Outside a train station near Tokyo, hundreds of people cheer as Sohei Kamiya, head of the surging nationalist party Sanseito, criticizes Japan’s rapidly growing foreign population.
As opponents, separated by uniformed police and bodyguards, accuse him of racism, Kamiya shouts back, saying he is only talking common sense.
Sanseito, while still a minor party, made big gains in July’s parliamentary election, and Kamiya’s “Japanese First” platform of anti-globalism, anti-immigration and anti-liberalism is gaining broader traction ahead of a ruling party vote Saturday that will choose the likely next prime minister.
My experience has been in Tokyo and Osaka. I have a son that cries a lot. I’m not sure how many kids you have. That might be our difference.
My terrible experience started on the plane to Osaka. From Taipei to Osaka on Peach Airlines.
My son was using his tablet that was sitting on the tray which made the Japanese woman in front of us mean mug us and eventually complained to us about the kid tapping his screen.
Then getting off the plane, we rode the train and bus to a station. Every seat designated for kids and elderly was taken up by young adults. My son was tired and started to cry and was melting on the train, directly in front of a girl who was sitting in those seats. Instead of giving up the seat, she put on her headphones and glared at us for annoying her. Sure SHE might be disabled, but it seems like every spot is taken up by disabled people. I never once saw someone get up from their seat to let a young family have their seat.
Then we were at some big train station and there was 4 or 5 elevators. The far left one was designated for elderly and strollers. But each time the elevator opened, it was fun of people. Nobody got out. Just pushed the close button faster. We ended up carrying the stroller up the escalator, which the guard yelled at us for doing.
At restaurants, we were regularly denied entry because we had a kid with us.
As a long term resident, perhaps the problem isn’t that there isn’t these problems. It’s that you don’t see it.
Next time look at who’s carrying the baby while walking on the street. Look at the father and see how empty handed they are.
Your statements do not support your initial arguments.
You’ve conveniently just ignored everything I responded to about grandparents and women being forced out of their careers as a rule.
Further, you state
It's a culture of hating kids.and that is just not true.You are seeing some shitty people and extrapolating that out to “this society hates kids” which is 100% not the case. That is what I take issue with.
I could go on at length about things Japan could do better for families and, in my decade here, there has been great improvement. There is still room to go. That does not mean that Japanese people hate children and do not want them. It does not mean that this is a Japan-only problem yet your argument is that Japan hates kids.
So you want to tourist-splain to me as someone who lives here and has for a decade? I have family, friends, and coworkers with young kids. I do hear their complaints. I do see their struggles. Again, what you are describing, that Japan has some systemic and cultural child-hating complex, is not at all supported by your argument. It is also laughable to me that you would think you have a better handle on Japan as a whole as a tourist who goes to a few cities. You want to know what you’re also not seeing? You’re not seeing the programs in place. You’re not seeing the variety of things that have been and are being done. You’re literally just making stuff up and saying that all of Japan (the grandparents, for example) is some way.
You have your experience as a local and I have my experience as a tourist and both of us is right in our own view of Japan.
I experience the assholeness of Japanese people towards my young family. Making us feel like a second class citizen for disturbing them with my crying kid. Being turned away from restaurants for having a kid. Not letting me rent a stroller because my kid is 5 days older than the cutoff birthday at Universal studios. From security guards asking me to quiet down my kid because he is having a tantrum.
You’re right, maybe it’s not that they hate kids. Maybe they just hate tourists. Whatever is the case, those places I have visited are not family friendly.
I will say that the people of 琉球 doesn’t act like this.