Being black in Japan

[ChisaChi]

From my brief experience in Japan, I'd say any form of racism I might have encountered would have been so passive that I didn't recognise it O_o. I'm half Burmese (so olive skinned), two of my group were of Chinese descent and two were of British descent. The white boy was declared 'cute' everywhere we went; the two of Chinese descent got some curious questions but always friendly; and I just got the occasional 'jyouzu!' for my lame Japanese XD

I imagine you'll be met with some curiousity for being a foreigner and looking different from the stereotypical American, but I doubt you'll encounter any overt racism.

[Compaqmac321]

man, i left the site for a few days cus i was busy and i come back and see a ton of replies, thanks for all the replies by the way
it really is a big help...i cant wait to go to japan, but still in the back of my mind i was wondering how i would be looked at....another thing this is a silly question, but how tall are the doors in japan, like when i watch a drama i see ppl ducking their heads to get in through a door, im 6 ft 3 so like 192 cm, i was just wondering if that was only tv or not

[Compaqmac321]

Originally Posted by AnthraxAttack

The "black people are criminals" image do exist over there. YouTube - black Japan

But if you are not one of them little hip hop yo's that are loud and rude, you'll be just another gaijin

i think thats just comedy i dont feel offended by that at all, its just silly lol

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Compaqmac321

man, i left the site for a few days cus i was busy and i come back and see a ton of replies, thanks for all the replies by the way
it really is a big help...i cant wait to go to japan, but still in the back of my mind i was wondering how i would be looked at....another thing this is a silly question, but how tall are the doors in japan, like when i watch a drama i see ppl ducking their heads to get in through a door, im 6 ft 3 so like 192 cm, i was just wondering if that was only tv or not

Mostly that is just TV, but at your height you will be ducking here and there, so watch your head.

[Compaqmac321]

ohhh ok haha i kinda figured that
cus like i see oguri shun ducking his head and hes my dads height and im way taller than him, so i was like if thats true ill feel like a giant in a tree house

[MMM]

I am not even 6 foot and i sometimes bang my head on low hanging lights.

[Compaqmac321]

yea me too, even here in america too tho
in the breakfast area in our house the light is low, and when i walk out the garage i have to duck my head, thats about it tho......i actually wish i was taller


some one on her said sumn bout a black sambo statue.....whats that about

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by Compaqmac321

some one on her said sumn bout a black sambo statue.....whats that about

If I recall correctly, back in the 80s, the Black Sambo Dolls and stories were popular in Japan. I guess you could say that the Japanese had no knowledge that it was supposed to be offensive, then again, in this regard, I don't fault them. If that's all they had exposure to (media wise) then it's better to just educate and give them the benefit of the doubt.

[Compaqmac321]

Originally Posted by SSJup81

If I recall correctly, back in the 80s, the Black Sambo Dolls and stories were popular in Japan. I guess you could say that the Japanese had no knowledge that it was supposed to be offensive, then again, in this regard, I don't fault them. If that's all they had exposure to (media wise) then it's better to just educate and give them the benefit of the doubt.

oh ok, i looked it up too, and yea it was popular, they had story books and dolls, real racist, BUT, i will actually give them the benefit of the doubt on it because like u said, they didnt know.

[SSJup81]

Originally Posted by Compaqmac321

oh ok, i looked it up too, and yea it was popular, they had story books and dolls, real racist, BUT, i will actually give them the benefit of the doubt on it because like u said, they didnt know.

If I'm not mistaken, a couple of years ago, I saw a group (maybe it was the Gospellers) on Hey! Hey! Hey!, and they were dressed in blackface. The type of music that the group plays was influenced by blacks and stuff. Jazz and all that. Even though we would find it extremely offensive if done here, since it was done here, it was a way to make fun of blacks, saying we're slow and ignorant, etc., they seem to be doing so out of admiration, so in this sense, it's difficult to get mad at it, but it would be nice to let them know it's offensive. I honestly don't think some know that is.