Xenophobia

Michiko2
Level 6
Chiba, Japan

Xenophobia

Hello, there.

Would it be alright if I shared my experience with the neighbors?

When I moved to the new house, I was thinking about starting Airbnb business, but I did not have concrete plans for that yet. When I sent some pictures of my house to some international friends of mine, they mentioned, "Oh! it is a very beautiful house and I will stay there definitely ."

I visited some of my neighbors with a gift to say hello and to tell about the plan of welcoming international friends: I said to them, "If you hear some noise from my house or see some troubles, let me know and I have to apologize."and they kindly replied, "Oh, the fault might be all ours. Never mind." : the old woman of the next door was nice to me at first, but she changed, even if I said hello, she ignored me with a sullen look.

One day I saw a man standing in front of the gate of the next door for hours and I heard they were speaking ill of me, so I joined the conversation: the man said to me angrily, "You didn't tell us about international visitors coming to your house and you didn't say hello to your neighbors. We feel uneasy having foreigners in our area. You should join our Residents' Assosiation but you ignored us." Accoriding to Japanese law, they should Not force us to join it, and I know it is nothing but a waste of time and the members are always whining about their neighbors for FUN. It is quite worthless, but the man, sub leader of that assosiation, forced me to go to the office and to join it and I had to pay 4400 JPY for the membership fee. I told them I greeted to my neighbors and told about the international visitors, but the man said, "No, you didn't do it. No, you didn't do it. If so, tell me the exact date you did it."quite repeatedly and rerentlessly, MORE THAN TEN TIMES. According to the law of our area, it is not hosts' duty to tell the neighbors about the Homestay Business. The old woman of the next door forced me to buy the new laundry poles that cost quite expensive, and she complained about my laundry space: she said to me "It looks quite dirty!"repeatedly and ruthlessly, MORE THAN 20 TIMES, in total, though none of my visitors complained about it.
It is my house, and it is quite offensive for the neighbors to peep into the private space.
I asked Airbnb staff about it, and they replied, "No, you don't have to buy them." I told the sub leader about it, and he mentioned,"Ah? Airbnb is nothing but a private company, so we do not trust it. You should ask prefectural office, and they are quite trustworthy. I am going to tell the prefectural office that you are making trouble with the neighbors and you will be desparate." He wrangled on, " You don't seem to be lawyer's daughter, for the lawyer is the respectful person. Only factory workers are staying at your house. When are you going to buy laundry poles You must do it. Tell me the exact date you will buy it." Almost all the visitors of my house are the researchers of university lab, engineers, teachers and martial artists, for there are some very famous universities around here and we have the world wide famous martial artist close to my house, however, if the visitors are the factory workers, who cares? I am not such a discriminant, and my father, grandfather and brother were lawyers: my aunt is a very successful lawyer and we can see her on TV., but I don't think only such titles tell they are respectful people or not. I called the prefectural office to ask if I should buy laundry poles and everything my neighbors forced me to buy, and they replied, "No, you do not have to, and you are not making troubles, because merely laundry thing is not the requirement for our supervise, but if your visitors throw the garbage away into your neighbors' houses, we will deal with it as one thinks fit. "

Everything happened here is because of their kind of xenophobic attitude of Japanese: some of the brain scientists insist that Japanese people are the most xenophoic in the world and try to unite and stick together as stupid Residents' Assocciation against foreign menace:menace that is nothing but their paranoid without any knowledge about international affairs, politics and foreign cultures, though most of the visitors of my house are doing fabulous with perfect politeness and so respectful. Moreover, many of my guests can speak three or more languages so fluently, but most Japanese can speak only Japanese, though people study English for more than ten years at school. That is one of the cause of misunderstanding and paranoid.

 

 

 

 

25 Replies 25

Great thanks for your advice!

 

Also today the old woman of my next door was peeping out the laundry space: she mentioned about even my  bra. 

 

The flowers and twigs of the next door are protruding into my  house, so I called her and said, " Oh! I am happy because your pretty flowers are coming to my house, but if I am carelessly hurt your flowers, I will have no words to apologize you." and she said, " I will call a gardener in a week to get them straight."  Even flowers know she is crazy and wanna get out of her garden! 

 

You gave me guts.

 

@Michiko2  It's really sad that some people lead such boring lives that all they have to do is peer out their windows all day nosing about what the neighbors are doing.

