Current Events > Why does Japan get stereotyped as racist

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I'm black and was in Japan for a good two weeks and didn't experience an ounce of racism. Out of the 11 countries I have visited, by far the USA has been the most racist. Don't listen to these fools enlightened ones.
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what 11 countries have you visited
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TheMikh posted...

what 11 countries have you visited

Canada, Mexico, Germany, Netherlands, France, UK, Japan, Jamaica, Bahamas, Dominican Republic
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And what countries have you lived in for an extended period of time.

to my understanding, japan is less racist than it is xenophobic, and even then xenophobia seems more prevalent outside the cities

hoping to visit someday
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NeoShadowhen posted...

And what countries have you lived in for an extended period of time.

USA
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TheMikh posted...

to my understanding, japan is less racist than it is xenophobic, and even then xenophobia seems more prevalent outside the cities

hoping to visit someday

where do you want to visit? What are you hoping to see? Tbh, Japan is the only country I'm tempting to go back to back lol.
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I was in Japan recently too for two weeks and I experienced no racism or xenophobia. Heck I'm tempted to move there.

Japan also takes respect and people's sense of space seriously. that's cool you got to chill without drama.
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It depends on who you interact with. Older generations are extremely backwards in a lot of ways - racist, xenophobic, technophobic, anti tattoo, mysoginistic, etc etc.

JBaLLEN66 posted...

TheMikh posted...

to my understanding, japan is less racist than it is xenophobic, and even then xenophobia seems more prevalent outside the cities

hoping to visit someday

where do you want to visit? What are you hoping to see? Tbh, Japan is the only country I'm tempting to go back to back lol.

as far as cities go, tokyo, yokohama, kyoto, and kobe for certain

my options are open as far as specific destinations go, though himeji would top the list
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Just because they want their country to remain Japanese people freak out. I never see them personally but online they're out there.
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OctilIery posted...

It depends on who you interact with. Older generations are extremely backwards in a lot of ways - racist, xenophobic, technophobic, anti tattoo, mysoginistic, etc etc.

I talked to everyone bro
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TheMikh posted...

JBaLLEN66 posted...

TheMikh posted...

to my understanding, japan is less racist than it is xenophobic, and even then xenophobia seems more prevalent outside the cities

hoping to visit someday

where do you want to visit? What are you hoping to see? Tbh, Japan is the only country I'm tempting to go back to back lol.

as far as cities go, tokyo, yokohama, kyoto, and kobe for certain

my options are open as far as specific destinations go, though himeji would top the list

I'd go to Kyoto first because that's where your going to see the traditional japanese culture and **** from the anime shows that you watched. Next, go to Tokyo since it's Tokyo lol.
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JBaLLEN66 posted...

TheMikh posted...

JBaLLEN66 posted...

TheMikh posted...

to my understanding, japan is less racist than it is xenophobic, and even then xenophobia seems more prevalent outside the cities

hoping to visit someday

where do you want to visit? What are you hoping to see? Tbh, Japan is the only country I'm tempting to go back to back lol.

as far as cities go, tokyo, yokohama, kyoto, and kobe for certain

my options are open as far as specific destinations go, though himeji would top the list

I'd go to Kyoto first because that's where your going to see the traditional japanese culture and **** from the anime shows that you watched. Next, go to Tokyo since it's Tokyo lol.

ashamed to say i don't watch much anime lol

i've always been fanatical about the music though, popular (contemporary and vintage) and traditional alike. i'm also fond of both the modern and classical architecture.

so, points of interest related to those would be of particular interest.
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TheMikh posted...

JBaLLEN66 posted...

TheMikh posted...

JBaLLEN66 posted...

