One of the first blogs about Japan I ever read was gaijinsmash.net. Az writes some very funny (and long) stuff, but in a recent post, he takes on the challenges facing a foreigner who has been in Japan for five years. Should he stay in Japan? Should he go home? What should he do for money? I think he's going through a phase a lot of us go through. What would you do?
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So, um, how does one find his/her rooms.
And do they come gaijin-size?...That's not very surprising to me. Almost comparable with American society.
This is one of the best...That's precisely what I thought myself, but given that the powers-that-be have zero...This isn't your typical boarding school, though. It's where they send the worst...I'm guessing he only passed the million dollar barrier because the dollar is so...Labor Day. Nov. 24 was Labor Day....What's this? Eating Yakinikku, drinking Asahi Super Dry, and living day to day on...Done and done. This is one of those easy topics that won't require divulging all...
And do they come gaijin-size?...That's not very surprising to me. Almost comparable with American society.
This is one of the best...That's precisely what I thought myself, but given that the powers-that-be have zero...This isn't your typical boarding school, though. It's where they send the worst...I'm guessing he only passed the million dollar barrier because the dollar is so...Labor Day. Nov. 24 was Labor Day....What's this? Eating Yakinikku, drinking Asahi Super Dry, and living day to day on...Done and done. This is one of those easy topics that won't require divulging all...
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Hilarious blog, i've been reading Az's adventures since the Outpost Nine days. Hard to believe he's survived 5 years of constant kancho defense, lol!
I have a certain antipathy for this blog, mainly because it is the source of the fabled notion of the "gaijin smash." My study abroad classmates were pretty partial to this buzzword and what it stands for. I found myself hearing moronic stories about how so and so "gaijin smashed" the station ticket gates or how this girl acted up in a restaurant to avoid having to pay. That was embarrassing. Honestly, people should think a bit more about what sort of thoughts they release onto the net.
Other times he is funny and has good points, but the title, in this case, really says it all.
Jordan - you've pretty much encapsulated my sentiments on this blog, too. It's quite humorous at times, but the Gaijin Smash thing has really got to stop. It's an awful thing to perpetuate.
Except for one post getting some bad press on Japan Probe, I don't recall Az perpetuating the "Gaijin Smash" thing. He usually writes stories about schoolkids...
http://www.gaijinsmash.net/archives/gaijin_smash.phtml
I don't know about others, but the above post of his was my introduction to 'Gaijin Smash'. While he certainly didn't create the concept itself, nor is his blog themed entirely around it, I think it's fair to hold him responsible for the popularization of the term.
Whether or not he is willing to take responsibility for it is another question though. Judging from his comment in response to the JP post (http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=2595), his position seems to be that his writing is just personal, somewhat embellished anecdotes that should be taken at face value by his audience.
And therefore, whatever ramifications his writing may have are not his responsibility.
Personally I think by taking that approach, in a way he is perpetuating GS.
Luke, I read through the whole comment section on Japan Probe (it took ages!) and all I can conclude is that people who don't read Gaijin Smash think Az is encouraging, or at least influencing foreigners in Japan to break the rules. That is simply not true. As I said before, he mostly writes about his experiences teaching English to Japanese kids.
He's mentioned the gaijin smash thing a few times, but everyone has blown it out of proportion. Google: site:gaijinsmash.net intext:"gaijin smash" and look carefully at the times those words are used. Most of them are references to the website's name, others are used by commenters, and the rest seem to be about "gaijin smashing" his students to get them to listen in class and do as they are told.
Anyway, I bet that Japan Probe article gave more people the idea to "gaijin smash" the trains than all of Az's site put together.