Cultural difficulties being half Japanese half caucasian....?

Question

When I was living in Japan I had a lot of problems adjusting to the culture, even though I was half Japanese and fluent speaker of the language....

I already had exposure to Japanese culture at home in Australia from my Mother, ie - language, tradition, food.. Also yearly holidays to visit relatives in Japan...

I'm considered a bit of an outspoken extrovert over here in Australia --- my close female friends in Japan used to have a little chuckle and joke around saying I was like a hardcore Yakuza chick... --- Would always say things like 'what are you staring at???' in English to rude onlookers or tell people off for smoking in non-smoking areas.....

AT THE SAME TIME -- I was feeling a massive obligation to be part of the culture....

Anyone out there who has had similar problems being half and half of two completely different cultures...??

Extrovert vs Introvert...

Thoughts....?

Cheers.

B

XXX

Answer 1

Hey good question!
Funny how they call you a Yakuza chick. Haha
I have a friend like you who's outspoken and makes sure everyone know what she's thinking (especially when she's pissed off).
We call her "gangsta girl".

Obviously living in a different culture can have many difficulties.
Even if you were “taught” about the culture, the food, the customs and the basic characteristics of “being Japanese”, that doesn’t necessarily MAKE you “A Japanese”.
I had the same problem as you.
I was raised in the US and spoke broken Japanese up to my late teens. I then moved to Japan and stayed until my mid 20s so I’m a bit of both worlds so to speak. I look Japanese, I speak fluent Japanese and I know how to “act” Japanese in certain situations (and will act as such if I think it’s correct) but I am obviously not “truly Japanese”. (My friends and I call it “being Hen-Japa” 変ジャパ. An authentic home-grown Japanese is “Jun-Japa”純ジャパ)

And I think you probably had it even harder because you’re female. The expected behavior of a male VS a female in Japan is also very different from western cultures.

As you mentioned speaking out in public is also not a common thing in Japan especially by a female.
My friends keep teasing me about the time I asked a lady (obachan) to go to the back of the line because I saw her trying to cut in front while we waited for a train. And I understand why they'd tease me because it was really crowded and people were staring and my Japanese part of my mind says that bringing attention to myself is embarrassing. But on the other hand my American part of my brain is saying “Yeah but she cut in line” which is the only reason I need to tell her off.

While living in Japan I felt like I was being pressured to either A) change my whole outlook and way of thinking to fit the Japanese standard or B) become an outcast. Do you know what I mean?
It was either join them or be considered different (ie: strange / weird / not belonging)

It was also very interesting to see that in the major cities like Tokyo, speaking to a complete stranger is considered weird or not normal behavior. For example, while you're waiting for your train, you don't just turn to the guy sitting next to you at the train station and say "Wow great weather we're having huh?". If someone did this in Tokyo they will be considered a bit quirky, a little strange or odd. And for some reason, many Japanese people think this is normal "Japanese" cultural behavior.
However, if you go to the rural areas in Japan you actually find out that Japanese people are a lot friendlier and outspoken.
I've actually had complete strangers turn to me and chat about the weather and other things when I visited the rural areas like Yamagata and Akita Pref.

Anyway, I believe the cultural background that the person was introduced to when they were young is the base culture that they will go by when they get older. People like you and I may have had Japanese "influences" when we were young, but our base cultural background is Australia for you and US for me.

I am curious in hearing other people's ideas on this matter as well.
I think it's a really interesting subject. One which absolutely should involve beer and pizza while we talk about it.

Answer 2

Woow - well yea, I 'm half Nihonjin too - demo I am American. My okasan is Nihonjin. I've had my yearly visits to Nihon (since I was a kid) to see relatives and freinds and always loved it and hated it.

Japanese culture stinks in the way they are WAAAAY too concerned with how they appear in the eyes of others - insecure much? (Dayo-Ne!?) so that bothered me a bit 'cuz I was sensitive to those vibes as a kid.

My weapon has been to keep glowing in my OWN skin as ME ^_^
and be proud of the good sides of 'em in both cultures.

Keep in mind, only u can make u feel the way u feel (NOONE) else can!! Use ur will power, love and courage to attain that state.

Ganbatte ne! My lil sisters live in Tokyo now - they live in Roppongi. Livin it up!

Answer 3

Don't you worry, my sister has the same problem! i think shes gonna get killed some day. were half japanese and half american jsut to let you know an i speak both languages and cna we be friends just add me or IM me. anyway here it goes, my sister always tell people like you siad abiout the sigarate and like tellls people like what ever she has in her mind. she goes up and asked this one like ふりようーOr　やんきー if u can read that anyway asked him to stop walking through our "APARTMENT" parking lot. lol. and lots of other stuff.shell get shot in americ some day i think. by hte way my e mial is. [e-mail]

Answer 4

In Hawaii we've our own be conscious Hapa: interior the Hawaiian language, Hapa is defined as: element, fragment, section, fraction, installment; to be partial, much less. that's a private loan from the English be conscious 0.5. even nevertheless, in Hawaiian Pidgin (the creole spoken by many Hawai'i citizens), Hapa has an prolonged meaning of "0.5-caste" or "of mixed descent". Mary Pukui & Samuel Ebert's Hawaiian Dictionary define hapa as: "of mixed blood, guy or woman of mixed blood as in Hapa Hawai'i, section Hawaiian.