Racism In Japan

They still dont like the English.
If I was single Japan is the place I would head for .
I went all over the place and found polite and gentle people .
In Hokkaido ,in a very small old woman ,from a shop took me by the hand , down the road to show the right way .
Things like this you remember.

Gen, Chinese tourists are one of the best customers for Japan at the moment. And if you want to talk about residents, take a look at how popular China Town is.

Be it Korean or Chinese, when it comes to 20th century history and politics they fight.

But Chinese gourmet, cinema and tourism has been extremely popular in Japan for ages. People would critisize their manufacturers and then at the same time enjoy a trip to China and come back saying all locals were wonderful, and then critisize the polititians on TV again. They're two different things. Same with Korea.

I think when it comes to pop-culture and food... there's no problems. It's just when they delve into the deeper stuff like history, citizenship in japan etc there's problems.

Like Americans... in general we love mexican food, but we don't want illegal immigrants from Mexico stealing our jobs for cheaper salaries. In general... that is.

yes, i agree with you, uco. I know that there are great number of chinese tourists these days and thats a great thing for both of us. and what i wanted to say about the media thing is that there are too much media coverage that could promote hate or discredit against chinese people in japan and i think its a pity. I am japanese and ive lived here pretty much all my life, so i was just trying to say how i felt about racism in japan and how people in general tend to think about chinese people. sorry for my english if you get me wrong.

when it's a resident you think, "This person is living here and still haven't learned the rules? How long is this person going to live like this?!"

I do not believe this idea is as strong in North America, as a group we are pretty tolerant about letting newcommers cling to their ways freeely for generations.

To The Thread as a whole: Whenever you pre-judge an individual based on the bad acts of others you are guilty of prejudice and often racisim. If Americans are always misbehaved at a particular bar and you say "oh it's okay to exclude Americans" that is not right. People should be accepted and treated as individuals.

Gen, actually I don't really have the impression that Japanese network TV or radio or publishment is encouraging racism, but I do think that the Japanese internet is filled with racists that despise the Chinese and China as well as Korea, which is truly sad and unnecessary.

But media does tell us that it's the same with the Chinese internet (they are full of users who despise Japan) and at the same time the media thankfully tells us that there are internet users trying to adjust the stream to a more non-racist level.

If you happen to be talking about the recent food issues in China, I have to say it's slightly a different story. China Republic is currently facing a tremendously rapid growth, and therefore we consumers (including Chinese consumers) do need to watch out for food infections as well as terrorism that tries to take advantage of the situation. But these things always happen whenever any nation is facing rapid growth (as was the case with 60s Japan), so as you implied, we should be extra careful that it is not mixed up with racism.

Pd, I grew up in L.A. and a lot of my friends were Mexicans and Asians and Native Americans as well as Caucasians, and I do notice that places like L.A. and N.Y. has very few boarders between "locals" and "foreigners". But still, I experienced that the Americans are more tolerant towards visitors and children than they are with longer-time foreign residents or immigrants. At least, most of them do treat them slightly differently. But I'm okay with it, btw.

I just had a three day layover in Japan. The first night I was out around the Shinjuku area and ended up in one of those alleys where they served yakitory. I saw a shop that had a few empty so I proceeded inside while raising one finger to signify one person. I moved sideway against the wall to the end of the counter as the place is very small. As I reached the end of the counter I looked over at the lady owner behind the counter who had an indignant look on her face. By that time, she must have figured out I do not speak Japanese so she raised her hand and waived from side to side and at the same time shook her head as I was not welcomed in her place. A young man standing behind a vat of soup at the entrance also started waiving a no sign with his hand and muttered some Japanese I gathered must be some offensive language. I immediately proceeded to back out in disbelief and feeling totally humiliated. I certainly did not know there was an overt reacism in Japan. By the way, I am Asian.

Sounds like you were in Piss Alley somewhere.

So out of those three days did anyone else treat you that way or did you find it on a whole to be pretty ok?

Give a benefit of doubt. What about the spot was already taken and you didn't notice it. There was no way to communicate from either side. Maybe, just maybe, they wanted to tell you all the seats were taken and there was not room for you.

Chris Vu,

Not that I'm saying racism doesn't exist in Japan, but just so that you'd know, I've had people do that to me all over the world. Even at a chain store service counter on main street or at the nicest resort hotel. As soon as I pull out my phrase book and start communicating in terribly broken local language, they respond sincerely.

In general, you won't find overt racism here. Unfortunately, some visitors (and even some long-time residents: i.e. Debitou) have an "attitude" and can't understand why they don't do things in Japan the way they do in the States (or wherever else the person comes from). If this is you, then you may find people shunning you.

Also, if you have tattoos, you may find yourself barred from entering an onsen. This is because many yakuza wear tattoos, and the owners don't want any potential problems that may erupt among gangsters. They can't be expected to differentiate between innocent and gang-related varieties.

