I can't pass for a local, speak the language fluently, or find shoes my size, and very small children sometimes stare at me on the subway, I think it's the blue eyes . But I wouldn't call that racism or xenophobia. I am in a strange country, so I am a stranger; what else can I be? I accept that, and appreciate the hospitality I have been shown.
I know several people from my country who have stayed in japan and they didn't feel unwelcome at all...maybe it's just Americans?
no, i know a lot of non americans who noticed the same thing. like i said before it is pretty well known how xenophobic japan is.
They are very protective of their culture, but that's not necessarily racism. Those people who go there to learn about the culture and assimilate seem to get a rather warm welcome...
this is taken from the first paragraph of the wikipedia page "ethnic issues in japan" foreign nationals are sometimes restricted from certain services and activities.[1] Another issue of racism in Japan is the idea of ethnic purity as 98.5% of Japan is the Yamato ethnic group. [2] Culture in Japan has a long belief of xenophobia and jingoism towards foreign cultures.
Wikipedia is of course a most reliable scientific reference It really is quite normal to only offer certain services to nationals only, that is not considered racism. Maybe time to look at your own country's legistlation?
Wikipedia is of course a most reliable scientific reference
and what legislation would that be? if you are going to make a statement like that don't be vague, be clear with your point.
the point of referencing wikipedia was more to show how ubiquitous and well known it is that japan is xenophobic. you seem to be adamant in your denial of this well known aspect of japanese culture. have you even bothered to search about the subject? a single google search will leave you overwhelmed with articles and stories about japanese xenophobia.
Gee, I must be very stupid, since while actually living here I don't feel what wikipedia says I should be feeling --s.
at the end of that article are hundreds of comments from different people. yes there are people who have had a good experience but look at all the horror stories are there. it's frightening.
i know how trendy and hip it is to bash america but it's not just americans.
Possibly it is... and you can get bashed anywhere, not just Japan.
i dont think you understood that comment. i was saying it's not just americans that experience racism in japan.
i understand you were simply relaying something you believe but I do not understand all the push back. Specially since you disclaim at the begging you do not live there. Not picking on you it why all the push back vs simply being open tithe possibility that there can be and likely are some less than rare exception to the 'documented' trend. Can you not be "right" but also someone else wih a different view or belief ( even if just to a lesser extent or as anecdote only)?Again not picking in you or jumping on the vs side of it all. Just observing and find curious you defend something so vehemently that you do not have personal experience with or anything at stake w the premise being validated in tho discussion
because i am a big defender of truth and i have read so much about japanese xenophobia from reliable sources, read many stories about it, seen many youtube videos of testimonials, and have probably 7-8 friends who have told me in person. also, outlin likes to take the opposite side of every opinion i form on every thread so that's irritating to me which is another motivation. also the sarcasm from other people who are implying that it doesn't exist that much and tacitly calling me ignorant is further motivation. but the main reason, i am a big defender of truth.
Fair Enough I supposeMy direct experience with virtual contact is that I suspect that it may be to a lesser extent in business. In a global economy business leaders and small business owners understand the need to be open w international commerce. When I have conducted business with people in japan I have only experiencedHelpfulness and accommodation and a genuine desire to meet my needs and wants from a product an services only perspective .I do not argue for or against re day in day out reality of social interaction there as I am no authority in the matter , so again was more wondering where your motivation for needing to be "right" in this context and discussion was coming from. Which you answered nicely. So thanks
Why can't you just accept that different people of different nationalities may have different experiences (= their own thruth)? For every negative example, there are probably hundreds of positive ones. That's why I simply can't accept the generalization that Japan is or that the Japanese in general are racists. It's not my personal experience.Here is an article by a foreigner who has lived quite some time in Japan. It discusses some of the realities of living in that country as a foreigner. I hope you will read it till the end because there are some really positive points: Are foreigners perpetual outsiders in Japan?
i read it to the end and that is only a single person's example who claims in the article that japanese is not a difficult language to learn despite experts saying the contrary
If that is the message you got from it, then I can't help you. You seem to be on a mission so it's pretty useless to counter your arguments with something positive. Very sad indeed.
they want the truth.
The bitter truth is that racism is present virtually everywhere. It's nothing typical of Japan.
also, outlin likes to take the opposite side of every opinion i form on every thread so that's irritating to me which is another motivation.
Actually no. I only feel it necessary to comment where there's something to comment. I agree with a lot of what is written here, but it's not common in my culture to say things just for the pleasure of saying them It is normal and expected that when you present very black-and-white claims on an internet forum, your views will be questioned and the other side of things (that usually does exist) will be brought forward. Why would that be irritating if you have studied the issue and can defend your views in a logical way?
i am saying it is irritating that in almost every thread that i write you respond with some sort of negation, which was one reason i defended my position with vigor. that guy was asking why i was so vehemently defending my position and i explained to him you were a small factor.
i started this thread by explaining that many foreigners experience overt racism and xenophobia. the opposite side of this position is that many foreigners do NOT experience xenophobia and racism and that the majority of foreigners can easily assimilate in japanese culture. that position is demonstrably false. i linked many articles from newspapers and other reputable sources talking about japanese racism. i then copied at least 15 or so people talking about the racism/xenophobia they faced. how can you ignore all this evidence? dima_76557linked a blog in which a single person explained how they had a good experience in japan, but the end of the article had dozens of responses by people who had the opposite experience. we both agree that people can have a good experience in japan but you seem to ignore the vast amount of evidence that shows a large population of foreigners face overt xenophobia and racism.
Why would highly educated people and whole research groups around the world spend time researching these issues if it's enough to just browse the internet and talk to a few people and then make a statement about the level of racism in any country?
all i am saying is that there is a well documented and large population of people who have had a negative experience in japan.
outin -you have a reading comprehension problem.
i also found it funny that outin says that subjective experience does not equate to objective reality and then proceeds to talk about her own subjective experience.
Just don't stand out, don't behave loudly and/or rudely (speaking loudly on mobile phone on the subway train, for example, is considered extremely rude, so avoid answering phone calls there) and don't stand out too much in a way that is not typical for their culture.I know of no other culture where trying not to offend anyone else is so much a way of life. It's almost an obsession. True racism, therefore, simply doesn't fit in the mindset of the average Japanese person.
@ cwjalexI am not interested in politics and/or dirty games. I have my own experience with Japan and it's deeply in conflict with the links you give to what appear to be typical anti-Japanese propaganda materials.
united nations is anti japanese propaganda materials? Lol. you say i don't document anything and then i give documented evidence but you still refuse to believe. it is pathetic that you continue to ignore so much evidence.
I was waiting for real-life stories to see from the context whether the so-called "victims of racism" where right in their judgement of the situation or not. That is the kind of documentation I would like to see. Politics and statistics are really not my cup of tea. Sorry.