regions, prefectures, stereotypes

i met an american guy this weekend who has lived in japan for 17 years, mostly in tokyo. he told me that he moved to fukuoka because he was told it was full of kind honest people, but that in the few months he has been here, he has found the people (japanese people, that is) to be "two-faced and immature." in other words, they are kind and happy, but won't tell you things straight to your face. i've been thinking about whether or not i've encountered this, and in some ways, i think i have, without realizing it so clearly. i still think that kyushu people, in general, are more chill and unaffected by the rivalry between kansai (osaka) and kanto (tokyo), but it got my wheels spinning about how we foreigners perceive japanese people, and how japanese people think of japanese in other regions/prefectures.

a few interesting articles on the matter. my mind is far from having a formed opinion, but i will continue thinking on it.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20080302pb.html

http://www.quirkyjapan.or.tv/kenminsei.htm