Cultural Sensitivity and Firearms

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Being cowboy oriented, I would include some old west type of firearms, something that looks like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood would have used in the movies. .22 caliber single sixes and/or a lever action .22 brings out the cowboy in anyone. Blackpowder loads in centerfires with the smoke and boom would be icing on the cake!
 
cheesebigot:
You mentioned keeping tabs on 16 or so different guns at once.

Even a seasoned gun guy in his 30's at the local private club almost tried to insert an 8x57 Mauser rd. into one of my Enfields, because we had those two types of rifles almost side-by-side near the ammo. Three people were there with too much handling at once.

It might be necessary to have one person watching every two people, and this is for Experienced shooters with unfamiliar guns. Can't imagine what foreigners with No exposure to guns might try to do, even if all guns Were somehow always pointed downrange. Maybe only two people at a time stand by the guns?
 
If the subject of gun control and the Asian community is bought up by them. You could casually mention how the Korean store owners used rifles to successfully protect their stores during the Rodney King riots in LA.
 
Make sure the targets are big enough/close enough for them to hit something. Cans, plastic bottles, or cardboard boxes are way more fun to shoot then paper targets, if permitted where you'll be shooting.

Bring a shotgun if you have one.

Many shooters will want to shoot the biggest/most powerful gun, just for bragging rights later.

For absolute newbies, I'll usually give them only one round at a time until I'm sure they won't make any cowboy or gangsta moves with a loaded firearm. I've seen Mr. Hyde come out a couple of times at the firing line, from otherwise sober and unpreposessing people.

Assorted pieces of empty brass for souvenirs usually goes over well. Have them call their embassy to make sure they can take them back home.

Make sure someone brings a camera and a camcorder with a tripod. Bragging always goes better with good pictures.
 
learn a little about japanese body language and greeting behaviours before your meet. their communication patterns are very different from ours: be sure to introduce yourself by name and title to establish status, bowing on meeting is common, accepting business cards with two hands is expected, avoidance of direct eye contact is polite, waving someone toward you with palm down and scratching movement of fingers is appropriate (palm up or shown indicates aggression), do not ever point at an individual with your index finger or an object or touch them directly (unless you are in a dense crowd), limp handshake is typical, punctuality is important, greet senior persons first and show appropriate respect to hierarchy, do not talk over or interrupt, any gift exchange should be wrapped and bagged and not opened in public, dress code is more formal than USA standard.

the most important thing in dealing with japanese is in respect for their hierarchy, deal with the oldest and highest ranking first and most politely, satisfying them before the others, in descending order.
 
Thread carefully. This exact picture caused a huge freak-out on a sword collector's forum a few years back.

tumblr_myakru4ivW1qz9tkeo1_500.jpg

Picture Germany today if their schools downplayed their responsibility for WWII and elevated Dresden to the worst act of the war, they still had a cathedral in Berlin honoring Hitler, Himmler, Goebbeles, and the like, and every town had a shrine to their local war criminal . . .

Mike
 
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If the subject of gun control and the Asian community is bought up by them. You could casually mention how the Korean store owners used rifles to successfully protect their stores during the Rodney King riots in LA.
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I'm not sure that you're going to appeal to the sensibilities of Japanese by telling them what Koreans did. Unlike us, they don't tend to see an "Asian community" so much.
 
Arizona_Mike said:
Thread carefully. This exact picture caused a huge freak-out on a sword collector's forum a few years back.

tumblr_myakru4ivW1qz9tkeo1_500.jpg

Picture Germany today if their schools downplayed their responsibility for WWII and elevated Dresden to the worst act of the war, they still had a cathedral in Berlin honoring Hitler, Himmler, Goebbeles, and the like, and every town had a shrine to their local war criminal . . .

Mike
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Well said, Mike. And a great picture. I'm sure that my late uncle (a veteran of the 503rd PIR) would have been happy to join in.

I guess the greatest source of my heartburn with the Japanese is their flat-out refusal to admit that they were the aggressors or that they did anything wrong during the war. At least Germany has manned-up and tried to make amends for the evil which they did.
 
