How do you tell a Japanese person...

[randomcow]

I wonder if you can get the rest of the office together and do an intervention?

RC

[Edogaijin]

Just because a guy has a shit eating fetish doesn't mean you should gang up on him.

[overdrive]

I wonder if you can get the rest of the office together and do an intervention?
RC

-joke about Japanese culture deleted-
I've made a resolution to make fewer jokes about Japanese culture this year. I'll try to be nice.

I think I'll just try really hard to contain my disgust. It has to get bad enough for him to notice at some point and actual constructive action holds too many risks.

[RR645]

and on the way ask him privately if he is having health issues then use that as a nice segue into the breath thing - the only problem being, in our lovely adopted home, there is the annoying tendency for Western notions of "maturity" to go, shall we say, unrecognized and unappreciated.

No shit. That's not the way to do it... Funny, but way wrong.

By the way, the smell really IS that bad. Imagine drowning a bird in a bowl of can coffee, dumping in a weeks' worth of cigarette butts, and then letting grandma use the mixture to soak her feet in. The only reason some random stranger on the street hasn't walked up and punched him in the face yet is because this kind of stench is tragically unremarkable in this land.

Oh, and he's gassed me from the other end twice since the last post. If there is a Hell, the gate to it is IN THIS MAN.

I bet this guy spits out a couple teeth everytime he sneezes...

[Spanx]

Just admit to a fake bladder problem and ask to be relocated to a desk nearer to the washroom. You might even get special disability entitlements!

[overdrive]

Just admit to a fake bladder problem and ask to be relocated to a desk nearer to the washroom. You might even get special disability entitlements!

Oh my god, I'm so sick of changing seats. It's like second grade.
"Okay everybody! It's been three months! Switch seats! We don't know how to manage effectively but we need to maintain an image of innovation and change!"

[RR645]

Just admit to a fake bladder problem and ask to be relocated to a desk nearer to the washroom. You might even get special disability entitlements!

Oh my god, I'm so sick of changing seats. It's like second grade.
"Okay everybody! It's been three months! Switch seats! We don't know how to manage effectively but we need to maintain an image of innovation and change!"

Golden. Bad breath may bring out the worst in the work environment, but it works magic here on the forum. Hot breath = hot topic!

[Oscar]

Ask him if he had yakiniku for dinner. That's how we usually do it.

But I would prefer...
Tell him to his face that he stinks.

Which reminds me, if he is actually Korean, talking about bad breath can be construed as racial discrimination. I've never figured out what that means. Are Koreans supposed to have bad breath? Do they think bad breath is an intrinsic part of their culture? Italians eat a lot of garlic too, but they don't accuse you of bigotry when you tell them that their breath is bad.

[Oscar]

-joke about Japanese culture deleted-
I've made a resolution to make fewer jokes about Japanese culture this year. I'll try to be nice.

Korea is exempt from your resolution.

[sakaya_slag]

Ask him if he had yakiniku for dinner. That's how we usually do it.

But I would prefer...
Tell him to his face that he stinks.

Which reminds me, if he is actually Korean, talking about bad breath can be construed as racial discrimination. I've never figured out what that means. Are Koreans supposed to have bad breath?

Well, on top of the (raw) garlic there is kimchi, raw onions and that stinky red soup to add to the mix all in one typical meal. I'm guessing the Korean workplace must be unbearable.

[overdrive]

Which reminds me, if he is actually Korean, talking about bad breath can be construed as racial discrimination. I've never figured out what that means. Are Koreans supposed to have bad breath? Do they think bad breath is an intrinsic part of their culture? Italians eat a lot of garlic too, but they don't accuse you of bigotry when you tell them that their breath is bad.

Wait. What? Telling somebody from Korea that their breath stinks == bigotry? That's a new one for me. I'll add that to my list of reasons not to go to Korea.

-joke about Japanese culture deleted-
I've made a resolution to make fewer jokes about Japanese culture this year. I'll try to be nice.

Korea is exempt from your resolution.

Well, that's just a given.

[KinkiDude]

Dude, just do it already. Put some mints, in a bag so that it's not embarrassing, on his desk and be sure you're not seen doing it. End of story. You don't look bad and it may help. I can't see how that could turn out badly, but the potential for positive exists. Good luck, I feel for ya, but just do something. I like this method the best, personally. Even back home, I don't know anyone who would actually tell another person to their face that they've got hell breath. It's not confined to Japan.

[Oscar]

Serve him some tea.

http://www.dai2ntv.jp/player/index.html ... vI00000120

[Devil Dude]

What if it's your shacho and there are only 4 people in the office? I have the same problem here...

Buy a few new suits for work, perhaps?

[Kantodude]

Yeah, I am liking the suits option... functional and gets the message across as well.

[RR645]

...that his foul breath is becoming a distraction from work and I'd like him to look into options for freshening it up a bit?

Overdrive are you still with us...?

[overdrive]

Still with you.
Been busy with work and fighting off the worst cold I've had all year.
I'll try to drop in more often to say hi.

[Orgasmo]

You could always volunteer to teach him English. Start with "useful idioms" such as; "Woah! dude! Did a small animal crawl up in your mouth, take a shit and die?"