HI, I am Rikkomba, I live in Milan, Italy, and I collect minicons. A lot.
I humbly wanted to ask you (you who live in Japan) a couple things:
-does any of you have a Dragoyell micron to sell me? I need one for my collection;
-do you know any cool galleries or websites made by Japanese micron collectors? I know a couple of American collectors, but I'd like to see some nice pictures of a Japanese fellow micron collector, especially if he also got Lucky Draws and such;
-and just because I am already here, what is the opinion Japan has of Italy and Italians in general? I am curious.
Thanks for your time.
Full Version: Can I ask your assistance?
Hi. Im not sure what minicons you are on about but I might be able to give you some info on how Italians are seen by Japanese.
1/ Some Japanese (or perhaps many) see the world in to ways: "We Japanese" and "You Outsiders/Foreigners". So, to some Japanese, you are "all the same as the other foreigners". That is also for better or for worse.
2/ There are some famous Italian things that are well known in Japan. Some include:
- Actress "Kato Rosa" (half Italian): http://www.ronada.com/adijob/fluxid.php?id...isare_id_lung=1 (scroll down a bit to see her near the end)
- Italian Brand "Fashion": http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/10/04/rtokyo_ed3_.php (Some Japanese have never left the 80's, where big brands meant "fashionable).
- Girolamo Panzetta (Japan's only resident Italian bilingual): http://archive.japantoday.com/jp/newsmaker/433
Of course, Japanese style Italian food and exotic cars are also popular too.
1/ Some Japanese (or perhaps many) see the world in to ways: "We Japanese" and "You Outsiders/Foreigners". So, to some Japanese, you are "all the same as the other foreigners". That is also for better or for worse.
2/ There are some famous Italian things that are well known in Japan. Some include:
- Actress "Kato Rosa" (half Italian): http://www.ronada.com/adijob/fluxid.php?id...isare_id_lung=1 (scroll down a bit to see her near the end)
- Italian Brand "Fashion": http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/10/04/rtokyo_ed3_.php (Some Japanese have never left the 80's, where big brands meant "fashionable).
- Girolamo Panzetta (Japan's only resident Italian bilingual): http://archive.japantoday.com/jp/newsmaker/433
QUOTE
"Somebody conducted a survey last year asking Japanese who they thought were the most famous Italians. Leonardo Da Vinci ranked first and Girolamo Panzetta came second. The affable Italian, long a fixture on Japanese TV and on the covers of men’s fashion magazines such as LEON (whose cover he adorns every month), is amused by the label."
Of course, Japanese style Italian food and exotic cars are also popular too.
QUOTE (Primal-Convoy @ Apr 8 2008, 04:23 PM) 
Hi. Im not sure what minicons you are on about but I might be able to give you some info on how Italians are seen by Japanese.
1/ Some Japanese (or perhaps many) see the world in to ways: "We Japanese" and "You Outsiders/Foreigners". So, to some Japanese, you are "all the same as the other foreigners". That is also for better or for worse.
2/ There are some famous Italian things that are well known in Japan. Some include:
- Actress "Kato Rosa" (half Italian): http://www.ronada.com/adijob/fluxid.php?id...isare_id_lung=1 (scroll down a bit to see her near the end)
- Italian Brand "Fashion": http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/10/04/rtokyo_ed3_.php (Some Japanese have never left the 80's, where big brands meant "fashionable).
- Girolamo Panzetta (Japan's only resident Italian bilingual): http://archive.japantoday.com/jp/newsmaker/433
Of course, Japanese style Italian food and exotic cars are also popular too.
1/ Some Japanese (or perhaps many) see the world in to ways: "We Japanese" and "You Outsiders/Foreigners". So, to some Japanese, you are "all the same as the other foreigners". That is also for better or for worse.
2/ There are some famous Italian things that are well known in Japan. Some include:
- Actress "Kato Rosa" (half Italian): http://www.ronada.com/adijob/fluxid.php?id...isare_id_lung=1 (scroll down a bit to see her near the end)
- Italian Brand "Fashion": http://www.iht.com/articles/2003/10/04/rtokyo_ed3_.php (Some Japanese have never left the 80's, where big brands meant "fashionable).
