Hello,
I’ve recently arrived in Osaka and am attending a Japanese language school.
90% of the students of this language school are from one country which I won’t name.
I’m finding the cultural differences are pretty severe as showering daily and using deodorants doesn’t seem to be a thing where they’re from. (Both sexes are giving off terrible B.O.)
The classroom smells like a highschool wrestling team’s locker room. It’s so bad that I’m actually becoming ill while sitting there.
The 6 other students in my class that are from different countries hold a daily moaning session amongst themselves about the smell but don’t want to say anything.
I’ve also overheard the Japanese teachers commenting that the smell must be due to these student’s diets, but other than that they refuse to say anything.
I don’t think immigration would accept bad B.O. as a good enough reason to change language schools.
So is there any way I can broach this subject without coming across like a total racist? Or can anyone recommend any nifty Japanese gadgets that can disable my nose?
32 comments
Vicks smeared under your nose. If it’s good enough for people dealing with dead bodies (see Silence of the Lambs), it’s good enough for BO.
just search “nose filter” on amazon. I personally never used but I would give it a try if I was in your situation.
I just want you to know OP that I am dying of curiousity about which country it is.
Try to be friends with one of them. Get to know them well. Watch a movie together and go to events, have lunch. Human to human.
And when you are close enough stick your finger in their armpit and let them smell it. I think that sends the message.
Take a trip to the axe black factory, omiyage, standard procedure…
Enough with the getting sick shite…..it’s just a stink. That said, you in a bind. Not much you can do if you ask me. It’s a tough one. I worked with a guy once whose bo was so strong he jack stank on the back of the chair when he wasnt even in the room. On my way home there is a drug store with one smelly girl who is so strong I know she is working as soon as I enter, wherever she is in the store. She is a cutie but damn…..so, I can’t help you here, my answer is to just deal with it until someone else says something. Crack a window and sit near it perhaps.
Whilst I have been in the same situation, saying it makes you ill… Yeah right. Wear a mask
You could suggest that the teachers do a lesson on “Japanese cultural norms” that addresses Japanese sensitivities to powerful smells (like B.O., but also cologne and perfume), regular bathing habits, and general attitudes toward cleanliness. If they pose it as a cultural thing, where people try to remain in harmony with the group and do their best to be considerate of those around them, they might get the hint without feeling singled out. That said, it’s also entirely possible that they don’t notice it at all, and the advice will fly right over their heads.
can you message them anonymously?
Use a gas mask. I’ve worked with people from the country where your classmates are from. I’ll tell you the whole data center smells worst than a stinky pair of shoes. I also go to a gym where a few guys are from that country and I’d finish my work out once they come in the gym because I don’t want to suffocate from holding my breath so as not to smell them. I’m planning on talking to one of the staffs in the gym to at least put a note in the gym that proper hygiene should be observed.
Spray something that smells good into a face mask and wear that? You’ll look like a good person being considerate not to catch and spread covid also so that’s a bonus win.
I’m getting kind of scary. I need a nifty Japanese gadget that can tell me my body odor objectively.
I’m guessing India right? hahaha.
I think an issue is that when you are around a smell all the time you get used to it. Sometimes when I go on vacation and I come back to my home I am surprised that my home even has a smell.
There’s probably no good way to go about this without offending someone and even if you do it’s unlikely everyone will change their lifestyle to accommodate because it is a sensitive area. Sorry I don’t have a good solution. Maybe you can spray something on the inside of a mask and wear it all the time. I hate being around people who smell bad (bad breath for example). I don’t think I’d be able to tolerate it if I were in your situation and would try to discuss a solution with the school
Lol exact same happened me 10 years ago. Shared a floor with them in a dorm and asked to move to another after a few weeks. Coincidentally they were all from the same country!
I thought that biological weapons were banned by the Geneva convention
I feel you. I once passed a woman in a store, her stench was so pungent that it kinda hit me in the face. I really don’t understand why they won’t deal with it, I would feel so embarrassed if I was walking around like that in any country but especially here. I think you definitely need to take it up with the school, there’s a difference between body odor because of hygiene issues and body odor because of eating food with certain spices. In 19th century Europe, people would deal with stench on the street by spraying perfume on their clothing so the street stench was kind of masked. Can you do something like that and bring it in a plastic bag and put it on at school? Also second the suggestion of wearing a mask and I remember a police officer told me years ago that when they have to enter a home with a decaying body, they use a special kind of oil of which they put a drop under their nose to mask the smell and be able to do their work. Might be worth looking into.
Mask with peppermint extract or something similar on the inside.
Unfortunately most people with BO don’t even realize that they smell 😩
I dont see the issue with bringing it up. I have had 3 coworkers over the years all from said country and 2 of the 3 had the BO issues. Just said that your smell is distracting especially when it fills the room and the moment you walk in your like WTF. I just said that its expected that you shower before work every day and wear clean clothes daily. Even recommended so deo I use since I also would stink if I dont wear deo.
If you wanna go the more rude route you can bring deo spray and just spray it all over when they walk by. But more realistically someone needs to tell them that its expected now that everyone controls their own BO to not distract others.
Sit near them. Then smell your pits very visibly. Next, say loudly “whoo! I forgot to shower today. Oh man I must smell. Sorry guys. I feel bad that you gotta smell me. I also forgot to use deodorant. Do any of you have any? I may go home and shower. I don’t want my smell to bother anyone”
That may be a bit too on the nose
I’m going to assume you’re talking about Indian folks. Unfortunately, Western body products like deodorant are still not very commonly used, seen as something “queer” folks and women use. Of couese, not everyone believes this, but it’s common enough that your classmates are probably just not wearing deodorant out of habit.
Well bro they like curry so it’s hard to change them 🙃
When I was a student in Kyoto i remember my uni clearly warned students if they smelled bad and would make then change their diet, shower habits if people complained
Get a one of those personal air purifiers and use it passive-aggressively at your desk.
Bonus points if it’s one of those ones that automatically changes modes from regular (green light), to medium (orange light) and turbo (red light) according to the level of pollution in the air.
Walk around the class with it and demonstrate how it goes haywire when passing some from the country who shall not be named.
>90% of the students of this language school are from one country which I won’t name
By wording it this way, we all know where…
I know which country
Hi I dont want to come across as racist, but I had similar experience before at my workplace. Morning elevator ride was a nightmare. Sadly, based from my experience it was really due to the diet particularly those who consume a lot of onions into their diet.
There is nothing much you can do but do as others say. Wear mask and put vicks or any inhalers under your nose.
Let me guess indian?
Pull up to glass with a hazmat suit on
Actually, your teachers are largely correct. As an example, the indian diet is heavily based in cumin. Which smells very similar to body odor. And it quite literally leaks from your pores if you consistently eat it. It’ll get worse during summer as people get sweatier.
Honeslty, just tolerate it. Wear a mask. Spray the mask. You won’t convince a person to change their diet for your sake. The food is part of the culture.
[Foods That Make You Smell Funny](https://www.salon.com/2010/06/23/foods_that_make_you_smell_funny/)
Gotta hand it to the OP for being more decent than most. I believe the majority would just outright avoid the people with the offending body oder.
As is culturally appropriate, walk up to someone and in your best tsundere go: “KUSEI”. Then muster your best look of disgust.
Bonus points if they are of the opposite gender. Alternatively, some lovely mixes of lavender / sandalwood essential oils placed directly in your mask / above the lip makes for a lovely scent. Japanese pear / cherry blossom scent is also quite pleasant.