Oct 31 2007
Japanese Racism at its Finest: A Can of Worms
So I normally
don’t post the obvious (people die when they are killed) posts, but since a friend of mine has encountered this on his first year long stay in Japan, I figured it was worth discussion. My friend and his girlfriend are currently on a JET program in Japan, teaching English and all that good stuff. Before coming to Japan he had stayed last year as a student with a host family and loved it to bits. However, after staying for approximately 2 months in Japan one of his colleague sensei’s really “put him in his place” that he’s a foreigner and will never be accepted into Japanese society. JP is much better at writing these kinds of things than I am, but I figured I’d try my best anyway.
I know this kind of thing exists, and I don’t need to be in Japan to experience it because I’ve had some pretty bizarre encounters with some of my Japanese coworkers. How one time one of them was randomly introducing one of the Japanese accountants who came here from Japan to some of the staff here in our tiny office. For some reason he went around the room to everyone - except for me…despite the fact that he knows I can speak/understand basic Japanese. Prior to this incident he had given me a phone strap that only employees (mostly in Japan though) get. What’s up with that huh?
But back to the topic at hand I’m going to quote some excerpt’s from my friend’s journal entry.
So, I come into the office, and I have to find something in the news to talk about with my third year class. I do this every time I have class with them, so they can hear normal English, and so I can get them thinking about intellectual topics. Well, I happened upon a wonderful article conveniently posted on Yahoo! about Halloween festivals and parties in Japan–mostly Tokyo. I show this article to Sugiyama-sensei so that he can tell me what he thinks–he always has interesting comments.
Sugiyama: This is wrong. He is a Westerner–an outsider–and he thinks he knows Japanese culture.
Me: But he’s a professor at a university in Japan.
Sugiyama: This is wrong. This is wrong. You always believe professors are right, but they are not always right. That is wrong. You are wrong.
Me: No, I don’t always think that.
So as the teacher read more of the article he concluded with:
Sugiyama: He is a foreigner.
Me: Well, he teaches at a reputible university in Japan. And he has a Ph.D. in Japanese Studies, so I think he knows–
Sugiyama: Outsiders–foreigners–always think they are in–grounded–in Japanese culture. But they are not, they are foreigners. You think you understand Japanese culture, but you do not, you are an outsider.
I mean yea I can see him getting upset that someone who isn’t Japanese is writing an article that is maybe incorrect about Japanese culture. I mean I know I get annoyed when people write articles that Russia is a refrigerator 365 days a year so everyone wears those wooly hats and dances the russian dance to keep warm. 
However it’s not that, but rather the way he expressed himself. He could have easily stated that the information is incorrect without stressing the “How DARE this GAIJIN think that he knows ANYTHING about Japan.” The man coulda prolly been born IN Japan and lived here all his life, but the fact that he doesn’t look Japanese automatically makes him an uncultured swine amirite?
I’ve heard about folks like Sugiyama, who are racist to foreigners and never accept them, but I never encountered one until now. Or at least I never heard one say such things to me. So, I guess there’s a Japan Club out there, and guess what? YOU’RE NOT INVITED! Maybe it’s because he’s old, or maybe it’s because Japan is traditionally xenophobic. I guess with that in mind, believing such things is sort of okay, but to express it in such a volatile way? Unforgivable.
I mean frankly I like Japanese culture. I think the food is great, obviously I love all the animes/dramas, I enjoy the pop style of the music and I think some of the cute accessories (like all those beer-chan’s and hello kitties) as well as those droolsome cell phones appeal to me. However once I sorta grew out of my “I AM AN ANIME OTAKU WHO THINKS JAPAN IS THE BEST THING EVAR” phase, the more I realized “I love Japan, but I’d never wanna go there for anything more than a vacation.”
JP has told me how a friend of his had so many looks and stares when he was studying there. He compared it to the NY subway where you can dress as a Nanoha cosplayer and you’d get less looks than you would wearing business clothes and being a gaijin, in Japan. If you’ve read alafista’s blogrecently, he’s been posting news articles about how Japanese come out with these new inventions that involve a “discreet way” of making inconveniences go away without making a scene. I could never do that. Making a scene is like a 2nd nature to me, and I don’t care if the entire street looks. I’d let those train perverts or nanpayaro’s know exactly that they picked the wrong person to harrass.
Another friend of mine (who some of you may know as Tofusensei formerly from BakaMX/Live-Evil) went to Japan years ago and told me about the whole culture shock. (The link is a very accurate article of this phenomena.) I thought it was perhaps only something you encounter with Japanese people in Japan, but it actually happens with Japanese people here in America too - even ones who were born and raised here…although there are exceptions. One of my company’s former employees left not too long ago, and it was clearly because she was raised in the US but her Japanese supervisor treated her like an OL-chan from Japan.
Anyway what I guess I feel kinda bad for is how:
I really hate to say this, but Japan’s pretty much lost its magic for me. I’ve even gotten to the point where I question a second year stay–something that has surprised Ashley (his girlfriend.)
I guess this happens to all who experience this but I guess at this point I didn’t need to go to Japan to get the point that I’m not wanted beyond the “Nihongo o jouzu desu ne!” thing. I think most of the time when I play Japanese mmo’s the “coolness” factor to them is I have good Japanese and I live in New York. I hate to say it but I don’t really trust Japanese people that much anymore. I mean they are nice, they can be of help to you when needed, but when you try to go beyond the “gaijin border” it’s like “WHOA THERE I’M NOT READY FOR THAT KIND OF COMMITMENT!” I realize my friend’s racist sensei is probably an old xenophobic fart but the fact that these things happened to me with people close to my age, tells me that age is not an important factor.
Sometimes I almost feel like the people on 2chan or niconico are probably the most honest folk (well aside the trolls) you’ll find, because they are not repressed to impress anybody and they’ll be honest with their opinions - because nobody is there to judge them. I recall a while ago someone made a comment on one of my Proposal Daisakusen posts stating that the reason “sunano ni natte (be honest)” is such a popular theme in Japan is because of this whole phenomena…nobody is honest, everyone puts on a facade just to make sure they don’t stand out from the crowd. While the American idea is “stand out from the crowd” the Japanese idea is “the nail that sticks up gets hammered down”.
I guess maybe that’s why I enjoy Japanese dramas that involve a character who tries to stand up for what they believe in, despite the fact that it goes against everybody else.
