Beggars in Japan
According to Chinese writer Hu Wei (胡伟), beggars in Japan are not technically beggars, coz 1) they do not beg, 2) no one will give them any money anyway.
In his book 美丽的中国人 (or The Beautiful Chinese, Writers' Publishing Press, 1998), Hu said Japanese would seldom feel sorry for beggars.
Why?
Because under the country's "employment for all" policy, every one will be able to find a job, no matter how lowly. And even if they cannot find one, the authorities will extend a helping hand in finding one.
Hu remembered how anxious his Japanese friend was in explaining to him when the two were walking together on a Japanese street and met some beggars.
His friend explained: "These people initially have jobs and families, but were either dissatisfied with their jobs or families, or have "queer thinking." Hence, they roam the streets as a form of protest. You have to understand that these beggars do not represent Japan!"
Hu noticed that many Japanese were extremely uncomfortable about the presence of beggars in Japan. Some even saw beggars as a form of "national humiliation."
Turning to the lives of these beggars, Hu noted that even though beggars do not beg, they generally eat well. They do this by waiting outside the various supermarkets at closing time, where unsold food for the day will either be distributed or thrown away.
Hu added: "Sometimes they even get to savor food that ordinary housewives either cannot afford to, or find it too expensive to purchase."
But things were completely different, according to Hu, when it came to foreign beggars begging in Japan. Japanese, it seems, were more than happy to give generously to these mainly American beggars.
The reason, as Hu surmised, was sort of a perverse pleasure in a reversal of roles. After all, in the past, it was the Japanese men who begged for food from American soldiers, and Japanese women who had to offer their bodies to Americans ... but now ...
In his book 美丽的中国人 (or The Beautiful Chinese, Writers' Publishing Press, 1998), Hu said Japanese would seldom feel sorry for beggars.
Why?
Because under the country's "employment for all" policy, every one will be able to find a job, no matter how lowly. And even if they cannot find one, the authorities will extend a helping hand in finding one.
Hu remembered how anxious his Japanese friend was in explaining to him when the two were walking together on a Japanese street and met some beggars.
His friend explained: "These people initially have jobs and families, but were either dissatisfied with their jobs or families, or have "queer thinking." Hence, they roam the streets as a form of protest. You have to understand that these beggars do not represent Japan!"
Hu noticed that many Japanese were extremely uncomfortable about the presence of beggars in Japan. Some even saw beggars as a form of "national humiliation."
Turning to the lives of these beggars, Hu noted that even though beggars do not beg, they generally eat well. They do this by waiting outside the various supermarkets at closing time, where unsold food for the day will either be distributed or thrown away.
Hu added: "Sometimes they even get to savor food that ordinary housewives either cannot afford to, or find it too expensive to purchase."
But things were completely different, according to Hu, when it came to foreign beggars begging in Japan. Japanese, it seems, were more than happy to give generously to these mainly American beggars.
The reason, as Hu surmised, was sort of a perverse pleasure in a reversal of roles. After all, in the past, it was the Japanese men who begged for food from American soldiers, and Japanese women who had to offer their bodies to Americans ... but now ...
posted by Maria Siow @ 12:13 AM
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