what's your take on this?

[dick benbow]

Over the year that I have adopted this board as my koi chat line, I have really appreciated the unique blend of koi lovers from around the world. I think this
blend gives us lots of different ideas, thoughts, and opportunities to learn.
I have been however surprised by what seems to me , to be the absense of any japanese hobbyists participating. is that your take on it? I wonder if there is anything that can be done to correct it? Can I get some others to express their views.....for a hobby to have started in japan and with the world still looking their way for a base, Im desireous of having more participation and input from
where it all started!

[B.Scott]

I disagree. I can't say that I have ever seen ANY Japanese on any of the other Koi boards I frequent. Here we have a couple at least and then Brian who lives there though he is not ethnic Japanese.


I think much of it is simply a launguage barrier. While I'm sure that many Japanese in the hobby speak English quite competently, I can say from experiance that the threshhold between speaking and actually writing can be quite daunting. Many Japanese who would be quite happy to spend an entire day talking about Koi, would be reluctant if they had to write it down.

I'm sure this makes things a bit tougher for Japanese wishing to participate. I also assume the transition from Hiragana/Katakana/Kanji to the Romanji alphabet is just as big a hurdle as it is for us going in the other direction. I once hear Brian say how the few westerners who spoke Japanese often had trouble reading it... does the flip side apply as well?

B.Scott

[kiky]

I think I agree with Scott. For a Japanese, writing in English is simply too difficult, except only for those who have stayed or studied abroad. Of course as far as I know, even though they are not naturally as talkative as some of us here, still when it comes to koi, they are always very interested but for the language barrier.

[swordfish]

My wild guesses are:

1) writting problem
2) Most foreigners do not understand their culture, art & spirit which is link to
koi appreciation so they rather talk to their own hobbyists.
3) Japanese alway perfer to buy things from their own Japan company even
when they are aboard so they might also perfer to talk to their own people?
4) Japanese feel that most foreigner do not know how to raise koi properly or
select a decent tategoi koi. They treat koi as a project & will spend years
developing & understanding them. Foreign hobbyists??
5) When you carry up a koi it does not flip & splash like any other fishes does.
We might think they are not so smart for a fish or tame but the Japanese
think their koi have samurai spirit in them. They are not afraid of you.
6) Their social thinking. Though Japanese are humble & polite the younger
generation are not afraid to show what they want, they are still tie to
their social behaviour.

These are just wild guesses hope no offend to anyone.

SF

[dick benbow]

Thanks for your thoughts and input, I think we all agree that this "situation" exists on all chat boards not just one. That it may have something to do with the lanquage barrior and the difficulty to translate, so do we just accept it and move on or can anything be done with it to change things. Is there a japanese chat board. Do we have a member here eho can please our case and make an invitation? Just curious......

[Ian_&_Terri]

Maybe Brian could have a breeder on the board while he does an interview? Hint hint,nudge nudge, say no more say no more.

Regards Ian

[swordfish]

There are a few Japanese chat board. One of them is http://www.koimall.com
Maybe Brian can ask some Japanese hobbyists why they don't join us. I'll ask my local Japanese hobbyist.

SF

[Brian]

Folks,

There are indeed a few Japanese chat boards, but they seem not to have the sort of activity that you'd expect on their English couterpart boards.

We have had a few Japanese "hobbyists" visit this board in the past, but unfortunately, they've all been of the mind that were are all just dumb gaijin, and I've spent too much of my life combatting that sort of prejudice to allow it on the board.

There are indeed a lot of good individuals that have information to contribute, but either lack the language skills or the time to post. Perhaps this could change in the future, and I'd try my best to even translate for those who'd prefer to post in Japanese.

Begin rant:

Let me just state this though: Just as is the case in every country, Japan is no exception when it comes to dubious people. There are plenty of people that can appear willing to help and teach, and you should be careful that there is no ulterior motive in the offer. I can guarantee you that there are more than a few individuals like that here in Japan that like to prey on the unassuming foreigner thirsting for knowledge in order to make a little cash for themselves on the side. I've seen it happen and wouldn't want to see that happen to any of you.

:end rant

Okay...now that my rant is over, it would be interesting to have some local folks on the board. We do have some similar ideas in the works though...nod nod, wink wink.

[bekko]

Translation software is making some progress, but has a long way to go. Seems as though it will take at least another decade before we can communicate with someone who does not speak the same language.

This board seems to have contributors from a broader geographic range than most. In addition to the usual mix of europeans, north americanos, aussies and the lone south african, there are representatives from Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Japan. I really appreciate getting this Asian perspective.

I guess if we were really serious about koi, we would learn japanese and start lurking around the japanese boards.

steve hopkins

[Akai-San]

Got my language books and new Japanese language software. Makes me wonder now...why did I quit my Japanese schooling when I was young? I didn't even follow through with Japanese language in high school. Bummer...