Why is it weird for a Japanese person to walk with a black person?

TOKYO64 · 27 Jan 2007

Mikawa Ossan said:
OK, gotcha!
But seriously, where are they, though? They have to go out to town now and then, don't they? I've never thought about it much before now, but it does seem strange to be able to actually see so few black women here...I mean, I've met more people from Saudi Arabia than I have black women of all nationalities combined!

Mikawa Ossan said:
Interesting....
But why do you never see black women doing the Eikaiwa circuit? Just regular people who are coming to Japan for the first time. Do you know what I mean? People who have really no idea to expect from Japan but come for the experience or whatever like you see so many white people do?

It's because many of them don't really have time to travel because they are bogged down with kids, relationships or other activities. Also they don't feel comfortable traveling somewhere to work, live or play by themselves. For example if they want to come to Japan to do the eikaiwa thing they would want to come wih one of their best girlfriends, but usually all of their girlfriends are in some sort of situation and it is rare to see two black women who are completely free to do what they want to do. And black women feel stronger around other black people. Black men will venture out more because we don't have the baggage that black women do. I mean black women don't necessarily have more baggage but they seem to create unnecessary problems and concerns for themselves. Thus this keeps them from doing what I did; just jump on a plane and give themselves two weeks to find a job in Japan.

Damicci · 1 Feb 2007

TOKYO64 said:
In all my years in Japan I've never seen a Japanese man with a Black woman! I think the Japanese man may feel intimidated by Black women because there isn't enough media on Black women in Japan, it is almost like they don't even exist. Keep in mind that Japanese society cannot function without knowing something about a group of people. They have been exposed to Black men, white men and white women for years, but their exposure to Black women is very rare.

You obviously don't get out often.
I see it all the time not in public but in clubs though. matter fact there is a black chic in Fukuok athat frequents Sam'n'Dave and she always has a Japanese fellow or 2 with her. Friend sI don' tknow but I would think they hang out alot.

Harvey · 1 Feb 2007

I have seen it as well.

maushan3 · 2 Feb 2007

Lol, I don't think it is racism. Just that they are obviously in awe because it is well... rather strange.

Mauricio Mejia

TOKYO64 · 12 Feb 2007

Damicci said:
You obviously don't get out often.
I see it all the time not in public but in clubs though. matter fact there is a black chic in Fukuok athat frequents Sam'n'Dave and she always has a Japanese fellow or 2 with her. Friend sI don' tknow but I would think they hang out alot.

I've been everywhere but Fukuoka. I need to check it out. But to get back to what you were saying I've seen that kind of thing in Tokyo once in a while and usually the woman is an entertainer like a singer in a band or something, or maybe even a big time celebrity.

macadamia_cocoa · 17 Feb 2007

Well - I don't know where you were staying, but in Sendai, I was warmly accepted. Everyone was curious about my skin color, where I came from, why I was there... People thought it was cool that I was black.

The worst reaction I ever got while there was when I was dressed with a blonde wig and sweet lolita. A group of guys ran away from me and my friends. XD But that's understandable, I guess. No one ever cared that I was with Japanese friends.

You'll always get stares, though. Not always mean stares. Just blank looks of amazement.

yoshirotokagewaki · 17 Feb 2007

not all japanese people are like that anyway... my math professor (who is Japanese) has an almost favorite black student coz he always call her for recitations. And i think people with much higher educational background like my tokyo university graduate prof is more open to ideas regarding races than average goers. We all grow up, and our friends grow up with us. In that case, there will be a time that your all-grown-up friends will realize that our races don't really matter and that we'll just gotta have one learning a lot about each other's culture

TOKYO64 · 22 Feb 2007

macadamia_cocoa said:
Well - I don't know where you were staying, but in Sendai, I was warmly accepted. Everyone was curious about my skin color, where I came from, why I was there... People thought it was cool that I was black.
The worst reaction I ever got while there was when I was dressed with a blonde wig and sweet lolita. A group of guys ran away from me and my friends. XD But that's understandable, I guess. No one ever cared that I was with Japanese friends.
You'll always get stares, though. Not always mean stares. Just blank looks of amazement.

Yeah Black people get treated well in a lot of places in Japan. But they just don't run into that many Afro American females. I lived in Osaka and I may have seen a few. While teaching I often wondered why there were no Black female teachers. I wanted to get their opinion on life in Japan. I spoke with a lot of friends in the service in Japan and most of them didn't like it. But I think that's changing now because they are getting out more. What I would like to see are more Black women venturing out on their own after college; like coming to Japan and experiencing what this culture has to offer. Growing up in Philadelphia I knew a lot of people that were not aware of anything outside their comfort zone. They need to know that they have no limits. And someone like you can help women that fall in that category by being a positive roll model as I try to be for both Black men and women .We need to start thinking global instead of just local.

macadamia_cocoa · 24 Feb 2007

TOKYO64 said:
Yeah Black people get treated well in a lot of places in Japan. But they just don't run into that many Afro American females. I lived in Osaka and I may have seen a few. While teaching I often wondered why there were no Black female teachers. I wanted to get their opinion on life in Japan. I spoke with a lot of friends in the service in Japan and most of them didn't like it. But I think that's changing now because they are getting out more. What I would like to see are more Black women venturing out on their own after college; like coming to Japan and experiencing what this culture has to offer. Growing up in Philadelphia I knew a lot of people that were not aware of anything outside their comfort zone. They need to know that they have no limits. And someone like you can help women that fall in that category by being a positive roll model as I try to be for both Black men and women .We need to start thinking global instead of just local.

