Wattpad brings you a guest post from DHCermeno, author of Rising Sunsets, which will join our Featured Story list tomorrow:
“What have I done?”
Those were the first words I uttered when I disembarked United Flight 1792 at Tokyo Narita Airport, exhausted and tremendously hung over due to the superfluous array and supply of alcoholic beverages. I had fallen down the rabbit hole, and ended up on the other side of the planet, not knowing why I had done what I had done. After months of planning this trip to move my life, what little I lived at 21, I was suddenly struck with the realization that things were going to be “upside down” for at least the next year. Not knowing any Japanese and relying on what I had heard from other people about this country, none of whom had ever set foot in Japan, I was going to be met with many new experiences that were going to be difficult and challenging. Staring at the unrelenting curtain of rain and dreary black clouds, I feared it was a bleak omen for what awaited me. I knew no one and worried how I was going to survive on a daily basis, afraid of starving or becoming homeless. As time passed, I realized how ridiculous I, and everyone back home, was to categorize and stereotype an entire population. Even though there were many things which were difficult to adjust to at first, such as the inability to read the signage and awkwardly stumbling over the language, I came to realize that there are many things that make us similar and alike, despite our cultural differences. But, all of my trepidation and absurd thoughts of getting sold into white slavery quickly diminished. Here were the top 5 stereotypes I heard or thought of prior to moving to Japan:
All Japanese women look like geishas.
Women in Japan have a definite allure, but they do not wear kimonos, stark white makeup, and have their hair fixed in a complicated arrangement donned with flowers and other accoutrement everyday. Not everyone is dressed looking like they are acting out a scene from The Mikado. Rather, they dress as we do in the United States. The only time those ostentatious and divine clothes are worn are for formal occasions. What Japanese women have, however, which they share with geishas, is that they take care of those around them, for they are the ones who listen, comfort, and try to make others comfortable, as geishas do.
All Japanese (or Asians) look alike.
I am sure other cultures think the same thing of westerners. In fact, in Flower Drum Song, when Benson Fong is asked to identify the westerner who robbed him at gunpoint, he retorts, “Don’t ask me what he looked like. All white men look alike!” And I found at first that all Japanese people did share a common look, but at the same time, I didn’t know anyone, so for me to distinguish one from the other was difficult. But as time passed, I easily was able to identify people I knew and saw the differences in their face, stature, and demeanor. In addition, I found that each Asian population has a different look, which distinguishes them from every other population.
All Japanese know karate and are black belts.
I also expected all of the men to be wearing the karate robes and to have them tied with a black belt and worried I would be challenged to a fight while walking down the street. Men did not walk around town and randomly strike a pose like Jackie Chan or Ralph Macchio in The Karate Kid for that matter. Although some of my students did know karate, others preferred to excel in other sports such as basketball or track. Sports are very important to the students and it gives them both a break from their rigorous school schedule and allows them to bond with their fellow classmates.
Japanese only eat sushi.
If this were true, this is fine with me since I adore sushi, and eating it everyday would be a luxury and a pleasure. I found that even though the Japanese do enjoy sushi, their pallets yearn for other delicacies such as okonomiyaki, a delightful dish similar to an omelet served on a grill and eaten with a small chisel, and katsudon, a pork dish served atop a bed of rice. Meat and chicken are also staples that one will find frequently in Japan and are consumed on a regular basis.
The Japanese are super intelligent and never get less than an “A” in school.
I do have to say that I did have students who were not “A” students and some were lazy about doing the work. However, what I did find that the Japanese students had was a desire to learn English and an unending respect for their teachers not only while class was in session but also when they saw them outside of school. They were shy about participating for fear of attracting too much attention to themselves, but they did try.
My time in Japan did open my eyes to what that beautiful country has to offer, which inspired me to write Rising Sunsets. It made me a better person and allowed me to shed a lot of the original concepts I had about Japan and the negative stereotypes surrounding it. In Rising Sunsets, I do poke fun at my character, a westerner trying to survive in a country where the norms are unknown to him, which do lend itself to some comical scenes. But all in all, it allows him to truly appreciate the differences and embrace the culture. I hope it does the same for my readers.
Read the romance fanfic Rising Sunsets on Wattpad:
Rising Sunsets is an enlightening journey through the mind of David Fletcher, a bright and ambitious young man who is determined to conquer the world and prove his unsupportive father wrong. When reality strikes and nothing works out as expected, an unusual opportunity to go to Japan to teach English to schoolchildren presents itself. There, he discovers his true self and finds an inner strength and independence he never knew existed. Throughout the story, David uncovers Japanese culture and easily embraces the traditions until suddenly, those age-old beliefs stand in the way of his happiness. And, through an unexpected encounter with love, the course of his life is changed forever.