TheMikh posted...

to my understanding, japan is less racist than it is xenophobic, and even then xenophobia seems more prevalent outside the cities

hoping to visit someday

where do you want to visit? What are you hoping to see? Tbh, Japan is the only country I'm tempting to go back to back lol.

as far as cities go, tokyo, yokohama, kyoto, and kobe for certain

my options are open as far as specific destinations go, though himeji would top the list

I'd go to Kyoto first because that's where your going to see the traditional japanese culture and **** from the anime shows that you watched. Next, go to Tokyo since it's Tokyo lol.

ashamed to say i don't watch much anime lol

i've always been fanatical about the music though, popular (contemporary and vintage) and traditional alike. i'm also fond of both the modern and classical architecture.

so, points of interest related to those would be of particular interest.

Tbh, I was in Japan for two weeks and I only got to do literally 10% of my expectations. Go to Kyoto If you want to see the old school Japanese culture and **** with the castles and Geishas and **** lol. Tokyo is huge and is going to be a mega city. There's areas that traditional looking spots, but most of it is pretty modern and developed.
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JBaLLEN66 posted...

TheMikh posted...

JBaLLEN66 posted...

TheMikh posted...

JBaLLEN66 posted...

TheMikh posted...

to my understanding, japan is less racist than it is xenophobic, and even then xenophobia seems more prevalent outside the cities

hoping to visit someday

where do you want to visit? What are you hoping to see? Tbh, Japan is the only country I'm tempting to go back to back lol.

as far as cities go, tokyo, yokohama, kyoto, and kobe for certain

my options are open as far as specific destinations go, though himeji would top the list

I'd go to Kyoto first because that's where your going to see the traditional japanese culture and **** from the anime shows that you watched. Next, go to Tokyo since it's Tokyo lol.

ashamed to say i don't watch much anime lol

i've always been fanatical about the music though, popular (contemporary and vintage) and traditional alike. i'm also fond of both the modern and classical architecture.

so, points of interest related to those would be of particular interest.

Tbh, I was in Japan for two weeks and I only got to do literally 10% of my expectations. Go to Kyoto If you want to see the old school Japanese culture and **** with the castles and Geishas and **** lol. Tokyo is huge and is going to be a mega city. There's areas that traditional looking spots, but most of it is pretty modern and developed.

will do. plenty of time to consolidate plans and study basic japanese.
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Alright I live in Japan and it's just different and people massively misunderstand it. First of all you don't see violent, fearing for my life racism like you do in the US. If you want to find fatal hate crimes you basically have to go to pre-WWII Japan. You also aren't going to run into people yelling racial slurs at you in public. In general Japan is way safer than the US and I laugh when I run into old Seattle friends and they tell me shit about how they would fear for their safety because of Japan stereotypes. In Seattle I had shootings outside my apartment multiple times, I got robbed, multiple instances of violence breaking out on public transit, and Seattle is one of the safer big cities in the US.

Alright so what kind of racism does exist in Japan? Well it's primarily a cultural xenophobia actually, even if you were a Japanese-American, or the full on Japanese Brazilians that aren't too rare here, you won't be real Japanese to most people. It's 100% cultural, not ethnic. You had to be raised in Japan to be real Japanese. A half Japanese half-anything else person raised here will be seen as more Japanese by most people than a 100% Japanese person raised elsewhere. And almost all the discrimination you will encounter will be based on that. "We don't rent to foreigners" is the number one most common thing you encounter here. It's 100% based on stereotypes of bad foreigners who don't understand or want to conform to Japanese culture. They really don't care what race you are, they just don't want to try to accommodate you. Any other no-foreigners establishment is also likely the same. I find most places here will become much friendlier to me once they realize I speak Japanese well.

Now the final thing to mention is there is a small group of ultra-far right people that are loud and hated by most Japanese (counter-protestors always outnumber them). These people are legit racist. They hate me for being not Japanese, they want me out of the country, they drive vans around blaring propaganda asking people to assist in removing all foreigners from Japan. They want Imperial Japan back. Basically neo-nazis. However they're mainly old, viewed negatively by the vast majority of Japan, and linked to organized crime more often than not. They're not really a serious threat, but if you understand Japanese the shit you see and hear from them can be frightening because they use violent language that is normally relatively rare.

