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**Arbinknit** · 09-29-2006, 08:00 AM

If I may ask a quick question of people who've lived in Japan?

I'm thinking of going to Japan with a group of friends next February, and I'll be the only Asian person in a group of 9 very white Australians. I've heard that some Japanese tend to look down on non-Japanese Asians and am a little concerned about this.

The Japanese people that I've met through kendo and in other countries have all been lovely, but it does take a special kind of person to uproot themselves and come and live in another, totally different culture for an extended period of time. And I'm female, so will this count as two strikes against me? Will I be treated differently and have to "armour" up?

On the up-side, I suppose it's only three weeks so if it doesn't kill me, it can only make me stronger. Much like kendo

I think you're unlikely to have any trouble in the time that you're over here. Discrimination against non-Japanese asians (and "asian" as the Japanese use it always means "non-Japanese asian") certainly exists, but would only really be of consequence if you were say a Filipino, Thai, or Korean looking for decent work or long-term residency. And yes, racism is alive and well in Japan, but I haven't seen much evidence of what I would call "hard racism." In other words, while people are quite open about voicing preconceptions about foreigners, it's almost never in an aggressive way. Lastly, I think anyone you talk to will be pleased to see you taking an interest in Japanese culture. So plan your trip well and have a great time.

09-29-2006, 08:00 AM	#35
Arbinknit Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 458 Senior Member	If I may ask a quick question of people who've lived in Japan? I'm thinking of going to Japan with a group of friends next February, and I'll be the only Asian person in a group of 9 very white Australians. I've heard that some Japanese tend to look down on non-Japanese Asians and am a little concerned about this. The Japanese people that I've met through kendo and in other countries have all been lovely, but it does take a special kind of person to uproot themselves and come and live in another, totally different culture for an extended period of time. And I'm female, so will this count as two strikes against me? Will I be treated differently and have to "armour" up? On the up-side, I suppose it's only three weeks so if it doesn't kill me, it can only make me stronger. Much like kendo I think you're unlikely to have any trouble in the time that you're over here. Discrimination against non-Japanese asians (and "asian" as the Japanese use it always means "non-Japanese asian") certainly exists, but would only really be of consequence if you were say a Filipino, Thai, or Korean looking for decent work or long-term residency. And yes, racism is alive and well in Japan, but I haven't seen much evidence of what I would call "hard racism." In other words, while people are quite open about voicing preconceptions about foreigners, it's almost never in an aggressive way. Lastly, I think anyone you talk to will be pleased to see you taking an interest in Japanese culture. So plan your trip well and have a great time.
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