Also my favorite is:
“Let’s have dinner together sometime.” — A Culture Clash
If you don’t understand the meaning of this phrase, and after reading this are convinced I’m an idiot, then please by all means read this article.
And to my Japanese readers, こんなことをどう思う? 私どっかでまちがってるんですか?
I’d like to hear everyone’s opinion on this..and I want some serious opinions not like “LOL GAIJIN LOL” 
The basic question is, do you still feel Japan is godly and that they’d welcome you with open arms into their culture?
I would think that even though they would welcome exporting their culture and everything to foreign countries, their social institution still strongly believes in maintaining their own strong monoracial identity in Japan.
Actually its not only happening to gaijin, even the Zainichi Koreans, second or third generation koreans that have been born there find it difficult to be integrated. They speak the language, talk like them, act like them, attend the same school and still find themselves being discriminated.
Thus I would think that its almost impossibly tough to be successfully integrated into their society as a gaijin. Especially since you mentioned the “facade” in Japan. They term it as Honne and tatemae. Since they only reveal their true intentions to their closest family and friends, it just makes Japan a even more difficult culture to grasp.
But I guess while we view Japan as a very unique country, I would argue that the way their society operates is actually very similar to many other countries. Its just that somehow we are always captivated by its magic that we find it to be unique.
Interesting post, and thanks for the links. These kinds of things especially concern me since I’ll be spending my next college semester in Japan — luckily, I’m past the “OMG JAPAN IS PERFECT!” stage. But I know a lot of people who have gone to Japan (temporarily of course) and had a wonderful experience. So in a way I don’t know what to expect; I guess some mix of both the wonderful and the awful. I don’t ever expect to get past being a foreigner though.
I went to his LJ and read the entry in full…I’m glad he acknowledged that he might have built up Japan too much in his mind.
I think it’s important to note that your friend said it might be the first time he has encountered full-blown racism. I was raised in a town with some issues and encountered plenty of it by the time I graduated high school. I’ve had a small number of “you’re a foreigner” encounters in Japan and to be honest, the sting has only been for a second or two. I’m sure that without my past history, I’d probably be more irate.
I guess since I’m an American who is ethnically Asian (though Chinese), I had a slightly similar but different experience in Japan. I always think articles warning on the gaijin xenophobia are interesting, even if they don’t quite apply to me. I would never get the gaijin effect due to my looks, but more of the way I acted and when I opened my mouth. One of my hapa friends who’d spent half her life in Japan told me that I’d have to learn Japanese if I planned to travel alone there because I couldn’t rely on the gaijin effect- they’d see my face and expect me to speak fluent nihongo. Imagine the face-fault when I asked on my first day, “O-toilet wa doku desu ka?” (with clear American t) *grin* Plus the numerous dirty looks I got for walking around in sneakers and no makeup among a train full of women with blisters on their high-heeled feet, not to mention when I got tired from all the walking (I’m from Houston, where the only walking we do is from the car to the building) and started sitting Indian-style in my chair at a cafe. I can’t wait to go back to Japan.. because I miss the food dearly, but I’d never live there.
Thanks for the rundown. You make some points - things I might not have thought too much about in the past. I’m sure the experiences of ‘outsiders’ varies from person to person, but it’s certainly something to be mindful of.
alafista> I find the Korean thing ironic since they were all like WE LOVE KOREA AND KIMCHI BECAUSE OF FUYU NO SONATA! LOL the irony.
Senna> It’s good that you’re mentally prepared for it. I dunno how long your friends stayed there but it seems the longer someone stays, the more they are exposed to the culture shock.
spring> I heard about the whole “if you look asian, not knowing Japanese makes you an insult to all asians” thing before so it’s great to hear it coming directly from someone who’s experienced this. I’m as white as my kitchen wall so I just get the “nihongo o jouzu desu ne” but just like you didn’t care about killing your feet on high heels, I often amuse myself by ordering food or buying stuff in Japanese in NYC’s Japanese book stores/cafes
When it comes to race, Japan seems to have a very different attitude than the US–while in the US we’re taught from an early age that “all men are created equal” and there’s no difference in ability between people of different races, in Japan they’re taught “Japanese-ness” is unique. I remember reading an article once about a Japanese person asking an American “is it true in America people are racist towards blacks because they aren’t as smart?”, not sensing the irony that their question was itself blatantly racist. I have read about foreigners who’ve been more accepted into Japanese culture (after living there for a looong time), but I think you have to have the right expectation going in–in Kyoto or Tokyo foreigners aren’t a big deal and I’ve never gotten a funny look I’ve noticed, but I’ve heard in the countryside gaikokujin are still a novelty. Even if you get some stares, that’s no different than what lots of African-Americans deal with every day, and this is their own country–in a way, I think it’s good for Caucasians in particular to go to Japan to see a glimpse of what being a minority is like.
Having said that, my wife and I have been lucky enough to go to Japan on vacation three times now, and I loved it–if I could do one thing over from my 20s I’d have found a way to study abroad for a semester there, although I don’t think I could spend over a year as an expat. Every country has its strengths and weaknesses–customer service is 1000x better in Japan, the trains run everywhere and run on time, even with our broken Japanese people were always helpful giving us directions, and we had an older couple we’d just met offer us snacks. Not to mention fall in Kyoto is just amazing, it has Vermont’s brilliant fall color crossed with 2,000 year old temples…I could go there every November and be very, very happy…
I’ve yet to go there suguru, and from what it sounds like, going there as a tourist sounds like a great time,…as opposed to like you said - being an ex-pat and trying to “mesh” in with japanese society.
Honestly, I think Japan treats gajin as a certain type of exotic zoo animal. The gajin are exciting to look at because they’re different but they have to keep they’re difference. When I went on a tour in Kyoto, I still remember a bunch of schoolgirls coming up to the gajin and while they tried to speak English with them (with a bunch of giggling) they still kept a noticable distance back.
Personally, when I went on vacation in Japan, I never experienced the whole LET’S STARE AT GAJIN because well…I’m Asian. But once I opened my mouth (I had 0 knowledge of Japanese then), the people seemed a little more diplomatic than usual. Also, when I went to a BoA concert, whenever my dad and I opened are mouths the girls sitting next to us would give us weird stares. And that’s not even the worse case. I’ve heard of a white gajin who went to a YUI concert and everyone just kinda scooted away from him.
I guess the Japanese are still under the notion that “we are the best so therefore we can’t trust anyone else”. I’ve met people from Japan who say that after living in the US for a number of years. Japanese culture has always been about pride which is why they have such a strong belief of nationalism.