Trying to rent housing sometimes becomes a problem for foreigners unless they have a "guarantee" person to vouch for them. A few foreigners have caused problems about following rules and sensible behavior, so word has gotten around. This may be construed as "prejudice", but put yourself in the place of the landlord.

Hello,

I have been in Japan one month.
I know that it's not enough to say that I'm knowing japan and that there is no racism problem at all there.

However, it's enough to see that the most unpleasant people there were not the japanese but the other foreigners that act in Japan as if they were at home, without taking care of any local customs, speaking loudly, and so on.

I'm not asian, and I was with an ariabian friend in Japan. No problem at all...

I think that there is a part of myth in the supposed-to-be-japanese-racism.
Like each country, racism is existing and there are a few fanatics. But nothing more than somewhere else.

I have read John2u's comment, and as a french, I would like to say that I don't have any problem with english people.
English and France have a long time war history, and some cultural differences. Those things makes us teasing each other, and some old people that have never been outside of their local town may see UK as a very far place full of strange people.

But I don't think that there is racism or hate behind that. It's a kind of national sport to tease them.
And when the weekend or hollidays is coming, we take the cheap plane to visit london, and they do the same here.

Have a nice day ^^

There is racism everywhere. I don't want to spend my money where they don't want me-they are the losers.

Ive lived in Japan for ten years.I find it nice... but yes, very racist.I have been refused entry for being a foreigner(ramen restaraunt), refused entry to many real estate agents,abused in public, asked to fire empolyees because, and I quote, shes too black, we want a whitney houston type black...
Im told westerers dont bathe, the women are loose,but the real insult comes when people try to be Nice ...we japanese arent rascist,we just dont like foreigners, or the ubiquitous, we japanese are not used to gai jin.
small minded mentality.I have some great Japanese mates who were extreme right wingers before they got to know me, and even they shake their heads nowdays when they hear that crap.I wish these japanphiles would take off the rose colored specs and admit this is a problem.

After 8 years in Japan, I can say that Mr. Row's claim is exaggerated. Rather than racism, I think it's a from of exclusion that can even apply to other Japanese. And I've had a few experiences of exclusion, but I can accept that - it's their country. I don't feel I have the right to everything in this country and there are so many other places where I can go that I've never felt deprived of anything.

In my opinion, most Japanese believe that the land of Japan is exclusively for Japanese people. Not that Japanese people nowadays are xenophobic, but that foreigners, tourists or employees, are considered guests who should be treated warmly, provided that they abide by some basic customs. I can understand that this may irritate some foreigners, but this has little to do with racism.

I am sure there is racism everywhere and there are idiots in every country, whether it is Japan, China, USA, Western countries or even in Canada (where multiculturalism is practiced). You just have to have an open mind when you are confronted by it. Instead of shouting back or getting upset, just feel sorry for them that racists have to live their lives with hatred. Having said that, we are all bias in our own way some how. For example, even in countries with multiculturalism, people tend to hang around or socialize more with people of their own background and language. I am a Chinese Canadian and i have to admit, 99% of my friends are Chinese, but that does not mean I "hate" people of other colour or background. It is just a personal preference as to who you want to hang around with.

I have visited Japan many times (4 times in the past 2 years) and when me and my travelmates required help, the strangers that we met (including senior citizens and cops) went out of their way to help us with where we need to go, even though they don't speak English and we didn't know what they were saying. These are the kindness acts that i will remember for the rest of my life. One sort of bad experience though. While in Sapporo, we went to an ice-cream place to eat. As we were about to sit at a table, an older looking lady who sat a few feet away started looking at us angrily and shouted at us in Japanese. We ended up choosing another table, but I bet you she didn't like sitting because we are Chinese.

My comment is off-topic.

The Rock wrote;
As we were about to sit at a table, an older looking lady who sat a few feet away started looking at us angrily and shouted at us in Japanese. We ended up choosing another table, but I bet you she didn't like sitting because we are Chinese.

Japanese people normally don't sit at tables that others are already sitting at. If they need to for one reason for another, they would ask first. It's the Japanese way of honoring other people's territory. On the other hand, Chinese people don't mind sitting close to strangers.

Again, this is off-topic.

i would recommend you never get into history with them. all it is is pretty much a big misunderstanding.

i have had some conflicts with my japanese friends because of 'debates' about history and it's just not something you can work out.

however i do believe that because there's a generation gap, every one is getting more lenient and are more accepting of different cultures.

just keep and open mind and you should be fine.
as a lot of people have stated - racism is everywhere.

Japan is incredibly nationalistic. It has been and remains in some ways a closed society. That's changing. Most of the time, all is well but the more you learn and observe, the more you see. Still, compared to the U.S., Japan is far better. Rarely is there violence and rarely are folks who are from this country discriminated against. Foreigners in virtually every country in the world must find their niche. I don't approve of that in the U.S. or in Japan but it is reality. If you don't believe me, check with Lou Dobbs ;-)