Wise counsel

KS finds a person to talk to when it gets difficult to cope.

For every person making a new life for themselves in a foreign country, there are those little, easily laughed-away hiccups that don’t amount to much in the long run: confusion at the ATM; wacky mix-ups in the post office; the Nankai/Loop Line/Keihan train exchange that doesn’t go quite as planned.

And then, there are those things that cannot be laughed away as easily. The extended bout of homesickness that leads to full- blown depression. Stress; grief; panic attacks. Anger problems that result in domestic abuse; communication barriers that result in divorce.

Various individuals and community groups offer ongoing mental health counseling to foreign residents in the Kansai area. One such group, the Kyoto City International Foundation, counsels foreigners through difficult issues regarding visas, legal and labor problems, taxation and pension issues and, yes, mental health. KCIF Information & Programming Section counselor Hanako Takano spoke with Kansai Scene about the Foundation’s mental health counseling, the cases that occur with increasing frequency, and how foreign residents can overcome the internal turmoil that may at times seem insurmountable.



Kansai Scene: Where do you feel the majority of the mental health problems originate?
Hanako Takano: I feel many of these problems are due to a lack of communication. Due to a lack of language ability, many foreigners can’t get the support they need.

That’s not the only reason, of course. Two days ago, we had a young North American man, very fluent in Japanese, speaking about how depressed he was due to illness and trouble at work. He’d also recently received a huge tax bill from the Ward Office. Those kinds of things cause a lot of anxiety.

There are also cultural gaps that many people, such as young university students, have a hard time overcoming because they feel they can’t connect to local people. One reason for this is that they are young, and may not know how to adapt.

One would think that international students would be the most open-minded, and have the easiest time adapting.
I think a lot of them have too many expectations. I see many of them coming in with the same attitude: “I love Japan!” “I love Japanese culture!” When their expectations aren’t met, or when they run into trouble, there’s a lot of disappointment.

What advice do you have for those types of students?
Maybe, more flexibility. They should understand that there are different types of people that may not be like the image they have in mind. “The Japanese are always gentle and kind.” Well, of course, they’re not always like that. It’s important to remember that you’re living with many different kinds of people, and that you shouldn’t be disappointed when they don’t meet your expectations.

Do you see a lot of cases related to stress or anxiety brought on by cultural differences?
It seems very easy for some people to adjust to work in Japan and adjust to the culture. For some, however, it is not so easy. I joined a circle of foreign women married to Japanese men; they complained a lot about the stress in their lives. They told me that when they first started working, their male Japanese colleagues were very kind, very friendly. This changed, they said, whenever there was any kind of trouble at work. Being foreign, if they saw something they disagreed with, they would be very insistent in saying “This is wrong! This should change!” All of the women were surprised at the way their colleagues would simply remain silent, and refuse to speak up for themselves.

Are people very eager to talk about their emotional problems and anxieties?
I think Americans and Europeans are much more willing to talk about their mental health problems. I think Asians tend to hesitate to speak with other people about that sort of trouble.

The media often described Tomohiro Kato, the young man involved in the Akihabara killings last summer, as a very lonely, depressed person who simply wished for people to start paying attention to him.
Talking about your problems with other people is very important. I think it’s easy to make a problem seem clearer by talking about it with other people. There’s a group receiving counseling on raising children in Japan. Japanese men, unfortunately, often don’t take much of a role in helping to raise the children; usually, the responsibility falls entirely on the women, creating a feeling of isolation and loneliness. In places like the Tohoku countryside, there are many foreign brides facing this kind of trouble.

Would you say life is more difficult for foreign women married to Japanese men, or foreign men married to Japanese women?
Both are equal, but I think foreign men tend to be hit the hardest by divorce, and suffer through depression the most. There are many divorce cases these days, which are increasing along with the increase in international marriages. Foreign men are afraid to be separated from their children, as well as worried about their visas.

I expect there will be a lot of economic worry this year.
Yes, but there currently aren’t a lot of cases here. Elsewhere, however, in places like Shiga, Shizuoka and Gifu, with large Brazilian and South American population, the counselors tell me that they are overrun with people asking for help due to lost jobs.

Does the Foundation also deal with more serious problems – drug abuse, domestic violence?
We handle domestic violence cases with a network of other associates. If a case occurs, we try to contact people immediately so that we can get the victim into a shelter.

What would you say to people who would rather try to fix their depression, anger etc. problems themselves, rather than see a counselor in person?
I lived in Australia for a while for university, faced a lot of trouble, and developed mental illnesses of my own. I ended up seeing a school counselor, with whom I could really express my feel-ings as much as I wanted, cry as much as I wanted to. It was very helpful. After speaking with the counselor, I felt better, and I could tell myself that maybe what I was going through wasn’t such a big deal.

I feel it’s always good to speak and share your problems with other people. Sometimes all it takes is having someone else there to listen to you.

The Kyoto Prefecture International Center offers ongoing weekly consultation and interpretation services through its International Found- ation, and will sponsor a free mental health counseling session on February 21 from 1pm to 5pm. Counseling will be offered to foreign residents and non-Japanese speaking residents; English, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese and Thai interpreters are available. Reservations are required.

075-752-3511 www.kpic.or.jp/english/counseling.html

Text & photos: Jeff Lo