Question to Divers in Japan

I am from a country 9000 km away from Japan and I dived in Okinawa this summer. The instructors of one the diving shops I visited have blogs and are very active in a social network.

After I returned to my country, I posted some comments at the instructors' blogs and got "friends" with them on this social network later. They wrote interesting messages and posted nice photos. I often commented on them. Also, I got "friends" with some of their "friends".

The instructors did not react when I started a thread or I posted a photo. But they answered to my comments on their messages and photos. I complimented a female instructor for both her competence and her beauty and she said "thank you" then.

Around a month later they suddenly blocked me on this social network. I had never an argument with them and they never complained about anything I posted. Also, mutual "friends" have not blocked me so far.

When I was in Okinawa, these instructors were very nice. I took a lot of photos of one of them. The model I chose said that she would appreciate this. Note that this is unusual in Japan. After the last dive she said something like "Thank you very much. It was a lot of fun to dive with you. I hope that you will come again".

If they had not blocked me on the social network or if I never had them as "friends" on this network in the first place, I would certainly visit their island and dive with them again. But now I think about going to another island in Okinawa next time. I speak Japanese at an advanced level and I have advanced diving certifications. So I can go to another diving shop in Okinawa.

Nevertheless, I am very confused. Did the instructors only want to reduce the amount of messages from this social network? Do they consider corresponding with someone outside Japan meaningless? After all, I can not go to their island several times a year like some of the other divers who are "friends" with them. Or do they hate me now?

There is a special atmosphere on a diving boat and during filling in the log book. Divers in Okinawa do not have the stiff politeness of necktie wearing salarymen in Tokyo. A female instructor does not have much in common with an office lady, except for speaking Japanese as native language.

Therefore, as divers we might feel closer to each other than we really are. Problems between divers on the same boat can occur. However, it is strange that divers who were on good terms when meeting in person suddenly dislike each other after corresponding via internet.

What do you think? Is this a problem between instructors and tourists? Or is this a social network thing? Should I stay away from this island? Can I hope that things will get better again?

I don't think it is anything personal. Instructors likely see several hundreds people a year or more. They can't stay in touch will all of them.

If you went back they would still be friendly to you during your vacation (they may not remember you the first day you are back). This is the way the world goes..

In real life one can only have a few true friendship that go on for years and years ..

As you get older and more mature you will understand that ''Friends'' on social networks don't mean anything at all.
The social networks want each member to have as many friends as possible in order to sell ads for more and more money.

Yeah, I kinda agree with MS here.
lol@SNfriends.

Also, I hope you do realise that female diving instructors are usually complimented / hit on by about half the male divers.
So even if she answered "Thank you very much. It was a lot of fun to dive with you. I hope that you will come again" when you took pics of her... yeah, kinda reminds me of a stewardess thanking the passengers after a flight. No meaning, at all, besides common courtesy.

Why would they block you ? No dice.
Maybe they just got fed up with being spammed by messages / pics / flattery (seriously, picture yourself in the shoes -or rather, flippers- of a female diving instructor getting "hit on" by creepy divers from around the world on every pic of her that pops up on FB / whatever SN they use).

Some people just "clean up" their profiles by blocking / erasing contacts that they most likely would never see again. Feels like this is what happened.


As for wether you should go back to this island or not, the most important question, as a diver, you should ask yourself, would be : did I see all the worthwile diving spots around there ?
Yeah, I know that the relationship with people at the center is important, but it clearly shouldn't be the main motivation to go back there.

Hell, there are more than enough awesome diving spots around the world to keep you busy and your logbook's pages filled, don't limit yourself to a single dive center / island just cause you fancy one of the girls from teh staff (cause, frankly speaking, that's the feeling you give on your message).

It seems that I simply overlooked that the instructors never asked me to stay in touch with them. "Please come again" does not mean "please correspond with me via internet", of course.

Nevertheless, I felt very well on their island and the diving shop offered dives at many exciting spots, a variety of activities and a very good service. The female instructor is only one of several reasons for visiting the island again.