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As a visible minority in Japan, experiences like this are extremely commonplace. In fact, I think the frequency is the most troublesome part. Every time you s
by laurieg 7y ago
As a visible minority in Japan, experiences like this are extremely commonplace. In fact, I think the frequency is the most troublesome part.
Every time you step out of the house there is someone there to remind you you are foreign. Just moments ago I bought some donuts and the woman in the shop awkwardly gestured at me instead of speaking to me.
Obviously, this is not the end of the world and it's nothing to lose sleep over but I would advise people thinking of coming to live in Japan that attitudes and norms around race are quite different.
- reustle 7y ago> Every time you step out of the house there is someone there to remind you you are foreign. In my 2+ years here, I think I can count these cases on one hand. I think you may be picking out things that aren't actually unique to you being a foreigner, or your body language is just making it look like you're completely oblivious to what is going on in the interaction so they feel the need to make the communication extra clear.
- laurieg 7y agoI'm not doubting you, but I find it genuinely puzzling how our experiences can be so different. For me, being treated differently to Japanese looking people is just the norm. At first I assumed it was my Japanese level or some other feature, but I think you can't ignore the obvious difference. The other thing that sealed the deal in my mind is how I get spoken to very differently on the telephone compared to face-to-face.