Now to answer your questions, NO I don’t believe Japan is godly because you’ve got to be as naiive as hell to believe that. I doubt they’d ever welcome me with open arms into their culture either because while I look Japanese and am learning to speak it, the fact that I’m Chinese Indonesian will never go away.
That’s not cool, although I can’t say I’m not surprised. Its human nature to be afraid of the unknown, to question those who are “different”. The thing is, Canada & America is very very multicultural. And so those who were born there or those who lived there for a long time get used to these “differences” whereas Japan has not had the luxury of being so multicultural yet.
Racism is not something only found in Japan though. Even in Toronto (and I bet New York) has places where certain people are not welcome. They just aren’t as obvious since it’s kinda illegal =/
I originally had 2 more paragraphs written but it was getting emo and ranty. So timeskip to final thoughts: lets hope the “younger” generation in Japan grows up to be more used to/accepting of the foreigners that walk down the streets of Japan. There is hope, even the Saimoe tournament is english friendly this year. And we live in an age where the internet now has a huge influence in society and the way society thinks. But don’t expect drastic changes in the way they think anytime soon.
Oh, it was worse than that. He felt less comfortable going into a record store in Japan than walking around in drag in America.
う～ん、長文すぎて全部理解できなかった。
＞外人コンプレックス
昔はありましたが、現在はそんなことないと思います。
ニューヨークで日本人に話しかけられたらチョットびっくりするでしょ？
その程度です。
まぁ、だいたい日本はファンタジーな国だと思っていただければよろしいかと。
同じ文化のくにばかりじゃツマラナイでしょ。
アメリカにはアメリカのルールがあり、日本には日本のルールがある。
生きていく為に生まれたルールです。
ところでサッカーのワールドカップで日本に来た人いないの？
その人に意見聞いてみれば？日本はイギリスからパーフェクトホストと称えられました。日本人はお客さんは大切にするのよ。
でも、人に意見聞くより、自分で確かめた方が一番いいよね。ｗ
（参考動画）
青い目のミュージシャン（ニコニコ動画）
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm318943
ここが変だよ日本１/７（ニコニコ動画）
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm555779
Yep, especially in the deepest reaches of Siberia!
So the Chinks come out to play now! Racism transcends cultures is the keyphrase. Japan is quite a monoculture to use agricultural terms. Last I remember, something like 97-98% of the population are “Japanese”, and by that I mean the immigrant Japanese, not the aboriginal indigenous Ainu. Much like how the settlers in Australia are better known as “Australians” rather than the Aborigines. I’m not surprised one bit at this “superiority complex”.
Where I come from, they still are racists and hell, policies are racially motivated but we try our best to get along and not rock the boat. But yes, some fools like to rock the boat. But it’s part and parcel of life, and you learn how to live with it.
PS. I am fully entitled to call Chinks, chinks because I am a fully certified Chink. YES, 100% pure CHINKINESS!
FYI, the race I particularly am racist towards are… Chinese… mainly because I know the stupidity that lurks in our culture. Actually, I’m more anti-stupidity. There’s a particular bit of every culture I hate immensely. My aim is to pick the best of a culture and assimilate it, and hopefully one day become a Borg! Resistance is futile!
PSS I know I have at least insulted three and if I am correct, four people so far. One Indon Chinese, one Honkie, and US Chin and if I’m not mistaken, the first poster is from that little island down below.
Di Gi K: personally I’m not really offended. I still consider myself canadian XD
I wonder why its ok to discriminate against your own race? Well its not “ok” but at least people wont go up to you and yell “RACIST PIG”.
That was mean and uncalled for. I’m actually speechless and usually you can’t shut me up.
“They just aren’t as obvious since it’s kinda illegal =/”
True. And I’m lucky that I haven’t experienced any direct blatant examples (I’m black), but racism is always there. I haven’t been to Japan, but I feel that taking a trip there would make me feel very anxious. Not just for the idea of standing out, but because it would seem like to me I’d be representing my race. And while I wouldn’t mind challenging stereotypes and fables there, I’d think that the idea would be brought up to mind more that I’d want. But this is all hypothetical~
Per see, it’s the negative points of a culture I particularly dislike. Chinese with a westernised background/upbringing/exposure tend to be more open minded/liberal about things. It’s fortunately that I was brought up in such an environment. Years of Aussieland helped too. You will find that Chinese brought up in a “traditional” environment aren’t too much different from the “racist Japanese mindset”. It’s the exposure of news ideas that changes the mindset of a willing person.
Mind out, there are some aspects of Western culture I dislike. Like too much freedom. Yes, freedom is good, but there must be restraint. If everyone had the freedom to do anything they wanted, it would be called anarchy. Hence, why I take the good bits from here and there and dump the bad bits.
http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=3014
This doesn’t help the gaijins either…
That japanese pride thing reminds me of current day America. Where all the americans get riled up cause the illegals come up to their country and dont assimilate into the multidiverse society and instead try and keep their individualness as much as possible..before they leave again.
I mean, yea sure US society is quite diffrent from most countries because it IS a multi diverse society, but is it right to have resentment for other races because they do not assimilate into the supposed “national” way?
I’m heading to japan any month now myself, and being an african american male i am curious to see how exactly i will be greeted there, i doubt there are too many in japan..
In short, guest = welcome. Homestays, tourists and exchange programmes are OK! But work there? You’re stealing their women and money and committing the crimes!
Japan’s homogeneity is a problem, just look at its immigration policy and you know from the bottom level of society till the top, all of them think this way. Even if they all age and don’t get young kids anymore, they still won’t want the dirty Gaijin in.
I had this thing written up but I think it’s redundant. Would be kind of nice to see the original article in question though.
I guess the other thing I’d say is that it takes someone who really truly loves Japan to dare to change it. And it’s only the closer you get, the better you understand its terrible flaws.
Meh. Every culture has racism…
Unfortunately you have a much better chance of being an culturally recognized as an “otaku” than being Japanese. You’ll simply have easier time making connection with people that way. There are people who have lived in Japan for 3 generations or even been elected to public office but they are not recognized as “Japanese.” I think people has no obligation to call someone “one of your own” merely because someone speaks a language and lives on the land for X number of years.
I think this is different from racism, though the line between the two is blurry.
