Interesting Tidbits: All Kinds of Gaijin

When you're in Japan for a while, you learn a couple of things not only about Japanese people, but also about your fellow Gaijin (outsider). It's occurred to me that there are only so many occupations and motives foreigners tend to have here. Here's how I categorize them. Mentally, that is.
I don't really have pictures that relate to what I have to say on the subject, but bare with me. It's interesting...a little bit.




OCCUPATIONS

There really ain't that many options. I'd say 90% of all Gaijin fall in these three categories, but I'm just pulling that figure out of my ass.

The Tourist
 This is self-explanatory, and most Gaijin you meet will fall into this category, of course. The tourist is usually only going to stay in Japan for a duration of two weeks or so, but some of them do manage to save quite a decent amount of money before coming here, and stretch their stay for the maximum 3 months allowed. 

The Techie
 The techie is one of the two main classes of Gaijin who aren't tourists. Techies are usually men who have some expertise in programming or coding or anything to do with engineering in general. Tech-related jobs often pay well and are accessory to large companies who are more than capable of sponsoring visas. These guys are usually the Gaijin with money.

The Teacher
 The teacher is the second, and most common class of employed Gaijin. Technically, I fit in this category. Teachers are usually people whose only applicable skill in Japan is that of speaking their own native language. As a result, a lot of teachers are unqualified for what they do, but can keep doing it because of the extremely high demand for English within the country. 

MOTIVES

This is the fun part. People don't come to Japan unless they have a rather specific reason to, whether they're a tourist, a techie, or a teacher. It's usually one of these.

The Rabid Geek
 They're out there, and they're numerous. The rabid geek is often obsessed with manga, anime and/or video games (in the case of most men) or Japanese idols (in the case of most women.) They foam at the mouth and vomit their money on any paraphernalia related to their fixation. They stick to their own kind mostly...thankfully.

The Wanderer
 Wanderers come to Japan because they're aware of the enormous amount of historical or social culture that Japan beams. Wanderers are often seasoned travelers. They may be here because they're interested in feudal architecture or samurai or something. It could also be because this country is somewhat of a madhouse when it comes to societal norms.

The Huntsman
 A category dominated almost entirely by men. These guys care little for Japanese culture of any type, and instead stick to the foreigner-dominated streets of Roppongi. They're the loud ones who are often found in the trashiest clubs, and they're in Japan for the sole purpose of bedding Japanese women. It's that simple. 

The Vagrant
 The vagrant may have once been something else, but he or she's been in Japan long enough that the original passion has died out. Instead of returning home, the Vagrant instead works a job either as a techie or a teacher. It could be that the Vagrant got married to a Japanese person, but it's also very likely that the Vagrant can't get a job that pays anywhere near the salary of an English teacher if they went back home.

And that's it in a nutshell. Hmm? Is that denial I hear?