How common is it to see foreigners outside of Tokyo?

5 comments

1. This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.

   —

   **How common is it to see foreigners outside of Tokyo?**

   As title,
   I’m moving to Tamano, Okayama in a few months, and would like to know if I’ll see many other foreigners or will I stick out like a sore thumb? For context: I’m a white 26 year old English man. I have enough knowledge of Japanese to work and live a daily life, but I wouldn’t consider myself fluent. (I also speak French)

   *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*

2. You don’t seem to realize that most “foreigners” in Japan are Chinese (27.3%), Korean (15.1%), or Vietnamese (14.6%) so many of them don’t “stick out like a sore thumb” even if they’re foreign. You’d stand out as a white foreigner even in Tokyo outside of commercial districts.

3. You will stick out. Be polite, observe what others around you do and don’t do. See someone drop something? Say sumimasen and give it to them. Hold the door, let people off the elevator first. You’ll be fine. I’ve been here (Osaka) for 7 years and certainly stick out. You’ll be fine!

4. You will stick out a lot more if you have blonde hair haha.

   I definitely stuck out when I worked in a hospital in Hiroshima as the only white guy in uniform.

   What will you be doing for work?

5. I don’t currently live in Japan but made a visit this summer as a tourist and felt the concentration of foreigners was much higher outside of Tokyo. It probably has to do with summer being a common vacation time, but I think also has to do with these areas being less densely populated by locals. You will stick out regardless, but I wouldn’t sweat it too much. It has its pros and cons, try to enjoy the pros of being perceived as a clueless outsider while still doing your best to follow social norms.