Then again I think people are being a bit presumptious about the ease of being accepted into a society. Calling yourself an American doesn’t entail much than memorizing a couple of talking points, where-as being “Japanese” means achieving some sort of zen-like epiphany about the whole “spirit of Yamato” thing. I don’t think people really understand what being “Japanese” means.
For example, that professor you talk about can study and research about Japan until kingdom comes but unless he can have tears streaming out of his eye when watching a Kamikaze film, he will not be Japanese.
@ Di Gi Kazune
Try out Serbian culture, it’s an european country whose mentality isn’t quite european
Here in Serbia 99% of the people don’t make a difference between chinese/japanese/korean and usually put them all together under “chinese”.
By the way, i wonder how i would fare in Japan, considering that i’m 194cm tall and that’s tall even here in Serbia where a lot of people are tall. Anybody knows how tall Japanese are on average?
Unfortunately I have to agree with Falen.
It’s difficult to distinguish between cultural bigotry and outright racism sometimes. Myself and my family have unfortunately been the victims of both. My family moved to the UK from Bangladesh during the early 70s and, although they were tolerated, they were never accepted. during the early 80s, and through to the mid 90s that cultural bigotry turned into outright racism, and during my years at school I was the subject of constant racist attacks from both students AND adults.
Things are different now though. I know enough about the history of this country and the etymology of naming traditions across western europe so I can turns things around on anyone who wants to be racist. I also studied a lot about religion and I can usually turn those arguments on their head as well. The worst part about being the victim of racism or constant cultural bigotry is that you develop certain mental traits. My major failing is that I will now argue with anyone till I’m blue in the face (and for me that’s a neat trick). Other people became timid or combative, or found other ways to escape.
The problem of cultural bigotry isn’t limited to one country though. As has been pointed out, Japan is rife with it. So is Bangladesh, india, china, etc. America has it’s cultural bigotry (although I mainly ran into this in texas, ironically enough).
The problem is that people don’t see foreigners as people, and no matter how hard you try, you will NEVER be accepted. To them, you are simply “a thing”. I know this for truth, as I have spent my life in a country other than that of my parents birth, and because of that, I and my brothers and sister are not, and will never be accepted by either nation.
The only real solution to removing cultural bigotry would involve turning global society on it’s head. Culture stems from nationality. Nationality stems from the concept of nations. Nations teach that “we are better than them because we are english/american/japanese/etc…
Because we’re taught to think like that from the cradle, all of us suffer from cultural bigotry to greater or lesser degrees. And no one actually sees the simple fact that we are all human anymore. There is no difference between me and anyone else on the planet.
As I said, there IS a solution to the problem of cultural bigotry. Remove the idea of nations. Remove the concept of national identity. It’s not something I expect to see in my lifetime, if ever. People are to ingrained in their behaviour towards each other.
And for those of you who think that you’re not bigoted in any way, a little test. See if you can change your thought processes enough so that if someone says to you “What’s your nationality?” you can answer “Human”
Even I have difficulty with that one.
Well racism, rather reluctance to accept another nationality as your own is common everywhere. It sucks though because people who are born and raised in Japan and are not technically “Japanese” have a hard life, as they will never be accepted in two societys’, One being their true nationality and the other being the Japanese’.
This is why I’m reluctant to talk to my Japanese neighbor to get some help learning their language. I feel he might look at me like some weirdo who wants to be “Japanese” and blow me off. Oh well
Every time I think about this, it reminds me of Tina Foster from Ai Yori Aoshi. Who is a very tragic character(If you have watched the show), she’s basically the perfect anime portrayal of this.
Since everyone started saying that racism is everywhere, I tried to connect that to my home country, the Philippines.
In my country, the persistent issue is “colonial mentality”. In simpler terms, the guest/foreigner is always the best, they will always be treated better than any fellow countrymen.
So actually in the PH, if you’re a foreigner and you manage to integrate, people will always just have high praises for you.
But this is not to say that racism doesn’t happen in the PH. Actually, Filipinos are very sensitive to skin color. The darker your skin, the “lower” your “class”.
Black foreigners though will still be treated well since they are after all guests.
But locals that have dark skin, are in for ridicule.
So what’s my point here, well I just want to stress out that maybe the PH’s style of racism is a bit different than others. It exists, true. But we’re racist more to our own, rather than to foreigners.
To sum it up, it’s like this:
light-skinner foreigner ==> 1st-class treatment
light-skinned local ==> 2nd-class treatment
dark-skinned foreigner ==> 2nd-class treatment
brown-skinned local ==> normal/3rd class treatment
dark-skinned local ==> bad treatment
So yeah, it’s twisted. =P
reekon> Wow that’s a new spin on things.
Noble> I did watch Aoi Yori Aoshi some years ago but I guess I never noticed it - possibly because I was still in my I LOVE JAPAN phase. Perhaps I’ll rewatch it some day.
Archaeon> Nice post, the only thing I think as everyone has mentioned is that while someone coming to America from say Mexico may not be “accepted” all the way, I think after a generation or two someone who is “mexican” but speaks fluent English and acts like an American is accepted just like anybody else. With Japan it seems that if you have a drop of non Japanese blood in you (even if you don’t look remotely different) it still forever makes you and all your families to come as outsiders.
Knez> 194 is TALL lol. I mean there’s a Japanese guy at my work who’s like shorter than me and 10 years older lol and I’m not really a tall person =P
Falen> Regarding the otaku thing - you are probably right.
omo> IF you’re referring to the yahoo article, I THINK it was http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071029/lf_nm/japan_identity_halloween_dc_2
tjhan> LOL stealing their women
Inu> I don’t blame you for comparing some rednecks in the southern states to the Japanese because frankly they really are like that..but I’m from New York where you probably have 30 different races per subway car.
Digi> WOW. I just saw that link holy crap, well to be honest, I don’t blame the Japanese for getting pissed. I’d be pissed too if a bunch of idiots were getting drunk on a subway while I’m trying to get home from work or something. I don’t care if they’re foreigners or the same race as me - drunk teenagers piss me off regardless
Also lol at your Chinese rant XD Malaysian Japanese idol fangirls scare me *_*
TheBigN> Have you read that Outpost9 guy’s blog about being the black gaijin teacher in Japan? And how all his kids constantly tried to grab his wang? It can be funny reading his posts but sometimes I just felt sorry for the poor sap.
