Japan Lite reader Peter Miller asks: After an extended stay in Japan, does one ever cease to regard oneself as a "gaijin" (foreigner)?
After toting the label around with us for years, when we do finally return home we may fondly refer to our time in Japan as "the gaijin years." I believe that in the same way you become an expatriate simply by living in Japan, simply by leaving Japan you exchange your expat status for ex-gaijin status.
When I first came to Japan, I was not happy with the status of "gaikokujin" and, like many naive foreigners before me, wanted only one thing: to become Japanese! I wanted to become what I call a "naikokujin." I shunned the bed for a futon, chose a tatami-style apartment over one with chairs and furniture, and vowed to sit in the "seiza" position no matter how blue my face turned. I would live only Japanese style! Now I know why "o-baa-chans" are so hunched over: This lifestyle offers no back support. When I become an o-baa-chan, however, I'll probably be petrified in the seiza position. Someone will have to carry me around on a "zabuton" cushion. No wonder so many people turn to asceticism when they get older -- what else can one do from that position?