[allmendream]

Upon reading an article about Japanese men being all grabby on trains - prompting “women's only” cars; I made the mistake of commenting to a Chinese coworker that “I thought the Japanese were supposed to be POLITE!”

She gave a look of utter disdain and said that she wasn't sure where I got THAT impression.

I apologized and said that ‘yes, no doubt when the Japanese were in China, they didn't earn a reputation for being polite - what with all the rape and murder and slave labor and all.’

On the subject of grabby Japanese men on trains, my s.i.l. pointed out (my brother and I watch a lot of Samurai movies) that she had YET to see a Japanese cinematic depiction of ‘seduction’ that didn't have an element of rape.

Big fan of Japanese culture - other than the sexual weirdness, the shut-ins, and the fascist history. They truly are the Germans of the East. ;)

[Cronos]

Actually they’re considered more like the English of the East — both Island nations off the periphery of the main Eurasian continent :-P