Feminism, Tokyo-Style

QUIET OLD MAN STUDENT:

"I think vegetarians are very peaceful people. My wife used to throw dishes at me every day, but now she is a vegetarian and much more quiet."

"Men in Japan are very weak and the women are very aggressive. They are becoming more like women from the West now because they have jobs, so they are becoming MORE aggressive."

"You are from America and you came to Japan, so of course you are too strong for Japanese men."

Best lesson ever?

GTA: "Okay, who knows what 'to dispose of' means?"
STUDENT 1: "I know. It's when you throw someone out."
GTA: "SomeONE?"
STUDENT 1: "Oh! Oh, no!" *laughs* "SomeTHING!"
STUDENT 2: "But if it is a dead body, then you are still correct."

Student Quotes

GTA: "My friend is having a baby!"
STUDENT: "What kind of baby is she going to have?"
GTA: "Errr...you mean, is it a boy or a girl?"
STUDENT: "No." *absolute silence*

...well, I guess it's one of the following, then:

1. Human
2. Caucasian
3. Made of delicious baby meats
4. Not on fire

Again with this?

STUDENT: "Koreans are very resentful of the Japanese."
GTA: "Oh, because of the occupation?"
STUDENT: "No! No occupation...Japan and Korea were ONE."
GTA: .......
STUDENT: "Korea did not have any schools or any roads before Japan helped them! I don't understand why they aren't more grateful."


Welp...I have a clue....

Some people just don't get it

STUDENT: "We had an exchange student once. He wasn't a normal American....he was kind of darker!"

My Students Are Good At English

STUDENT ONE: "What do you think about working mothers?"

STUDENT TWO: "I'm very attracted to them."


. . . . . .

STUDENT: "My friend was so happy when she got tan. I guess she wants to be a black person, because she like R&B music."

My new favourite student

(male) STUDENT: "I think animal testing is necessary."

GTA: "Even for cosmetics?"

STUDENT: *deadpan* "No, because I don't wear cosmetics."

....

STUDENT: "Cosmetics are necessary for some people, though. Like my wife."

....

GTA: "Name three things that are in your house."

STUDENT: "Any three things?"

GTA: "Yeah."

STUDENT: "Okay. I have three goldfish."

I love dirty old men

Two weeks ago, I had a very taciturn, grouchy student. One thing I've noticed about older male students is that they are either very enthusiastic, or quiet as fuck because they're exhausted. That's fair, as many of them have just come from their ball-busting workdays. I'm pretty good at drawing people out with talk, but this guy resisted my every effort.

He asked me a question that's very popular amongst students- what surprised me when I first came to Japan?- and I decided to see if I could at least shock a giggle out of him. With a grin, I informed him that I had seen a soapland* and, surprise surprise, the window had been open and I had seen just EVERYTHING! (This story is not true, of course. I've never seen a soapland with windows, let alone one on the ground floor of a building.)

He did indeed howl with surprised laughter, and started talking. Oh, he told me many things. Where to find the infamous used panty vendors. Techniques for molesting girls on the train. Websites where Japanese high school girls advertise their services and older businessmen acquiesce. All the stuff you hear about Japan, but say "naaaaaah" to, basically.

Was he having a laugh at my expense? Is he getting off on explaining this to someone he considers to be demure and wide-eyed? Maybe. Maybe not. All I know is that he now requests me every week, and I always look forward to seeing him and hearing his latest stories of perversion. It's the kind of conversation I dream about: fun, interesting, and nasty as hell. You should see the note sheets I write for this guy.

* For those who don't know what a soapland is, this post is awesome.

Students Are Just Ducky

"I think Korean people are like animals because they are so ungrateful for what we did for them. When Japan occupied Korea, we made so many improvements and made their culture better. We did the same thing in Taiwan and they are still grateful today. This is why I think Japanese people don't like Koreans."