Weeaboos often get a bad rap for being out of touch with reality and over-idealising Japan. But what do ordinary Japanese people think of them?

If you’re seriously interested in Japan, then you’ll probably have met a few “weeaboos” during your time either studying Japanese or living in Japan. Perhaps you even have a few “weeaboo” tendencies yourself.

In case you’re not familiar with the term, a weeaboo is, put briefly, someone who is obsessed with Japanese culture but in a very superficial way. They often struggle to actually learn the language, and many of them are blind to the realities of life in Japan, instead idealising to the point where they fly into fits of rage if anyone expresses anything resembling a negative opinion of life in the country or paints an image different to that which they hold dear. They’ll often sweep anything they don’t want to hear under the rug in order to continue indulging in their escapist fantasies of life in Japan.

As you might expect, this can all get pretty darn annoying. But there are distinct levels of weeaboo, and some would argue that being super-interested in anything is better than being a snarky cynic who hates everything.

At any rate, we were very interested to see the reactions of regular Japanese people to the concept of weeaboos. YouTuber That Japanese Man Yuta took to the streets of Tokyo to ask people what they thought of these uber Japan fans, and whether or not they’re a positive or negatie presence.

Check out the video below!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SORQSepPrxk

First, some time was spent establishing what exactly a weeaboo is.

Then, some of the reasons why weeaboos might suck were discussed.

However, most of the Japanese interviewees seemed not to have a problem with the weebs at all. In fact, they were impressed that people from overseas could develop a deep interest in Japan simply from an initial exposure to Japanese pop culture online, and they also felt glad to know that some foreigners like Japan so much.

But what do you think of weeaboos? Are you surprised by the results of the video? Leave us a comment below!

Source: YouTube- That Japanese Man Yuta
Images: Screenshot via YouTube- That Japanese Man Yuta

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