ひでぽん＞ニコニコリンクありがとうそして読んでくれてもありがとう。なんかNYでいろんなとこくるとべつの話になりますね。BOOKOFFいった時全部日本語だった大丈夫だったけど。。。いちどKINOKUNIYAにいったときおばさんに「すみません携帯ストラップさがしているんです」といったあと。。最初で日本語だったけどあとは全部英語だったｗ。でも私日本語しゃべる時ビックリよりなんかよろこんでるみたい？？？
おばあさんは日本いきましたサッカーのワールドカップでじつわｗ。
日本と韓国両行しました。。そして「外国人になんか韓国人のほうがやさしいかった」と言いました。(´･ω･`；) おばあさんロシア人です。
んで私に言っているのはね。。客として日本人は外国人へとってもやさしいと思いますけど。。。もし外国人は日本で日本人みたいに生きたいならやっぱり無理ですね。私の友達の先生はそう言っていました。「外国人は日本の文化永遠にわらかない」だって。 ヽ(´～｀；ｳｰﾝ
kiseki> When my aunt (whos Russian and has red hair) went to Japan, she went to Hokkaido and the girls there asked to take a photo with her and have her sign it lol.
I think that more than racism is at play here. For instance, I doubt that even a Japanese American who suddenly decides to move to Japan and embrace his roots will be recognized as being Japanese. I base this on my own personal experience in a different culture. Even though I’m a Mexican American who speaks perfect Spanish and even though I go to Mexico so often that I practically live there, I’m still considered to be an outsider there. I’ve actually tried having my cousins dress me up as a “typical Mexican girl” and people still find out I’m an American even before I even speak, I guess my attitude gave me away. Haha, and the funny part is that living in California, I’m automatically labeled as a border-hopping Mexican =P
I hate to quote Debito Arudou, seeing as he’s such a controversial figure and all, but he once said in a interview, “Japan is not an outlier in terms of racism, but it is in terms of protections against it.” And I think that’s a reasonable statement. It also gives me reason to believe that the situation will improve with time, just as it has in other places where protection against discrimination was once lacking.
From a personal standpoint, most of the Japanese people I associated with (and continue to associate with through work) were warm, friendly, and perfectly accepting of me… as an American. And that’s the key. No matter how well I spoke Japanese, no matter how much I understood the culture, no matter how well I handled chopsticks, I was still an American. And I was OK with that, because, after all, I AM an American.
I was acutely aware of my outsider status, of course, but I found it was easier to just accept that fact and move on. Yes, people would occasionally treat me like dirt, but I’m not sure what good throwing a fit about it would have done. It would have simply made matters worse, and since I wasn’t in Japan for the purpose of remaking Japan, I decided I was better off looking out for myself and blending in best I could. And, living in Tokyo, most people were too busy tending to their own business to pay me much mind. Most of the stares came from little kids… and you’d be surprised how easily a curious little kid can be disarmed with a simple smile.
When I encounter people who think Japan is heaven on earth and oh-so-better a place than their native country, I do tend to say, “you may feel differently after returning home,” but I think it’s entirely possible to have a good experience as an outsider in Japan or amongst Japanese people. It’s all about attitude and patience. And the knowledge that, if it ever gets to be too much, you can always come home.
Even though the title of this video is overblown, I nonetheless feel that it fits the context of this argument.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCeK0Trz9E0
That video, as well as a conversation on the general racism that is prevalent in most Asian countries (it started with my culture–which is Vietnamese–and branched off from there) around the dinner table quickly broke my “OMG JAPAN IS TEH BEST!1!11!” phase.
Sure, I’d love to study abroad there, but I now know that it’d be more than just a little uncomfortable living there for a long period of time–even with my Asian appearance.
Unfortunately, there will always be a small part of me that would like to bomb Japan to the Pre-Cambrian.
You have to actually love Japan, or be crazy, in order to actually bring about any form of change in Japan.
It’s a lot worse for me because I’m actually tasked with the job of spreading the Gospel in Japan. Nope, no one forced me to do it.
Heck, preaching in Africa, China, or even Cambodia, Burma, India, and Thailand is a lot easier. The Japanese respect Christian beliefs almost as much as their own, but don’t want to- errr…, why did I tailspin into the difficulties of evangelicals in Japan?
Evangelistic difficulties aside, I know the problems all too well. The racism, the cultural bigotry, the taboo topics, I don’t think all the Japanese Culture books written in the world would help, but it is the first step to understanding why the Japanese act in this manner.
There are better places to move to, like Sweden. Or Canada. I still recommend Sweden.
As has already been stated Japan has its own form of racism and if you look more closely at their immigration situation it is similar to the US one only that instead of Latinos they have to deal with South Asians, Chinese, and Koreans. Japan’s homogeneity is not a product borne out of reality but more of a manufactured thing since minority groups are marginalized, but are still in the country in significant numbers. There was a time in the 1980s when Japan tried to entice the descendants of the Japanese diaspora to “return to the homeland” and what ended up happening was that many of the poorer partly Japanese in Latin America were able to get in. Despite having some Japanese blood not all of these people if any were able to fully integrate.
Still every time I hear a Japanese national rant about something I just console myself in knowing just how much military presence we have there. It’s not really an occupation, but as long as they bitch about as such the more I want the US Navy and Marines to never leave. As a devotee of military history I have found that much of the Japanese mystique of their warrior spirit was manufactured during an age of peace. In strictly military matters and historical matters one should not be surprised to find that much of what they will tell you is either grossly exaggerated, or an outright lie.
I do like aspects of Japanese culture, however I also find much of it anathema to my American sensibilities.
-In an airport, a drunken Russian started pestering a very short Japanese. “Let’s go, I’ll show you!” the Russian boasted.
They walked out, and when they came back, the Russian had a few bruises on his face.
“It was just a small Japanese thing,” the Japanese said. “We call it dziu-do.”
The Russian drank more vodka, and resumed pestering the Japanese. “Let’s go, I’ll show you!”
They walked out. In a few minutes they returned, and the Russian had a few more bruises on his face.
“This was just a small Japanese thing,” the Japanese said smiling politely. “We call it karate.”
The Russian drank more vodka and again approached the Japanese. “Just let’s walk out, there I’ll show you!”
They walked out. The passengers heard a thud. Then the Russian walked in and said, “It was just a small Japanese thing, the bumper from a Toyota.”
Crusader I must be dense because I totally don’t get the punchline for the Russian/Japanese joke
Did he beat up the Japanese guy ?_?