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The US is one of the least racist countries lol despite what the MSM says

coh posted...

The US is one of the least racist countries lol despite what the MSM says

having spent a few years in louisiana, i think we have a long way to go
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ssjevot posted...

Alright I live in Japan and it's just different and people massively misunderstand it. First of all you don't see violent, fearing for my life racism like you do in the US. If you want to find fatal hate crimes you basically have to go to pre-WWII Japan. You also aren't going to run into people yelling racial slurs at you in public. In general Japan is way safer than the US and I laugh when I run into old Seattle friends and they tell me shit about how they would fear for their safety because of Japan stereotypes. In Seattle I had shootings outside my apartment multiple times, I got robbed, multiple instances of violence breaking out on public transit, and Seattle is one of the safer big cities in the US.

Alright so what kind of racism does exist in Japan? Well it's primarily a cultural xenophobia actually, even if you were a Japanese-American, or the full on Japanese Brazilians that aren't too rare here, you won't be real Japanese to most people. It's 100% cultural, not ethnic. You had to be raised in Japan to be real Japanese. A half Japanese half-anything else person raised here will be seen as more Japanese by most people than a 100% Japanese person raised elsewhere. And almost all the discrimination you will encounter will be based on that. "We don't rent to foreigners" is the number one most common thing you encounter here. It's 100% based on stereotypes of bad foreigners who don't understand or want to conform to Japanese culture. They really don't care what race you are, they just don't want to try to accommodate you. Any other no-foreigners establishment is also likely the same. I find most places here will become much friendlier to me once they realize I speak Japanese well.

Now the final thing to mention is there is a small group of ultra-far right people that are loud and hated by most Japanese (counter-protestors always outnumber them). These people are legit racist. They hate me for being not Japanese, they want me out of the country, they drive vans around blaring propaganda asking people to assist in removing all foreigners from Japan. They want Imperial Japan back. Basically neo-nazis. However they're mainly old, viewed negatively by the vast majority of Japan, and linked to organized crime more often than not. They're not really a serious threat, but if you understand Japanese the shit you see and hear from them can be frightening because they use violent language that is normally relatively rare.

so extremely light compared to america.
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I also live in Japan. What the guy above said is correct, it isnt in your face, n-slur shouting kind of racism. Its more like uneducated, inexperienced naivety. You dont start seeing weird stuff until you try to rent an apartment, or make major purchases here. Renters dont trust foreigners from any country. Most stuff you are gonna see though, is maybe someone making a racial stereotype gesture or asking something dumb like do all ______ people do _____?

Also, their pizza is awful, if that counts.
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KillerKhan420 posted...

Just because they want their country to remain Japanese people freak out. I never see them personally but online they're out there.

Every country should want to remain themselves and resist being forcefully conformed by international corporations who plan to create a single uniform world under their control.

Oh yeah, the do all people blank thing is great. Because as everyone who lives in America knows it's a massive place with wildly different cultural groups, but in Japan it's all just one American stereotype. So you will encounter some weird shit. But realize you likely do that about massive countries with multiple cultures like China too.

Okay the creamed corn pizza is pretty scary sure, but it isn't awful. The pizza here is rarely that good, but you can find decent places. Don't expect anything like American premium restaurant pizza though.

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>'m black and was in Japan for a good two weeks and didn't experience an ounce of racism

the generalisation fallacy. One person's experience does not mean the consensus nor give you the call to judge an entire country. Neither is your experience spread across the whole of Japan was it.

JBaLLEN66 posted...

so extremely light compared to america.

It's about what works with your lifestyle. If you are someone who can't handle microaggressions this place will destroy you. If you just want a relatively peaceful, leave me alone, shrug off minor stuff lifestyle this place is perfect. I couldn't stand how easily people would get upset and violence would break out in Seattle. I just never want to live in that kind of place again. Japan is fine for me. I don't care if everyone is microaggressing on me or saying shit behind my back.