Let's not stray too far from answering the OP's question, though, about how to present guns and gun ownership, especially Japanese war relics, to his guests.
 
I'm confused. Why would anybody be insulted by seeing guns from their own country? Is it because they are now in American hands? If so, explain to them that Americans have access to weapons from all over the world.
 
I had the honor of taking a Japanese engineer to the local indoor range once. He had a ball and was pretty good shot. Afterwards he was tickled pink to see a Howa in the gun rack. He loved that it was a Japanese gun. I'd say, go for it.
Mauserguy

PS: You can get ammo for a Nambu?
 
Invariably, I have found that when hosting foreign shooters that they want to see and shoot the things that they see in the cinema. That's really the only reference that they have, and the only way to brag about their experiences when they get home again. They don't care about the US gun culture from an access or legal perspective - they just wanna play with the most dramatic toys that they can. It's just human nature. :)

For me, most any semiauto pistol and whatever AR rifles that I have on hand have proven popular, and most folk seem to want at least one go with a big bore hand cannon (aka 'the Dirty Harry gun').
 
I wouldn't worry about your Japanese guns. You may want to explain why you collect the type of firearms that earn your attention, but that's up to you.

In general, Japanese are polite people and they will appreciate the opportunity to shoot your guns. As for the war, don't worry about it too much. Japanese respect authority, even their own conquerors.

Also, Japanese love guns just like us. Their government's politics is different. I'm sure all of you will have a great time.
 
I'll repeat this again. Check with the group leader on everything. Forget about mentioning "Koreans". As to the Japanese guns get clearance from whomever is in charge of the group to ensure there that no incident occurs. Have a structured event. Stay on the safety and fun of shooting the weapons and everything will be fine. No politics.
 
I have worked with Japanese in a training environment. One of the things that is very important, is to have them explain back to you what you just told them. IME, if you ask them if they understand, they will always smile and say yes. I was told later it was a matter of saving face.

Instead of telling them "do this, do this, do this, do you understand?"

say

"do this, do this, do this," and then have them show you back without any ammo of course.
 
I've been to Hawaii many times. it is a favorite vacation spot for Japanese, and...wait for it...the gun ranges in Hawaii do a rousing business from Japanese visitors. They advertise everywhere in Waikiki (in Japanese, even), and they don't seem to have any trouble remaining in business. :)
I just saw a survey that showed that Asian immigrants strongly support gun control.
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Reading comprehension, anyone? :rolleyes: One of these things is not like the other.
These are not Asian immigrants. They are Japanese nationals, who are visitors to our country.

I probably shouldn't get into the whole post WWII "Germans vs. Japanese" thing. But let me say this: I have been to the Arizona Memorial many times. Go there once and see for yourself. The Japanese visitors (of all ages) conduct themselves with a degree of respect and decorum that the average American will never comprehend, much less match.
 
I'd maybe bring the Arisakas and Nambus out and a few allied firearms too if you have them. Maybe a Mosin Nagant too.
 
Queen is right. Always best to check before hand.

Let me just add that the Japanese are a proud people. They expect perfection in what they do and it tends to show in stuff like their cooking and manufacturing.

Having said that, you can expect to see pleased and surprised faces when they see that an American collects Japanese firearms.

trivia: 16th century Japan manufactured more firearms than any other country in the world at the time.
 
Ignition Override said:
cheesebigot:
You mentioned keeping tabs on 16 or so different guns at once.

Even a seasoned gun guy in his 30's at the local private club almost tried to insert an 8x57 Mauser rd. into one of my Enfields, because we had those two types of rifles almost side-by-side near the ammo. Three people were there with too much handling at once.

It might be necessary to have one person watching every two people, and this is for Experienced shooters with unfamiliar guns. Can't imagine what foreigners with No exposure to guns might try to do, even if all guns Were somehow always pointed downrange. Maybe only two people at a time stand by the guns?
Click to expand...

