Have you had the same experience where some local people mistaken you as a Japanese? I was waiting for train earlier and this old woman was infront of me. Suddenly she talked to me asking when the train will come since it is already 1 hour since she came to the station. I can understand here but I can’t speak straight japanes but I tried to answered her. She got surprise and said are you a foreigner I thought you are a Japanese.
There is also a case before when me and my friend are talking in english inside of subway train. One of the grumpy salaryman said something I didn’t understand. My friend just told me when we leave get off the train that the salaryman said we show off japanese. I also noticed every time I went to japanese restaurant the servers will guide me in places where most people are Japanese separately from many foreigners.
I don’t find it good because I am just 4 years here in Japan so I am not comfortable especially sometimes when the expect me to know their etiquette and food manners. I am Singaporean but the malay feature I get from my father is strong, The only thing I get from my chinese mother is her pale skin so I still look like a south east asian to be exact
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Happens to me all the time… (look at my username)
Once. In the middle of winter. I was bundled up waiting for the bus. A Japanese tourist not from my city asked me directions for a hotel. I turned to answer her only for her eyes to widen and she’s literally just turned around and walked away with her mouth agape before I could even finish saying where the hotel was.
All the time. Being Chinese has that effect.
I’ve never been mistaken for a Japanese but several times I’ve had Japanese people come up to me and ask for directions.
I feel like some YouTuber is filming the interaction from afar or something!
No because I am a “Ang Mo”
I am very clearly not Asian but once in winter I was really bundled up and as I was walking home a construction worker asked me what time it is. Once I got closer maybe he realized I’m a foreigner but I just held up my watch for him to check.
Lol I’m Singaporean too and as long as I don’t open my mouth, nobody assumes I’m a foreigner.
All the time. I am Asian though.
I am very visibly not Japanese or East Asian, and so anyone who looks at my face can clearly see it. But everyone once in a while someone will approach me from behind or walk up to me not paying attention and start a conversation expecting me to be Japanese.
Precisely once in my entire time in Japan has a look of terror not crossed their face when I respond and they first make eye-contact. Precisely once have they not immediately tried to escape from the conversation even though I answered them in Japanese. That one dude who kept his cool, got what he needed from me, thanked me, and smoothly moved on with his life is a goddamn hero.
This reminds me of the night I drunk with a German who speaks fluent Japanese and a Singaporean who does not speak Japanese but looks like Jomon Japanese (has strong Malay feature).
The very white looking German guy placed the whole order in Japanese, while the server never looked at him but gazed and replied to a Singaporean whole the way.
We laughed about it whole night and still make fun of it even it was sometime way before Covid.