Being black (or otherwise darkskinned) in Japan

[mdchachi]

So you're saying it's a bad idea to get an idea of what I'm going into before I start? You're saying it's better to skip merrily into a new situation, assuming everything will be sunshine and rainbows? Screw informed decisions, I have optimism? Thank you, I'll keep that in mind!
I'm not "terrified", I'm trying to get an idea of what I may experience. It's very naive to assume everywhere in the world will treat someone exactly the same, and that any goal can be accomplished with enough plucky determination and elbow grease.

Indeed. It's a valid concern and a smart question. You live in an effed up country where ridiculous sh*t happens. For example this recent incident near Detroit where a kid got shot at just for being black and knocking on someone's door. It reminded me of the Hattori incident where a Japanese kid in a Halloween also got into a similar situation. Unfortunately he got killed.

The good news is that living black in Japan is not so different from living as a foreigner in Japan in general. (From my observers perspective.) Besides the other web sites mentioned you could also check out JapanNewbie put up by a friend of mine. One thing you'll notice is that there is almost nothing about the black experience in Japan. It's just about his experience in general. And a lot about the language. (He was a language geek back in the day. He's probably forgotten more Japanese than I ever learned.)

What are my chances of getting such a job in Japan?

I think your chances are very good, if you have all the necessary qualifications and interpersonal skills.
Go for it.

 

[Jorge AVM]

In my Japanese class I have a classmate, he's black and he went to Japan last year (2017)... His commentaries are positive and he felt comfortable over there... He went to Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya...

 

[tonka2]

Be very careful asking non-Black people questions about the Black experience, especially in another country. On top of a lack of direct experience, a lot of people will have conscious or subconscious motivations to squash such a conversation. Others will have good intentions (oh, you don't have to worry! racism isn't a problem here!), but will also arrive at the same conclusion that racism is an unwarranted concern.

Also, just be aware in general that talking about race at all, on the Internet or beyond, gets a lot of people riled up and defensive. You're probably well aware of this, but always remember: the last reaction people are likely to have is to try to understand you. Mostly you'll get people pushing their own perspective instead.

One of the realest, most straightforward discussions you're ever gonna see about being Black in Japan can be found in Baye McNeil's "Hi! My Name is Loco, and I'm a Racist."

If you want, you can PM me and we can talk about this more.

 

[Mike Cash]

Others will have good intentions (oh, you don't have to worry! racism isn't a problem here!), but will also arrive at the same conclusion that racism is an unwarranted concern

You seem to operate on an assumption that only black people can experience racial discrimination in Japan.

If you want, you can PM me and we can talk about this more.

Right, let's further racial divisiveness by going to talk where whitey can't hear us....

 

[Dirk]

Being black with kinky hair I think that could be a plus: you are less likely to get asked about your pubic hair. As a blonde male, I have been asked plenty if the curtain matches the rug ...

 

[melokaan]

You seem to operate on an assumption that only black people can experience racial discrimination in Japan.



Right, let's further racial divisiveness by going to talk where whitey can't hear us....

We are not the only ones but we do generally face more discriminations than other people. I had the chance to speak to different black JETs here in Japan and some of their experience were distressing.
But it's important to say that most of the discrimination is due to ignorance and bad image in the media.
As I've said before, overall it's fine, you'll mostly face some annoying situations but nothing more than that

 

[diligentcircle]

we do generally face more discriminations than other people.[...] As I've said before, overall it's fine, you'll mostly face some annoying situations but nothing more than that

These two statements contradict each other. You do realize that there are countries where some people are executed for being who they are, right? In none of those cases I'm aware of is having dark skin the pretense.

Even if you look throughout history, black people were not even close to the most oppressed people. The KKK was horrible back when it was lynching people, but even they were tame compared to the Third Reich, which targeted all non-"Aryans", but especially Jews (who were predominately white), and killed them. And that's just the tip of the iceberg; there have been so many things so much worse than African slavery, Jim Crow, apartheid, the KKK, etc, and pretty much every ethnic group has been involved on both the giving end and the receiving end of oppression at one point or another.

To be clear, any level of racial discrimination is unacceptable. But I think it is foolish to go about your life assuming that you will be discriminated against and that your group is one of the most oppressed groups in the world.

 

[melokaan]

These two statements contradict each other. You do realize that there are countries where some people are executed for being who they are, right? In none of those cases I'm aware of is having dark skin the pretense.

Even if you look throughout history, black people were not even close to the most oppressed people. The KKK was horrible back when it was lynching people, but even they were tame compared to the Third Reich, which targeted all non-"Aryans", but especially Jews (who were predominately white), and killed them. And that's just the tip of the iceberg; there have been so many things so much worse than African slavery, Jim Crow, apartheid, the KKK, etc, and pretty much every ethnic group has been involved on both the giving end and the receiving end of oppression at one point or another.

To be clear, any level of racial discrimination is unacceptable. But I think it is foolish to go about your life assuming that you will be discriminated against and that your group is one of the most oppressed groups in the world.

You are taking a lot of things out of context here. I was talking about discrimination in Japan. And when I said overall is fine I meant that it isn't as aggressive as what you can experience in other countries as i feel it's mostly based on ignorance and stereotypes.

 

[AmerikaJin5]

I have literally been attacked outside a conbini by Japanese nationalists (右翼団体) driving a propaganda truck (街宣車). Nearby police stopped 5 guys who tried to assault me, then they tried to run over both me and the police officer with their truck. Yelling "get out of Japan" and "Japan is for the Japanese" and "speak Japanese only" etc. Guess what? I don't care. I'm not walking around feeling like a victim or waiting for another incident to occur. I just live my life, and I love this country. All I can say is those bast*rds were lucky the police saved them:emoji_wink: