Will I be an outcast if i go to Japan? (ONLY answer if you have lived in Japan or a while or you are Japanese)

Question

I've heard a LOT of different things. almost every book i've ever read says 'Yes', or that they hate foreigners, and a teacher i had who lived in japan for YEARS siad that they hate anyone who is obviously not japanese. However, i met a Japanese woman, and she said it's not true! but THEN i read a book that said they ill tell you it's not true in hopes that it really isn't, even though it is!!! sorry if this is confusing, but i don't wanna be hated! oh, and then my6 French teacher (who studied a million other languages and went to japan) said that they don't hate foreigners, they just don't want foreigners learning Japanese. also, the terms 'Gaijin' isn't really racist, it just means 'outside person' or generally someone who's not Japanese, but to foreigners it is racist! I also heard that even if i make friends and live there and become a citizen (which i heard is hard), i sill still never be accepted and will always be stereotyped. PLEASE help, this is REALLY making me mad!!

btw, i meant 'My' instead of 'My6'. i just had to put that because there are idiots out there! PLEASE only answer if you truely know, lease don't put down 'I don't know' or something stupid like that. this is making me really mad!! also, if you know, don't just say 'It depends on the person', because that's not really answering. in a majority, do they hate foreigners or not?

Answer 1

It sounds as if your teacher was going through some serious culture shock that embittered him/her to this country. As a foriegner in Japan there is definitely an automatic barrier between you and any Japanese aquaintance based on the fact that you are not Japanese. However, it is a GROSS overstatement to say that they "hate" foriegners.

The only real overt hostility that anyone really exhibits is to 1. uniformed military personel, but generally only in or around military towns (i.e. Yokotsuka, Naha, etc.). and 2. Korean and Chinese people (there is still a lot of bad blood between them about WWII in particular). Even then, this is by no means the predominant opinion.

In general, Japanese people will not exhibit the sort of racism as is depicted in say movies about the 60s and 70s South toward blacks. Even if they do have a serious problem with foriegners, they will almost never say it, because that would just be too rude. Rather there is just this all pervasive, passive, and totally non vitriolic idea that you are simply "different" and in Japanese culture different is not usually something of value (Japanese Proverb: The nail that sticks out gets hammerd down). At the same time, in all the time I've lived here no one has been anything but really nice to me. It can be a challenge to make close Japanese friends, but it is certainly not impossible. I have a number of really close Japanese friends myself.

As far as Japanese people not liking us to learn their language or adapt to their culture, I have honestly found the opposite to be true. Your life we be a lot easier if you know enough Japanese to carry on a conversation and enough culture not to offend people. What some people percieve as them not wanting us to speak Japanese is honestly just a misunderstanding.

The Japanese government has for decades puffed the populous up about how great it is to be Japanese and the homogenaity of the Japanese people. They further think that Japanese is an impossibly difficult language to learn and only "THEY" are capable of speaking it. THEN the government has drilled into their heads that they HAVE to learn English to communicate with foriegners. SO what happens very often is that when a foreigner speaks to a Japanese person (particularly one from a big city with lots of foriegners) their immediate reaction is to try to speak in English (though honestly few of them speak it anywhere near approaching fluency). They also seem to turn off their Japanese ears when they do this, leading people to think they are hostile to Westerners speaking Japanese, but they really aren't. Once it becomes apparent that your Japanese is better than their English, most people will switch back to Japanese and be glad to do it.

The thing about "gaijin" is true though. Japanese people don't use it disparagingly. It is just that we westerners are hyper-sensitive to politically correct terminology. I know a lot of people who really let it get under their skin and make them really resentful of Japan, but I've chosen not to let it bother me. The Japanese people who I care about call me "David" anyway, and that is what I think is important.

You probably WILL always be stereotyped to a certatin degree, but you will also be accepted if you work at it hard enough. There are little things here that can really bum you out and ruin your time here if you let them. The trick is not to let it get to you. For my part, I love Japan and love living here. I've made lots of friends and when I do meet up with a jerk I just ignore them and go on my merry way.

If you really want to come here don't let other people's own bitterness and inability to adapt to a different culture dissuade you. I think if you are a flexible person you will come here, perhaps have a few struggles, but still manage to have a great time.

Answer 2

I lived in Japan for a very long time and I rarely had any experience with this type of problem,I think more of the older generation Japanese still hold hard feelings for what has happend over the past years but as far as the younger generation now they like to be more involved with foreigners mainly because they are interested in learning better english and keeping good foreign relations between the two different cultures,I have many Japanese friends and they never once displayed this type of behavior toward me or any other foreigner that they have come in contact with,Japanese ppl are very humble and will do anything to help you out,you just have to patient with them because of the language barrier and also if you ever need help from a japanese person please approach them kindly because if not they might think that you are trying to harm them somehow,So in conclusion Japanese in general are friendly ppl with kind hearts except for a few of the elderly Japanese that dont want to be bothered period especially if you are gaijin.Good Luck and enjoy beautiful Japan.

Answer 3

What part of Japan? I lived in Tokyo for a while, and while people weren't rude or anything, non-Japanese folks were definitely a minority. The number of non-Japanese people decreases the further you move away from Tokyo and other large cities. There is a definite sense of racism - we were over there because my husband was doing some consulting work for the government. We were hosted by a Japanese woman who had been raised in England and Switzerland, and she got really worked up by the racism. She was in a unique position because she was ethnically Japanese, so she was accepted bu others, but she was raised in a completely different culture, so she could see the shortcomings of Japanese culture.

The Japanese aren't rude, which works in your favor, and they hate to admit to being racist or having a problem with foreigners. You won't encounter anything too bad, but you will encounter some racism and be treated differently. But I think you shouldn't let that keep you from going there, at least for a while. It would probably be a great experience. I enjoyed my time there, although I was ready to come home when it was over. I miss Tokyo in some ways, and wouldn't mind returning for a while, but it will never really be home.

PS There's a fun blog by an American guy who is teaching in Japan, I think in Kyoto. Reading it might be helpful, plus he may be willing to answer questions. It's at http://www.gaijinsmash.net/

Answer 4

I've been in Japan for five years and my expereinces have been mixed. For the most part I just glide thru since I know what to do. Every once in a while I might bump into a true xenophobe at a restaurant who doesn't want me there but I mainly stick to more public places that welcome any commerce.

I've found many to be pleased when I display some knowledge of Japanese history and culture more so than speaking Japanese. People speak a language to get by not always because they like it. History and culture are not necessities to living here so they tend to be more surprised when a foriegner makes the effort to know something about that.

Answer 5

Its true they don't like foreigners. It won't be obvious...it will be difficult to make friends. You'll probably be alone a lot, unless your invited...like as a foreign exchange student.

Answer 6

i read that many do