- Girolamo Panzetta (Japan's only resident Italian bilingual): http://archive.japantoday.com/jp/newsmaker/433
QUOTE
"Somebody conducted a survey last year asking Japanese who they thought were the most famous Italians. Leonardo Da Vinci ranked first and Girolamo Panzetta came second. The affable Italian, long a fixture on Japanese TV and on the covers of men’s fashion magazines such as LEON (whose cover he adorns every month), is amused by the label."
Of course, Japanese style Italian food and exotic cars are also popular too.
Thanks! I read the page about Panzetta, I guess I catched the impression he gives to Japan about Italy. Well, he seems to be a nice character, anyway. A maserati... wow! :-D
Japanese style Italian food= sushi pizza? Or Tiramassu with saki?
QUOTE (FREEFALLL666 @ Apr 14 2008, 12:50 PM)
Japanese style Italian food= sushi pizza? Or Tiramassu with saki?
Wait, it's "tiramisù". Literally, "pull me up".
Japanese pizza is kuso IMO. 
I find that many Japanese people divide foreigners into 2 categories:
1. 外人 (gaijin): people of non-Asian appearance. If you're of Caucasian decent, then they typically assume that you're American (cos ya know, all white people are American and all Americans are white
). It doesn't matter if you're Anglo-Celtic or Mediterranean - you all look the same to them. There's a sub category for people of non-European and non-Asian appearance (e.g. blacks) - they are also referred to as gaijin but can be treated with more contempt than Caucasians. I once watched a TV show where a Japanese celebrity stated that she preferred white Gaijin over black Gaijin. Thankfully the host of that show (Kitano Takeshi) pulled out a giant inflatable hammer and smacked her up the side of her head for that stupid comment (with sufficient force that her face slammed on the desk in front of her!)
2. 外国人 (gaikokujin): people of Asian appearance. Generally viewed with contempt - i.e. "bloody foreigners." When they see a white person they're infatuated by their exotic looks - the whole "white monkey" thing. That doesn't happen with Asians because despite what Asians say - and apologies to all my "AZN brothers and sisters" for letting this secret out - we look the same.
I used to live next to another Australian, who was white (let's call him "Timmy") and for those who don't know, I'm Asian. So we played this ongoing joke with our local postman who asked us where we were from - "Timmy" would say that he was from China (and he did speak some Chinese) and I said that I was from Australia (and naturally I speak English) and we told him that all Australians look Asian and that all people in China look white. He totally believed us!!
Har!! Because I don't speak Japanese with a foreign accent, most Japanese people think that I'm Japanese when they first meet me. Sometimes I play along and tell them that I'm Japanese or half-Japanese. Eheheheh. Yeah, I get bored lots. d:
I find that many Japanese people divide foreigners into 2 categories:
1. 外人 (gaijin): people of non-Asian appearance. If you're of Caucasian decent, then they typically assume that you're American (cos ya know, all white people are American and all Americans are white
). It doesn't matter if you're Anglo-Celtic or Mediterranean - you all look the same to them. There's a sub category for people of non-European and non-Asian appearance (e.g. blacks) - they are also referred to as gaijin but can be treated with more contempt than Caucasians. I once watched a TV show where a Japanese celebrity stated that she preferred white Gaijin over black Gaijin. Thankfully the host of that show (Kitano Takeshi) pulled out a giant inflatable hammer and smacked her up the side of her head for that stupid comment (with sufficient force that her face slammed on the desk in front of her!)2. 外国人 (gaikokujin): people of Asian appearance. Generally viewed with contempt - i.e. "bloody foreigners." When they see a white person they're infatuated by their exotic looks - the whole "white monkey" thing. That doesn't happen with Asians because despite what Asians say - and apologies to all my "AZN brothers and sisters" for letting this secret out - we look the same.
I used to live next to another Australian, who was white (let's call him "Timmy") and for those who don't know, I'm Asian. So we played this ongoing joke with our local postman who asked us where we were from - "Timmy" would say that he was from China (and he did speak some Chinese) and I said that I was from Australia (and naturally I speak English) and we told him that all Australians look Asian and that all people in China look white. He totally believed us!!
Har!! Because I don't speak Japanese with a foreign accent, most Japanese people think that I'm Japanese when they first meet me. Sometimes I play along and tell them that I'm Japanese or half-Japanese. Eheheheh. Yeah, I get bored lots. d:
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