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ssjevot posted...

JBaLLEN66 posted...

so extremely light compared to america.

It's about what works with your lifestyle. If you are someone who can't handle microaggressions this place will destroy you. If you just want a relatively peaceful, leave me alone, shrug off minor stuff lifestyle this place is perfect. I couldn't stand how easily people would get upset and violence would break out in Seattle. I just never want to live in that kind of place again. Japan is fine for me. I don't care if everyone is microaggressing on me or saying shit behind my back.

Id take this because Im sick constantly being reminded that Im black and in danger of getting robbed in the states.
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This is bullshit

I've traveled to plenty of south Pacific countries. Im not saying there aren't great people but there's definitly some culture of racism.
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It may be different for outsiders. I k ew a half black half japanese dude who moved here to get away from the racism there. But I think he said specifically it was because he was half black half japanese. Not full black as apparently his father has no issues there.
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Probably the least likely to get robbed in Japan than anywhere. Also you are less likely to be a target because people here think all foreigners will fight back unlike Japanese potential victims that they assume are passive. What you need to look out for as a foreigner are scammers, but if you're from the US it will be like babbies first scam attempt to you.

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mooreandrew58 posted...

It may be different for outsiders. I k ew a half black half japanese dude who moved here to get away from the racism there. But I think he said specifically it was because he was half black half japanese. Not full black as apparently his father has no issues there.

Lot of half-black celebrities in Japan, last two Miss Japan, Lin (singer for Persona 5), but it is definitely is something each individual will experience for themselves. I know one half-black girl myself, but she doesn't know English, so it's not like she could realistically leave.

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Solid Snake07 posted...

This is bullshit

I've traveled to plenty of south Pacific countries. Im not saying there aren't great people but there's definitly some culture of racism.

This is like a super weird stereotype. Covers multiple countries that aren't even in the same region as Japan culturally.

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Just because you didn't notice anything doesn't mean systemic racism isn't a problem there.
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Oh, it does exist. Im in Hamamatsu. We had a Gaijin Festival last year.

Guess who the gaijin were?

4th generation foreigners.


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Always wanted to visit Kyoto and Kiyomizu temple in particular.

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_____Cait posted...

Oh, it does exist. Im in Hamamatsu. We had a Gaijin Festival last year.

Guess who the gaijin were?

4th generation foreigners.



But it isnt like in the US. Like I said before, it is based on inexperience and lack of social education. You would be surprised at the lack of awareness of the world people have here.

Yep, it really bugs me how people ignore the reality of bigotry in Japan in favor of their own version informed by stuff people who have never been here wrote on the internet. And it kind of shows that lack of awareness about the world isn't limited to Japan...

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ssjevot posted...

mooreandrew58 posted...

It may be different for outsiders. I k ew a half black half japanese dude who moved here to get away from the racism there. But I think he said specifically it was because he was half black half japanese. Not full black as apparently his father has no issues there.

Lot of half-black celebrities in Japan, last two Miss Japan, Lin (singer for Persona 5), but it is definitely is something each individual will experience for themselves. I know one half-black girl myself, but she doesn't know English, so it's not like she could realistically leave.

Celebs are a different beast america has hated gay people a long time but has anyone ever cared about freddie Mercury or Elton John?
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Like I said something each individual experiences for themselves. There are thousands at most half-black people in Japan. So it's hard to go by much. Like I said I know one person. I saw a couple interviews on YouTube with half-black people, and then there are celebrities. I don't think you will find any data that isn't anecdotes due to the small size of the group.

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Because Japan is racist in a lot of ways. They just aren't as aggressive about it, and it stems largely from simply being a relatively isolated and homogeneous nation.

ssjevot posted...

In Seattle I had shootings outside my apartment multiple times, I got robbed, multiple instances of violence breaking out on public transit, and Seattle is one of the safer big cities in the US.

No it's not Seattle is infamous for it's shootings and aside from Detroit and Chicago it has one of the worst reputations for violence.


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