No, he ran the Japanese over with his Toyota
＞外国人差別
日本は島国で2,000年以上外国からの侵略を受けていないので
外国人が日本に住むという行為になれていなかったのです。
現在はだいぶ慣れてきたと思いますが、過去は外人拒否反応が、かなりあったと思います。
別に差別というわけではありません。単にどう扱えばよいか、わからなかっただけです。
侵略された歴史がないゆえに、どの国に対しても、ほぼ憎しみがなく
独特の文化＆ルールが発達したのです。
だから外人さんには日本は奇妙でなじみにくいと思います。
＞でも私日本語しゃべる時ビックリよりなんかよろこんでるみたい？？？
そりゃ、日本文化を勉強してくれる人は大歓迎です。日本はおだてに弱いです。にぱ～
＞「外国人は日本の文化永遠にわらかない」
そんなことないですよ。日本人以上に日本人しているアメリカの人居ますよ。
代表的なのは「和」の心でしょうかね？
One for all,All for one.の精神です。まぁサムライです。
「私はヒカルの為に生き、ヒカルは、また誰かの為に生きる。」
ヒカルの碁（漫画）でサイが消える間際に言った言葉です。
こうやって漫画＆アニメを通して少しずつ日本の心＆文化を勉強できると思います。
がんばれば、なんとかなると思います。でも、気が短いとダメかもね。
まぁ、中には、Niceboatみたいな参考にならないアニメもありますが（ｗ
漫画が世界につたえたもの。
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm789337
外国人ネルさんは日本のテレビに出ていた！！（2/2）
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm318971
ワールドカップの記憶（オマケです）
http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm1243347
どんな国にも良い人悪い人がいることは覚えておいてください。
Not just any Toyota… A Toyota Hilux!
And yes, I can rant coherently instead of spewing random liners when the situation demands.
I think the punchline implies something a bit more malevolent than that, Hinano…
But yeah, living in Japan is quite the character building exercise for most of us gaijin, being visibly different and not able to much do anything about that (we are nails that stick out, recurring theme here). I say this with a small amount of first hand experience as a foreign student in Tokyo. I was there for 3 months, fellow gaijin who had been there longer told me this was barely enough time to get over the first stage of culture shock.
I have a theory on why there are so many exchange programs, JET teaching/community service, and the like while they still have the “stay a while but don’t get too comfy” mentality. I believe they want the good publicity and potential revenue from exchange students and temp workers, but they are unwilling to reconcile that with the internationalism that comes with it.
Don’t get me wrong, Nationalism isn’t such a big thing in Japan these days as most of you are likely aware (the yasukuni issue is a whole nother can of worms…). In standing with that truth, I must admit that I didn’t see any Japanese flags that weren’t on public land or a part of tourist attractions. Despite all that, the underlying thought of the Japanese seems to be, “This is our place, not yours, and we’d rather like to keep it that way, kthxbai.”
I believe that pervading attitude is historical, going back to the shogunate’s isolation of Japan. Hell, throw in WWII era State Shinto with it’s “Japan is superior and the Emperor is a living God” Ideology which allegedly died with the war, but subtly lives on. Consider these things and no wonder you have people like Professor Old Fart saying that gaijin always get it all wrong. This isn’t to say everyone is like him, or that every Japanese is freaking out that we’re gonna take their jobs, marry their women, and dilute the “Glorious Yamato Race.” But I think it’s quite obvious that a fair section of the population has such a mentality to some degree, or else such racism as we’ve been discussing here wouldn’t be as prevalent.
And there’s probably truth to 2ch having the most unfiltered view of their culture’s own attitude, as I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that Japanese “International-kun” types are labeled as such because they are the proverbial “nails that are sticking up.”
Call me a masochist, but despite all that I’m planning on going back for an extended stay. For someone who wants to teach English and do professional translation work, I accept this aspect of Japanese culture as something to be tolerated as much as is reasonably necessary (and be dealt with in a fitting manner when it goes overboard…). I guess i just have faith that at least everyone isn’t so culturally closed-minded and self-important, that there is hope for progress in the culture of Japan despite having a history that isn’t conducive to such progress.
@ Hinano
Yeah DrmChsr0 got it right, otherwise you could interpret it as the Russian ripping off the bumper and smacking the Japanese with it…
Get in touch with your Russian heritage, during the Soviet era your fellow Russians made joke telling an extreme and funny sport.
Hmmmmm …
I read this earlier in the day and was about to write some emo-filled commentary but decided to go to lunch instead. I’m glad Jeff Lawson wrote his thoughts because they pretty much represent my mentality on the subject, but written much nicer than what I was about to say. However, let me share some thoughts that may possibly come off as offensive (or rock the boat), not to be a jerk, but to give a “different approach” to the subject.
- Your friend was trying to start an “intellectual” conversation with someone who obviously wasn’t that intellectual or at least didn’t want to be. The problem with that is people who find themselves unable to argue a point tend to say the darndest things when forced into a corner, and to be honest it sounds like your friend was pushing a little too hard. Considering that he knew this sensei guy said “interesting”, he may have been trying to push the right buttons and he succeeded a little too well. Heck, this teacher probably just wants to teach Engrish to his students and get his paycheck, and the last thing he wants to do is argue about Halloween with someone. Do you find your friend the type who likes to argue?
- I try to be careful of not having the “I’m glad I’m not ______ because they think this or that” mentality because it in itself can be considered racial thinking once we get on our high horses about it, and that’s hypocritical and ironic. Yes, Japan is more well-known for some of their politicians sharing conservative views on nationalism, sexism, etc, but that means some countries just hide it better. Wouldn’t it suck if your friend came back here to the states only to find out there’s racism here too? lololol
Hopefully your friend won’t think that one bad apple makes a bad batch. He’s just got to let it go and move on.
基本的に日本人は外国人嫌いというのは当たっていると思います
彼らは「郷に入っては、郷に従え」を守れないと思われているからです
実際彼らは日本社会のルールを守る気が無い人が多いと思います
それに、外国人は暴力的だというイメージもあります
どうしても、悪いイメージのほうが、良いイメージよりも先行してしまいがちです
真面目な外国人ももちろん大勢いますが、一部の不真面目な外国人によって彼らまで誤解されるのが可哀想だとは思います
三十分で日本が分かると思えるならそれもまた人生だろう。
ま、それはさておき、あなたの日本語のことだけど、
>でも私日本語しゃべる時ビックリよりなんかよろこんでるみたい？？？
これがあなたの言うEngrishと大差のない程度だということに気付けてるのかな。
いや、邪魔をしたね。
I read Outpost Nine, and his exploits are funny and informative. And while he doesn’t really talk about evidence of racism, he does talk about how differences that are there. But it’s not a bad thing.
