Black in Japan

[kafigalo]

I know this not really topic no one wants to stumble upon but I have always wanted to go to Japan but Ive read that they don't really like black people(or foreigners for that matter). I'm black and I would like to know if thatcis really true. Has anyone here ever been to Japan before. I know that not everything on the Internet is true but I really wanna know. Please leave your comments

 

[guapo2003]

I don't know anything about Japan myself, but I don't see why they wouldn't like black people. I mean even Americans are foreigners to them and they don't seem to mind us being over there. But yeah you can't believe everything that is said or you see on the Internet.

 

[Pokemon]

Well my uncle used to live in Japan...sorry to tell you ,but he said that he has seen alot of them get ridiculed and beat up there I'm Japanese myself and I DON'T hate black people so I don't know why some of them do hate African Americans.It may just be where my uncle lived but I think its sadly true for now.Long story short its kinda true.
p.s. They don't mind Americans or any other race for that matter.But its a different story for Blacks. Unfortunately...

 

[Hanyou]

I've heard they're pretty isolationist over there, but I wouldn't know myself. It might just get a bad rap.

 

[Austin]

I was under the impression that they didn't really care for anyone who wasn't Japanese, not just people who were black.

 

[Pokemon]

I was under the impression that they didn't really care for anyone who wasn't Japanese, not just people who were black.

Thats kinda true.

 

[kafigalo]

But do they hate the black people especially? Or is it just anyone who's not Japanese?

 

[Pokemon]

Its pretty much everyone who isn't Japanese.

 

[Hero of Time]

But do they hate the black people especially? Or is it just anyone who's not Japanese?

Anyone who's not Japanese, but that's just a generalization, of course. Naturally, there's going to be people that hate blacks more and people that aren't racist at all. You could say as a generalization that us Americans hate people that aren't white, or black people specifically, but that only applies to some people and not others.

I've never been to Japan, and I only know one person that has - and he was rather young when he went. Therefore, I don't have a firsthand account of the level of racism there. I think if you do go, you'll just have to find the non-racist people.

 

[The-Last-Hylian]

Here is an informative blog post that might help you.
The guy who writes the blog is an American who is teaching English in Japan, he is an excellent writer and is very insightful.

Is Japan a “Racist Monoculture”? On Anders Breivik’s Japan
Is Japan a “Racist Monoculture”? On Anders Breivik’s Japan | This Japanese Life. |

I'm aware of the Japanese' views on Gaijin but that style of thinking can be said for any culture, any race, any country, not just the Japanese and their 'Gaijintensity'.

I hope that this helps.

Another useful post:
The Gaijin Nod
The “Gaijin Nod” | This Japanese Life. |

 

[Wolf Sage]

Yeah, I think it's outsiders of any ethnicity. But on the topic of black people: I've seen a documentary on which Japanese fans attended rappers' concerts and stuff. One of the rappers in said documentary has an enormous following over there, and even has restaurants and merchandise named in his honor. Black (er...African American) culture seems to have influenced their youth culture (positively?) seeing as it aided in the birth to such musical genres like J-pop and JHipHop. There are many Japanese musicians, like Home-made Kazoku whose music belongs to this genre. More interesting is the J-pop musician Krystal Kay, whose ethnicity is half Black/half-Korean. African American culture can also be seen in the Ganguro subculture in which the young girls dress in styles and makeup that seems to imitate the dress of African American youth.

I guess it's your run-of-the-mill generalization about a foreign country. But I once saw another documentary in which some African American college students expressed their opinions about being black in Japan and how they were treated. I'll just say they weren't the most liked... [noparse]>.>[/noparse]

 

[pokewarrior2000]

It's obviously a stereotype, after all ,most of us have seen a blasian before, right?