I’m in a house share with two Japanese people and I work with 2 Japanese people, one is a teen the other is 55. We just had a meeting and quite a few times things were pinned on me for being the gaijin who “doesn’t get it”.
They say they are trying to “help me” fit into “Japanese standards and society”
When I moved in I brought a set of my own cutlery. So now in total we have 7 spoons, I took one to my room for a couple days and left it in there and that’s “upsetting”.
Apparently I occasionally spill water in the area around the sink onto the floor and it “upsets” everyone. I had no idea I did that. No one told me.
I baked a cake for everyone yesterday, I left a knife in the sink that needed to soak, there is a designated area for things to soak, I left it there. But that upset them too.
**One thing that really hurt was a month ago someone had poured the remains of a cup ramen into the sink in the bathroom and not the kitchen. I saw it that morning and thought it was odd. They just brought it up in the meeting and both laughed saying it wasn’t them. Well it absolutely wasn’t me. I said that and they laughed at me – bro I don’t eat cup ramen… someone was lying and blamed me cos it’s easy cos I’m the gaijin…
Felt like I was being bullied because ultimately regardless of what was my fault or not, their argument was “were Japanese and we like things perfect and as a non Japanese person you wouldn’t understand that”
Anyone else had problems like this? Feeling bullied and isolated. Thanks.