Quote:
Originally Posted by GTJ
@KaiTea:
From what I've heard from asking many Japanese students (colllege-aged), they're kind of scared of black people. Specifically, black men, I think. I ask them for some sort of rationalization and they can provide none. They're just not used to them being around. I'm not sure about black women; I had a black friend studying abroad in Tokyo and apparently she hated it, but whether that had to do anything with her race or not, I cannot say.
All I can say for certain is being black, you stand out more than a white gaijin. Also, in many urban areas, a large portion of the black population (I'm citing Amemura in Osaka for this) stand around all day dealing drugs. It's worth noting that that may affect the reputation of black foreigners in Japan.
Of course, if you're just going to visit, I doubt you'll encounter any of this. The chance of meeting someone who is racist or who is going to single you out is very low, and you will only encounter a serious probability of seeing them if you stay there for an extended period of time.
So that's the negative. You should know, though, that the positive far outweighs it  |
I have to agree here and the advice given is valuable. I'm a white male. When I was at university in Japan, I had a black female friend that was definitely treated differently another white female friend by Japanese males transacting most business.
I'm not really sure how to describe it, but my opinion is Japan has only seen Black people exist today as a result of their struggles throughout history. News and Media also shows blacks as low income with higher chance of being involved in a felony than other other races. Mind you, I don't believe that a non-black person would behave any differently than a black person given their upbringing, environment and opportunities or lack of.
My guess is that Japanese Woman find Blacks Scary I guess because of jobs Blacks have been noted for having in Japan: bodyguard / bouncer or boxer / athlete. Also the size of the average black male compared to the average Japanese female may have something to do with it.
I think its the same stereotypes America has had (and still has). In addition I see the majority of blacks that exist in a big city such as Tokyo or Fukuoka are generally not in business / salary man types of positions but in lower types of work. Also some blacks in Japan are from very poor nations with lifestyles of their previous environment. From what I hear from Japanese is that black people can have great talent but not talent that is respected.
It all lies in the same thing... lack of knowledge of the other race... Perception of hyakujin in the past, now slowly changing...
On the other side of this, though, I believe blacks to be gaining more popularity in Japan than 10-15 years ago. Look at Japanese Music and styles moving toward R&B .
Artists such as African American Enka singer Jero is showing that Black people can be as talented and fluent as the next foreigner or more.
US President Obama is showing this the best throughout the world that blacks are no different than any other race. Didn't say I like his "reform politics" though ^_^
But most importantly , the softbank commercials with the clean cut black man conversing occasionally. <bad joke> ^_^
Personally I know a young male black Princeton PHD (in Japanese History) who is married to a Japanese and has children. He plans to move to Japan
with the children. He is going to have a very tough road ahead of him, but he is changing the national opinion of the whole race.
Now if you really want to talk about be treated differently in Japan, lets talk male vs female. Females and Males are no where treated the same as they are in America. Females are still second class citizens in Japan and the change you see in America for women I believe is a long time coming for Japan. Mind you, there have been some serious strides in the amount and roles women play in business in the past decades. However for now think of Japan in 1970s America right now for the treatment of Male vs Female. Here is a good read:
Amazon.com: Japanese Women: New Feminist Perspectives on the Past, Present and Future (9781558610941): Kumiko Fujimura-Fanselow, Atsuko Kameda: Books
To the original poster on "how is it in Japan?". Prepare for culture shock, sexism and possible racism, but nothing to write home about, and definitely nothing to ruin a short or even extended stay. You have to be flexible. Its not your country nor society so you won't change any rules, but you may leave an opinion in the back of someone mind that may grow to be something someday. You, and ones like you, are changing the world for the better.