Crusader> Everytime my dad told a joke at the table my mom said it was rude and called him a shovenist pig (in russian meaning)
I guess that’s why I never caught on 
Fubared> Yes he is one who likes to argue
＞ニコ厨
きみ本当に日本人？日本語意味不明だよ。
初めての書き込みぐらい英語でしたら？
（私は許可もらって日本語でかいてるけどね）
about what reekon said, yes, I’m afraid that kind of racism is what our country has. Let’s just say that the foreigners usually get some special treatment as opposed to the local people. But I’ve never seen the PH racism prevalent in work and school though… unlike the case in Japan perhaps.
The racism in Japan is what made me use to have second thoughts of having a job there. But for some reason, my stay in Japan a few months ago made me relieved that I didn’t experience such a discrimination… seeing that our boss actually respected my opinions and suggestions, and the people were all warm and friendly
Receiving the ‘gaijin treatment’ will depend on the people you interact with, I believe… like if you get to meet really close-minded / racist people. Or perhaps if you cross some sort of ‘invisible boundary line’ in their culture which ticks them off.
Now waitaminute… You mean everyone in Russia doesn’t wear those woolly hats and dance the Russian dance to keep warm? 真逆, невозможный!
un>> そうですね。 なんかあのHALLOWEENの電車パーティやってる外国人たち私に恥ずかしい。 そんなアホなことする人はほんとになさけないと思ってる。
ニコ厨＞＞ 「ENGRISH]ってアメリカンジョークです。よくわかりますね。。ほんとに日本人ですか？
(A；´･ω･)ｱｾｱｾ
ひでぽん＞＞ いやべつに最初のコメント日本語なら大丈夫です。英語は難しいなら無理しなくていいと思う。 d(ゝω･*)иё★
jen> There always seems to be this invisible line only the Japanese can see and you only know you’ve crossed after you’re miles past it lol
DS> That russian is soo out of context lol
I’m not at all surprised at this. At least, being a foreigner, you can understand why a Japanese person would treat you differently. But what if you’re “burakumin”?
As has been said, racism is a global issue. The US has little moral standing to be criticisizing other cultures for discriminatory practices. Hinano has been touting the multiculturalism of New York. But it was Columbia University where someone was hanging nooses.
Archaeon, I believe, is looking at the problem the wrong way, however. Cultural discrimination is not a product of nationalism, but the other way around. Divisions of society are created by opportunistic memes exaggerating personal identity. Take away race and people identify themselves by nation. Take away nationality and they are divided by religion. Eliminate faith and they align themselves by economic status. Throw out money and and they argue over who is smarter.
All of those things are used as justifications of discrimination and alienation. The reality is that divisiveness is the default state of humanity unless people try to be fair and equal.
Telliamed> I think the noose thing is just a bunch of idiotic college kids thinking they’re funny. I highly doubt that it’s for “racial hate” or something.
Japan has got it all wrong–if they continue to be closed minded and prevent others from mixing in, I wouldn’t be too surprised if in the future they as a race would be “endangered”
In an age of globalization and interracial relationships, Japan has to realize that eventually they will have to open their doors, or else face the possibility of them slowly dying out. I mean, their population is rather skewed, with more Japanese getting old, but less babies are born to keep the balance intact.
Did someone say jokes?
I know one about a goat and Hanyuu. No I don’t think I should say it :V
As for Bunrakumin, it’s a lot worse than you think. Sure, there might be people looking out for you, but the treatment you get is unfortunately no better than if you’re a known ex-convict/criminal/disgraced public personality in Singapore. It goes beyond racism.
“That russian is soo out of context lol”
невозможный!
Россия будет холодильником круглогодично поэтому каждое носит те wooly шлемы и танцует русская танцулька для того чтобы держать тепло.
Россия - рефрижератор 365 дней в год, таким образом каждый носит те покрытые шерстью шляпы и танцует российский танец, чтобы согреться.
LOL did you use a translator? The 2nd one makes a lot more sense and sounds better
can you hear me…err… I post this now?
Кажется, что это - лучший:
http://www.online-translator.com/text.asp?lang=en
(umm… I hope I’m not double posting)
Archieon> A truer statement I have never heard about not being accepted by either country. Being half Korean, I was born and raised in Korea only to eventually reside in the US. I recall getting the ass end of the welcome wagon in the US AND Korea when I went back their to visit family after an eight year absence.
Telliamed> I would agree with you regarding the root discrimination.
And in response to Tellimed, I’d like to contribute to this topic from an anthropological point of view. The 1st paragraph is a setup that talks about the nature of the tribal group and the 2nd paragraph is my hypothesis on the natuion of Japan itself so skip the first one if you like.
Their is a socialogical hypothesis that tribes and the creation of group identity and group exclusion were established because this allowed for the proliferation of the greatest amount of genetic diversity. The notion of tribe came into existance because it enhanced the overall survivability of the entire species as result. In this way, humans became hardwired to think in tribal terms. If the group was too small, you limited the possibility of benefiting from a genetic mutation. If the tribe was too big, the chance that a favorable genetic mutation would permeate the entire group would deminish thereby weakening the overall strength of the tribe. As an example, imagine that dark skin in Africa was a recessive trait and light skin was a dominant trait. Dark skin was of course advantageous because it lead to better sun protection but if your tribal group had one dark skinned family among a thousand light skinned families, the chance that dark skin would become a trait of the entire tribe diminished significantly as the size of the tribe increased. Thus it was beneficial for tribes to be small enough that just enough inbreeding would allow for a potentially beneficial genetic trait to eventually affect every member of that tribe.
I can’t say one way or the other about Japan; I have never visited but it doesn’t surprise me that this isolated nation developed there tribal mentality to “Uchi-Soto” levels. Let’s do a thought experiment here. Imagine two tribes if you will, living on a small island. They are both identical except Tribe A has the following three traits:
a. They do not feed outsiders
b. They always prefer to distribute food equally
c. They are more willing to cooperate for tribal benefit
d. They force members who don’t follow rules a, b and c to conform
Now imagine that this island is divided exactly in half between the two tribes and it has just enough farm land to feed the current population. However, over time the population of each tribe will continue to grow. So which tribe do you think will have the advantage? The answer is the tribe that maximizes their resources and minimizes their losses.
