I do know that in the 90's and 00's a lot of real estate was being bought up by foreign investment companies, including some prime properties in Tokyo and a lot of resort areas that were undervalued due to the poor economy. A couple years ago, a friend of mine was working in real estate in Hokkaido selling huge pieces of land for ski resort development to foreign investors...but I heard the market died with the recent economic slowdown.

Oh no, I was still referring to Mexico. I know zero about this in regards to Japan.

Originally Posted by pocketsquareguy

In Mexico, Americans and Canadians can own property and businesses (except oil) due to NAFTA.

However, you wouldn't want to be in business in Mexico without a well connected local.

http://www.blueroadrunner.com/ownprop.htm