Half Filipino Half Jap here. I say foreigners in the title but I’m just talking about people who don’t look japanese. While there are a lot of half filipino Japanese in Japan, most of them blend in by looking full japanese. I was born looking full japanese. My Dad is full filipino and my Mom is full japanese. My older sister looks more filipino than japanese. We’ve been in Sapporo, first time in a few years to visit our grandparents. Whenever we’re out, there’s always this awkward feeling of people just staring at my Dad and sometimes sister. They’re both really tall and definitely look different from the rest of us, so its understandable. With how I look I’ve never had a problem or faced any kind of discrimination while in Japan. In the first place I forgot it even existed. Seeing it happen to family members is really upsetting. They were stared at, little kids pointing, they were given gaijin seats in the train. We were in a restaurant, my grandpa told the registration 6 seats because there were six of us, the guy thought he misheard him and put 4 seats and we were almost put on different sides of the restaurant. Little things like when staff were explaining things to us, they only made eye contact with us and never once looked or even acknowledged my dad and sister. I haven’t asked them how they felt about it yet but naturally it must feel bad to be treated differently from your family members
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I’ve lived in Kyoto for a year, during my university years. Even in such a big city, a couple of random teenage girls came up to me (I’m a tall white woman) and asked me to take a picture with them for their insta. I felt so weird, almost like an accessory and not a normal human, so I declined. I can only imagine how frustrating it must be for somebody born in Japan, but “looking foreign”, to be treated like an outsider. :/
i believe ‘jap’ is a slur
I grew up as a “hafu” in Japan so I understand what you’re talking about. I don’t look particularly Asian, so experienced a lot of prejudice in my youth.
Well this is the opinion of a 6’3 black guy that’s been in and out of Japan since 2000 when I did an exchange year in Aomori and currently living in Nagano: I always find these posts fascinating because I definitely stand out more than most non-Japanese but, for whatever reason, they seem to take the experience much worse than I ever have. There are times when I avoid crowds because I just don’t feel like standing out in that moment but for the most part I’ve never felt uncomfortable or unwelcomed. I’ve been a clear outsider in many countries and they weren’t half as friendly. Maybe that’s where my comfort comes from. I’ve experienced so much worse in other places that I just can’t take a shy person avoiding eye contact as an offense. Quirks aside….Japanese people, for the most part, have always treated me well.
I guess it’s all about perspective
what’s a gaijin seat
I’m originally from Kyoto, my mom is Italian. When I was a kid in Japan, I always got looked at like I was an outsider, especially looking more Italian than Japanese. We moved to America when I was 8 and everyone just assumed I was Hispanic
When I was in Kyoto with my Fiancee, the staff would try to talk to her in Japanese, and I’d then tell them, in Japanese, that she is Korean.
Then they’d stare at me (white) and just not say anything.
If this is all you have to complain about …. It’s really not that hard at all is it….
I think it also really depends on where you live as well. Tokyo/Yokohama has enough foreigners (both fluent and non-fluent) that nobody really cares or acts differently. Once you get out to the countryside the treatment does become noticeable. It often does affect things such as accessibility of things like housing or financial services, but that’s something I only have to actually navigate once every few years at most.
Though, to be fair, I’m heavily tattooed. And the ink honestly gets far more attention, stares, and weird behavior than my race does.
I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve rarely if ever had to deal with maliciously motivated profiling or racism. And as a white guy, other minorities have far worse to deal with than myself. And while, obviously, nobody is getting gunned down in the street for being the wrong color, that’s not where anyone should be setting the bar.
Im not Japanese although I studied there and speak and read fluent Japanese. I am Asian, however not East Asian, I get mistaken as Half but I am not.
I only ever was there as a student or tourist, no one ever stared at me, or at least I did not notice if they did. Even if they did In don’t care, as I know I stare too if I see something different, or even something I think is cool or pretty. Staring is usually curiosity rather than animosity.
I traveled to various cities around Japan and found people really nice, I never experienced discrimination, but then again I was a tourist or student, so never actually experienced the workplace and living there, like bank account,renting etc where I know discrimination can occur.
I am fluent in Japanese so maybe that helped, when I spoke Japanese I received friendly responses, whether they were happy that a foreigner spoke their language or that they didn’t have to wrestle with English, I don’t know.
I have to say, I never heard of Gaijin seats on trains or anywhere else for that matter. Sorry but what is that?!?
I have used subways in many of the cities as well as inter city trains and Shinkansen many times throughout my multiple visits to Japan, and am fluent in Japanese so have many Japanese friends, but this something I have never heard off or even read about in any of my Japan related books or from friends or even other foreigners. All the seats were standard seats and you picked what you wanted. Same in restaurants, I was always given a random table, at least in the places I dined which must mount hundreds by now, never once come across separate seats , I have also personally never ever been turned away, even in remote places and small local eateries. I do read Kanji which helps, as a lot of these small local places don’t have photos or non Japanese menus.
I am a solo though, always went to Japan on my own. If I was ever with someone, it was a max of one or two Japanese friends.
My Japanese friend is married to a European, her two kids look more caucasian. She told me they experienced bullying in schools and people commenting on why they are foreign but mum is Japanese etc… my friend was upset and asked me about it. I did tell her that her kids didn’t look Japanese, but kids bully anyway about anything regardless race. Whether its your hair or whatever.
I remember getting to know Japanese friends at a uni exchange programme and despite being able to speak proper Japanese, it took like 2 days before they kinda accepted me and realised I could speak good Japanese lol
I’m Asian btw
It’s tiring at times and funny at times. Picture people boarding the train only to squeeze themselves on the seat across from you. While the seats around you are empty. I can’t help but laugh at the silliness.