The dynamics that govern tribal behavior is significantly affected by environment. If there is an infinite amount of farm land for each tribe (i.e. they lived on a continent), than the advantages of survival that come with traits a, b and c diminish greatly. If your tribe can always produce more food than it needs to survive, than there is no advantage in:
a. not feeding outsiders
b. in carefully rationing food within the group
c. in greater willingness to cooperate for tribal benefit
d. in forcing members to stick to rules a, b and c. (Given the infinite space, it would be easier to banish the tribal member instead of expending the energy to force them into submission). Why bother forcing them into submission? Perhaps because the benefit of an additional, productive farm-hand enhances the survivability of that group even if the entire tribe has to expend precious energy to get them to cooperate. However, on an island, traits a, b, c and d could be the deciding factor for your tribal group on whether it survives and thrives.
Arguing the morality and ethics of human behavior towards each other is good thing. But sometimes, it can be better to put yourself in someone elses shoes and try to see the world from their perspective. Doing it that way won’t diminish racism, but seeing with “other peoples eyes” brings the world closer together in its own way and that’s always a good thing. I think Jeff Lawson said it best, “No matter how well I spoke Japanese…I was still an [add your country here]. And I was OK with that, because, after all, I AM an [add your country here].”
Wow, I’m surprised so many comments have been made since I last checked. I think Telliamed’s comment has some truth. I dabbled in alot of things in school, and my international immigration class showed that it is true that racism is tied, though not synonymous, to nationalism. Decreasing birth rates may cause countries to allow immigration, but it doesn’t change the mindsets of the local inhabitants. It’s a slow process, and even America on its high horse hasn’t got it right yet (nor has England, despite its comparatively open immigration process, as attested by Archaeon) . The fact that sundown towns- don’t let the sun go down on your non-white *ss in this town- still exist in America (I live in Texas after all, y’all) is frightening. Did you guys know that there is a wealthy, upper-class suburb off of New York City that practices sundown town practices? I am sorry for the person who had a bad experience in Texas; it does tend to get better in larger, metropolitan areas.
Di Gi Kazune, I wasn’t particularly offended. I consider myself American first and foremost, so I make fun of Chinese cultural mentality all the time.
Rather than every culture has racism, it is more accurate to say that racism exists in every nation. I don’t really like sweeping generalizations of people, because there are always people who prove to be exceptions. As a cultural studies student, I think that cultural preservation is still important because without culture, people have a hard time identifying themselves. It’s just sad that racism seems to be inherent in cultural preservation. There’s something lonely in only being “human” when everyone else identifies as something, not that it’s not an ideal goal. On the other hand, I hate the question “Where are you from?” “No, where are you REALLY from?” because it undermines self-identification and tells how people identify others from a set framework. I wouldn’t like to be a “borg” as Di Gi Kazune put it, but it’s not a problem limited to Japan. Closed-mindedness exists everywhere. =/
私（日本人）がアメリカに行って働くとしたら、素直に歓迎してくれるでしょうか？
答えは必ずしもＹＥＳではありません。
言葉の壁、利権、縄張り意識、etc．etc…色々な理由でアメリカ生活を挫折したと仮定しましょう。
それに対して私がアメリカに文句を言うのは筋違いだと思いませんか？
私は自分自身の力でアメリカのルールを理解して努力して、信頼を勝ち取らなければならないのです。
アメリカはいつだって自分達で努力して自由を勝ち取ってきたのではないのですか？
相手に文句を言って圧力かければどうにかなるという考えはアメリカ的ではないと思います。
それとも、私がアメリカという国をかいかぶりすぎているのでしょうか？
ところで、この番組為になるよ。日本人以上の外国人が沢山でてくるよ。
どこかにＵＰされていたら、まとめて見ると良い。
英語でしゃべらナイト
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=QnOOSZlfySA
続き
http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=pLn3F3ItEts
lol maybe i should’ve posted here hinano =p
but anyway. the comment is quite the same. its good as long as you dont go past the ‘border’
btw, i do not suffer from the gaijin effect. so the only problem is a japanese from osaka babling quickly thinking u got it all +_+
u may answer like this:
‘ふざけん な よ (,,#ﾟДﾟ):∴;’･,;`:ｺﾞﾙｧ!! “
berz> LOL good answer!
ひでぽん > またリンクありがとう。 んで。。もしあなたアメリカに聞いたら初めてはむずかしいかもしれない。。時間ながれて英語うまくできるそして皆さんは「アメリカ人」にみとめます。。
しかし！日本には外国人はもう１０年２０年すんでるけど。。まわりの日本人は「日本来たばかり」のていどおつかいしてだそうです。 それはアメリカや日本の違いだと思う。私アメリカにうまれてない。ロシアからきましたけどアメリカ人としておつかいしています。
まぁあれは日本の文化ですから。。すこし分かると気がする。 このポストの意味はアホなアメリカオタクにメッサジ伝えたかった： 「自分の国たいせつにしろ！」ってね。 （だけど私ロシアきらいｗｗｗwww. もうそこに戻りません！！ (･ω･｡)ﾉ=з）
Hello! First time I comment on your blog I guess… but I always read it o.o’
WELL…
I used to be a “ZOMG! I love Japan” kid when I was 10 and I changed my mind pretty quickly. (18 now, btw)
I’ve never been at Japan but.. well…
I live in Brazil. If you don’t know there are loads of japanise people at São Paulo… =.=’ LOADS. I mean it.
Well… most of them are actually brazilians but they call themselves japanise and they call everyone else gaijins. (I’m speaking about most of the jp-br people I know, but not all of them, k?)
Also, my best friend’s family said she CAN’T date a non-japanise person… - it doesn’t matter if she falls for a gaida…
I find it kinda of sad… I mean, it’s time to give up on such ideas, isn’t it?
Besides… they are living in Brazil… most of them were born here… it’s time to stop thinking they are from Japan and realize that they are Brazilians and that they can be proud of it too…
By the way…
I hate when people write stupid things about Brazil (like we live in a jungle or we all like samba and soccer… ¬¬’ I hate both.) but well… I believe some random professor from some random country can have more info about my country than I do…
If he is a specialist!!!
’cause I’m not a specialist… o.o’
Sorry about my terrible english! ^^’
Kisses…
[...] really articulated this (including Hinano herself), but the point of her post about racism in Japan isn’t to say that racism exists there, or that Japan is the only place [...]