That is a good point. It does get to be a bit much when you have to watch several amateurs at once. Maybe take turns shooting one gun at a time, then switch to another so you only have one gun and shooter to deal with at a time.
 
Thanks guys.

So far, I'm really digging the idea that I have a friend help me supervise the guest at the line while another keeps the rest busy and orchestrates the photography.

And I think another point was made that hit home - keep it simple and let them choose what they want to shoot. They're welcome to fire anything I bring and have ammo for (including 8mm Nambu) and I think the enjoyment will come even if I don't have a "Dirty Harry" gun for them to shoot.

I'll try to remember the customs as well as I can.
 
For everyone asking why Japanese would be interested in firearms safety, training, and shooting given that they can't in Japan...well, that is itself why. Firearms tourism is a major industry in Hawaii, thanks in large part to Japanese tourists who would love to see what it's like first-hand.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/02/u...i-means-sun-surf-and-semiautomatics.html?_r=0

There are at least four private gun clubs within a half-mile of one another on this Honolulu strip dotted with hotels and touristy shops, and a public shooting range sits at the southeast tip of the island. The clubs advertise with posters (in English and Japanese) in the upscale malls here, and they hire men to pass out fliers (also in English and Japanese) along the busy sidewalks of Waikiki.

Jeff Tarumi, the range manager at the Royal Hawaiian Shooting Club, estimates that 90 percent of his customers are foreign, with the majority from Japan. He said that all of the club’s employees are required to speak at least a little Japanese.
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As for the question of bringing out the Japanese firearms you own, I say go for it, but also include your non-Japanese firearms. When introducing your collection, I'd say something along the lines of "I personally have an interest in firearms from Japan" and explain why in terms of unique engineering or something like that. I simply wouldn't address the politics of the war at all. Heck, I'm an American Jew who finds Luftwaffe aircraft, from an engineering perspective, really interesting. There's nothing wrong with discussing WWII relics from a design and engineering perspective without ever addressing the politics or history of the war. And that's probably the easiest way to do it.

accepting business cards with two hands is expected
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And if someone gives you a card, read it right then and there! This seems odd to us. But in Japan, if someone gives you a business card and you don't read it before pocketing it, it's considered quite insulting.
 
Schwing said:
As Americans, I think we seriously underestimate how free our gun laws really are in comparison to the rest of the world. I spend a couple of years in Germany and was more than a little shocked over how rare it was to find a fellow shooter. The restrictions and costs associated with it there are so high that most just can't afford it.

A sister of my friend recently hosted a Japanese youth group for a couple of weeks. She asked my friend if he would be willing to spend a few hours with them and go to the gun range so they could experience shooting. He was more than happy to oblige. He took everything between .22s and .44s and allowed each of them to have a chance with all of the calibers they were comfortable with.

The interesting part is that, even months later, these kids still say that day was the most memorable part of their trip to the U.S. Most of them had never even seen a real gun let alone held one.

These opportunities don't come up very often but, when they do, they are great opportunities to expose folks a small taste of the 2nd amendment. It helps them see what firearms really are about. We always talk about furthering our own right to bear arms. I think it is great when we can do a little proselyting beyond our own borders as well.
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The US along with it "allies" put the draconian gun laws in Germany and Japan. I do not think before the war the laws were that bad
 
bushmaster1313 said:
I think they would be honored to shoot one with an intact chrysanthemum.
The rubbed out chrysanthemums are on guns that were surrendered.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ-InkbGImd3YMgZ3uQCrREuUVhMxlyzXuVU5-DAsgtKhNlbMzLvQ.jpg

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQzbITqTnGdBNbHNyjLmIe16L7CSQGgTEjNa7v4N12kyaU6KV_u.jpg
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I believe it's just the opposite. The mums were rubbed off because a non Japanese owning it, which had cultural and religious implications (it's the Emperor's symbol) , would have dishonored them. Supposedly, MacArthur ordered it done as a face saving device as part of the surrender treaty.

I would not include a gun with the mum imprint.
 
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