Well, I think that there aren't many black women in Japan because of our general culture - especially here in the West Indies. I mean, for the most part, we're taught to be independent "strong black women." In Japan, society puts value on women taking care of the family and household. It's just something that conflicts between the two cultures, and something that's a problem for me too. Also, I've sort of noticed that the Japanese are probably intimidated of black women, so not many feel comfortable there.

But yeah, I wish people would experience the rest of the world more, but there's just that problem for black women, as far as I can see.

TOKYO64 · 27 Feb 2007

macadamia_cocoa said:
Well, I think that there aren't many black women in Japan because of our general culture - especially here in the West Indies. I mean, for the most part, we're taught to be independent "strong black women." In Japan, society puts value on women taking care of the family and household. It's just something that conflicts between the two cultures, and something that's a problem for me too. Also, I've sort of noticed that the Japanese are probably intimidated of black women, so not many feel comfortable there.
But yeah, I wish people would experience the rest of the world more, but there's just that problem for black women, as far as I can see.

Yeah you're right Black women in the West are taught to be independent "strong black women." But what does that mean? Does it mean that Black women aren't strong enough to realize that? Do they need to be told they need to be strong? And how is that message affecting other cultures? Many Japanese are intimidated by Black women because they don't understand them. They see Black men walking around Japan with the women and they are used to that but not used to seeing Black women.

tampopo · 28 Feb 2007

Hello,
I got as far as message 46 or so and had to give up and skip to the end here. So much bickering and silliness...
Sometimes even travel and living abroad doesn't cure racist tendencies unfortunately...

Putrefaction · 11 Feb 2009

1) Sorry for bump.
2)

Shin Asura said:
She told me that she thinks it's because Japanese people think that cultures are supposed to stay together and not mix with one another.

It's definitely this, and it's definitely not just Japan or China. It's the same exact thing in India, but even though there is no caste anymore...just think of it as racism in America. Illegal, but you bet your *** it's going on. My parents think this way as well, and in a part...me as well...

cyber ape said:
Well, I know that when I see a white guy hitting on an Asian female I get offended and want to stop them, even if they're no one I know and the Asian isn't my blood.

3)

Globalization is a very bad idea. The more "global" the world is the less diverse we are.
I greatly fear a worldwide supergovernment form which there is no escape. The world is naturally "diverse" and there is great diversity within homegenous groups of people. Differenct customs, dialects, ect.

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that New York is pretty friggin' globalized. Herein is the awesome part: THEY SEGREGATE THEMSELVES. Yes, you have a "global market" and then you have China Town. Little Italy. Little India. Where concentrations of one race live and interact. You act as if they're going to immediately split up and go across the four directions.

Onitsuka ChihiroLove · 22 Nov 2009

Hi

Just giving you the other side of the story here...I am Lebanese, sometimes I see non lebanese people walking with lebanese people. I hesitate to look at them, I am afraid they will think I look at them for a bad reason, just like the guy who posted this thread. Anyway all I want to say is that, everytime a Japanese person looks or stares at you doesn't mean they don't like you. As a matter of fact, if they didn't like you, they would probably look at you and then give you no more attention. That's what most people do. But the fact that they stare at you, believe me this means there is something they find interesting in you. INTERESTING, not in a negative way, but in a positive way.

Those japanese people walking down the street, when they saw you and your friends, they may have found it interesting and refreshing to see you walk together. Most people stare because they like what they see. Sometimes they can't believe what they see, and they wish they could see it more often. They find something beautiful in seeing you walk with your 2 japanese friends, so they stare at you. Believe me that's what happens most of the time. People (including me) stare at other people because they find you, or what you are doing, interesting. They like you.

Why is it weird for a Japanese person to walk with a black person?

TOKYO64

SHINKANSEN

Damicci

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Harvey

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maushan3

Back home

TOKYO64

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macadamia_cocoa

Virgin Islands Girl

yoshirotokagewaki

++Miyavi SaVEs tHe dAY++

TOKYO64

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macadamia_cocoa

Virgin Islands Girl

TOKYO64

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tampopo

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Putrefaction

不幸中の幸い. . . がない.

Onitsuka ChihiroLove

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