Hi all, I was saw a post here saying how some non-white people faced some racism in Japan.
Out of curiosity, we two friends and another guy from same but very diverse country, we both planned to do some experiment. It was purely accident that a Third guy joined and made it more interesting.
Person three(P1): North East Indian, looks very Asian than typical Indian.
Person two(P2): French descendent born and raised in south Indian state of Pondicherry, with an Indian passport. Tall Caucasian guy.
Person one(P3): Typical south Indian, brown skill guy.
The two guys from south India(P2, P3) are friends from school. can speak the local language of their place plus English(P2 can French). Both planned to move a shared house full of Japanese. as a surprise, they met the P1, while making agreement.
Both P2&P3 saw the reddit post and wanted to make an experiment and convinced P1 to join too.
It was very simple, all three should not be looking good, should not talk to anyone in the shared house until someone else talks first.
there are nearly 30 people in the shared house and three are the only foreigners.
End of First Day:
All three planned not to speak with each other on first day.
P1 was approached by nearly 15 people during dinner time, mostly of opposite gender. He got introduced to another people. Got added to the house group, without being asked.
P2 was approached by nearly 7-8 people who could speak English and also got added to the house group.
P3 was approached by 2 guys.
End of first week:
By this time some of them realized all the three are Indians and where every weird about it.
P1 was already planning weekend parties with people from the house.
P2 has been invited to many things.
P3 finally asked someone to add him to the house group.
End of first month:
Mostly all realized that we all are from same country and very weird about it. All where surprised, shocked as P2, P3 spoke in the local language.
P1 went to parties with the housemates 3 times already. He was always forgotten that he was an Indian.
P2 had no problem speaking with anyone in the house and He was also often forgotten that he was an Indian.
P3 was able to speak with 5 guys without being ignored.
​
This is just a silly joke experiment by some stupid guys, but you are welcomed to interpret it however you want.
3 comments
> planned to do some experiment. It was purely accident.
Huh?
> For obvious reason I can’t tell who is who.
As in you won’t tell us which one you are? Why would that make an *obvious* difference?
Xenophobia isn’t very pervasive but there is a palpable undercurrent many many times. Guy of Indian descent here. Not typical brown guy, on the fairer side. But have been picked on few times. Two notable incidents:
– elderly women sniggered in Japanese in elevator commenting I was brown so I must be smelling usually but not today, and my shoes looked old.
I greeted them in very formal japanese before getting off the elevator (happened 2018).
– Getting off Chiyoda line, a mildly tipsy older man kicked me in the calf just as I was stepping off at my station. Being the 180cm guy with a sudden fit, I pulled him off by collar and argued until the cops came and dispersed us off. Again my charges were not registered. I wonder how they would have acted if roles were reversed (happened 2020)
Why is Person 3 designated as (P1), and Person 1 is designated as (P3)??