And they are probably resentful that they see you leading an active life with all types of guests coming and going- it makes it evident to them that their lives are dull by comparison.

Great thanks for your comments.

 

Some of my neighbors seem to be  waching at my house for 24 hours:old woman of  my next door and other middle aged woman told me to do mowing in my garden. It is NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS!! 

I am not their menial. It is my property. It is NOT THEIRS! 

While I was doing mowing, neighbors peeped over and poked their nose, "Cut this grass and that one over there, too. You should cut all the grass in your garden! Your grass is quite nuisance!" 

I know a bank clerk and he told me my neighbors are quite poor with no money and troublesome: his customers often mention it.

One of my coworkers also menntioned people around here are all rogues, mugs  and hoodlums.

 

Thank you so much for your kindly concern.

 

 

Helen350
Level 10
Whitehaven, United Kingdom

Hi @Michiko2, we have xenophobic neighbours in England too! I live in a group of 6 cottages + 2 houses, surrounded by fields, 1 mile from the town. I too have a nasty old woman next door, who has complained about the never ending procession of "unsavoury characters", refering to my longer term lodgers, before I did Airbnb. (They were all nice decent people!) The neighbours the other side are nasty, to me, and to other neighbours. They bend back the wing mirrors of my car  and those of Airbnb guests'/lodgers' cars. These neighbours COMPLAINED TO THE COUNCIL, that I was running an illegal B&B business. A man from the council came round and said "Who cares? - It's only Airbnb! That's like having lodgers!" Mind you, the 2 bad neighbours probably hate my English guests as much as foreigners... Thankfully, my other 5 neighbours are OK with my paying guests.

Great thanks for your experience. I realized Xenophobic people are here and there reading the posts of yours and other advisers: their  Xenophobia is likely turned out to be a psychopass. Your neighbors seem to be seized with jealousy at the sight of lodgers are coming to your house with joy and making money.

That means she or he is so empty.  Sure, as you mentioned I realized other neighbors of mine are so nice 

and they said, "Oh! I did not know you are having guests and it is quite all right because you seem to be the good host who are safely and correctly managing it with decent guests." , though aforementioned stupid Residents' Association threatened  me, "All of your neighbors show hostility against you, because you are doing everything so badly."  : that turned out to be their paranoid. 

 

Thanks to you, I feel great! 

 

 

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

@Michiko2 @Helen350 @Yulianna0 @Lilly28 @Anonymous 

 

If you are as an example @Michiko2  living in Japan you may like to look around CC using various keywords like Chiba, Japan etc and network with other Japanese Hosts/ Guests within ABB CC.

 

We have a msg system as well.

 

It's good to have online & offline support networks.

 

All the Best @Michiko2 from afar yet near from Central To All Home & Location, Auckland, New Zealand. who has Japanese friends in Chiba who have lived in Auckland!

 

I believe Auckland Council may be Sister Cities with those of cities in Japan, including Chiba

Great thanks for your advice! It is very helpful!

 

I will contact them.

 

 

Helen427
Level 10
Auckland, New Zealand

@Helen350 

I hope you & your guest have reported the damage to cars  etc to your local Police as those acts are unlawful damage to anothers property. They can always have a srtern word to them, just be midful some nasties retailiate.

 

Taje care

 

All the Best

Central To All Home & Location, NZ

 

Thank you so much for your kindly letting me know about it.

Nina75
Level 10
LA, CA

Don't tell your neighbors anything, DO NOT GIVE THEM POWER, YOUR NEIGHBORS ARE NOT YOUR BOSSES! If you EMPOWER them, you will loose control. I also dont hide anything. At one of my other properties the neighbors know what im doing and can care less.

.... The one time I told my neighbor what I was doing he made a big deal about it he even started filing fake police reports... until I caught him once in a lie and I yelled at him and called him a LIAR every sice I caught him in the Lie he has never bothered me again.
(THE LIE: He called me once yelling at me telling me that guests were being really really loud partying and for me to quiet them down or he was going to call the Police. little did he know that I didnt have any guests that day and I WAS AT THE PROPERTY so I went to his front door and confronted him about being a LIAR, every since then he has never messed with me.)

Great thanks for your advice.

 

While I was reading your posts, I realized we should be strong, stronger than nasty neighbors!

 

You gave me guts!