Xenophobia and Racism in Japan

[Keranu]

This is a topic I've been interested in for years, but don't know a whole lot about it. I recently came across this thread while doing research and found the first page to be extremely intriguing. I know there are some members here (Tatsujin! ) who has moved to Japan and I would be interested in hearing their thoughts on this. Is this really significant in Japan or are people over-exagerrating? From what I gather, Japanese people think very differently on these subjects than we do in the west and are only xenophobic/racist in an unknowing, polite kind of way.

[TR0N]

Ask sensei as well while you at it keranu he is in japan as well.Beside running risingstuff and selling video games over seas 

[Tatsujin]

all i can say, in generally they are really non-racist people or better said, they just gife a shit on racial things. of course there are always some rare exceptions, but where on that damn world are non of them?

some elder people may like to have some distances to foreigner, due to 2nd WW happenings. but also there, just in very very rare cases and mostly very locally concerned where those sad happenings took place. nevertheless, e.g. nagasaki is one of the most friendly places with a lot of foreigner living there.

in the other hand, a lot of em are not used of how to handle foreigners exactly do to lack of experience, so a natural reaction as a result is trying to keep some distance, rather than doing something wrong.

some people claimimg, that they didn't let them into a bar or waht ever due to "no gaijin allowed" plate etc. i heard of those existence, but have never seen one by myself. but what i heard or read off is, that there is always a story behind, of why it came that far of prevent gaijins of entering certain private properties. rarely there are any racial toughts behind.

as for me, in my 3 1/2 years, i never faced anything that just comes close to racial exclusion or such. very friendly, very welcomed! to the very contrary of how my wife was threatened in my home country sheer daily, just due to here asia look -> could fill books with stories!!

so all around, i honestly can say that japan is now one of the most pacificistic, very harmless and lesser racist oriented country in this world and the people are very polite (probably one of the most polite nations of all). they may be proud on their nationality and loving it to keep up some good old traditon, kinda patriotic oriented you may call em, but that has nothing to do of being a racist.

there are a lot things which stinks in japan thought, but i wouldn't count racism in there. and those bratts on that site you postet above are pure sensation captors fuul of hatred!!

better first watch of how things working in their own country, before shouting overdriven bullshit like that!

[termis]

There are some things which are a little difficult to comprehend, but overall, I had no real problems while I was living there. 

The only problem I had happened literally, on my last night in Japan. I had to look for a motel in some small town, midway to Osaka because the trains had stopped running, so I hopped in a cab, and asked for any nearby motel.  The driver was super nice, but he wasn't sure which ones were still open around the area, so he stopped by a kouban (a tiny police "box").  While I was waiting behind the cab minding my own business, a cop knocks on the window, starts asking me about why I was here, what I do for work here, what my visa status is, and all this bullshit.

Left a little sour taste in my mouth leaving the country.

[guyjin]

as for me, in my 3 1/2 years, i never faced anything that just comes close to racial exclusion or such. very friendly, very welcomed! to the very contrary of how my wife was threatened in my home country sheer daily, just due to here asia look -> could fill books with stories!!

Really? please do! (and if you don't have time for a book, just a few posts will be OK )

[PCEngineSales]

I spent four years in Japan and was never once bothered, the guy being barred from clubs etc is always looking for trouble and most those "no foreigner" bars are illegal joints full of illegal immigrant hostesses, foreigners are barred because they are most likely to kick up a stink on said subject, no freaking wonder they think that with the likes of Arudo Debito around.

If you're not white or black (increasingly black culture is embraced there) then you might be in for being hassled by the police though, my friend was isreali in origin and got mithered for his ID all the time. He still thought Debito was a trouble stirring prick though.

At the end of the day I came home reluctantly to England to face picket lines protesting foreign workers lining the streets, have to live with my parents for the time being who support this junk and argue with them daily. My dad calls my fiance a "Yank" and buys a trade union supporting socialist tabloid which despite being a left leaning rag calls constantly for the foreigners to be sent home. I can't get a job because when I do I get an interrogation by a doctor employed by the government as to whether I can cope in the care sector (what I did in Japan) because I have freaking Aspergers Syndrome and therefore obviously I shouldn't be able to handle people at all. I miss Japan terribly. This country sucks a big one.

[rag-time4]

Keranu, I have a copy of this book that I can send you if you would like to read it. I bought it for a U.S. history class and no longer need it.

PM me if you would like me to send it!

[Sensei]

Reading GaijinPot made me sad 

I don't know if I have ever heard such a bitter, whiney group of people.  But I suppose if you get enough people together they try to one-up each other.

But yeah, there are a lot of bitter ex-pats even in my town that think everyone hates them.  They are right of course, even I hate them.

I have lived in various cities in Japan for about 6 years now and have never experienced what those gaijnpot users are writing about.  I am married to a beautiful Japanese woman, I have a kid on the way, I hang out with my Japanese friends and co-workers on the weekends.

In my 6 years there has been one bar I was not allowed to go in (strangely enough the bar was called "Boston American Bar") but it was probably Yakuza run semi-prostitution place.

I do have people talk down to me when they first meet me because they don"t think I will be able to understand the language or culture, but if you take time to get to know the people and have the right type of personality you can get along very well in Japan.

Is there racism here?  Hell yeah.  But that's one of the reasons living here is so important.  By making friends (and babies) with the Japanese these attitudes will slowly start to change.  It is easy to hate the scary unknown foreigner but much harder to hate your American Best freind/lover/father.

Being all bitter about it isn't going to change anything.

Personally, I love it here and I have no plans to live anywhere else.

[WoodyXP]

Word life.. as long as you act like you have some sense about yourself you'll be okay in Japan.  In all my time there
the only people who have issues are the ones that act like dumbasses and try to be difficult with the locals.

And like most said the 'members only' clubs are usually closed to us for good reason, and aren't worth the bother
going to anyway.

I plan to settle down there too, after my military commitment.  My wife is Okinawan and I'll be living out the rest
of my life there. 

[Sensei]

I plan to settle down there too, after my military commitment.  My wife is Okinawan and I'll be living out the rest
of my life there. 

That's awesome.  Do you plan on living on the mainland or in Okinawa?  My wife and I went on vacation in Okinawa and it was one of the most beautiful places we have ever been.

[WoodyXP]

Okinawa for sure, probably somewhere in Uruma.   

That's awesome.  Do you plan on living on the mainland or in Okinawa?  My wife and I went on vacation in Okinawa and it was one of the most beautiful places we have ever been.