Let's forget about the complete lack of upward mobility in any office I worked in.
Let's forget about the neighbors who completely shunned me until it was my turn as the block representative, at which point they criticized my lack of understanding of the bureaucracy.
Let's forget about the countless times people would cross to the other side of the street as soon as they saw me coming.
I just thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't Brazilian. They have it the worst.
Now, I had lots of nice experiences there, especially in the countryside where people are a lot friendlier, but by no means can you say that racism does not permeate their entire society.
People in the countryside were far more 'racist' to me. I went to parts of the country where they rarely, if ever, see an 'outsider'. I would be stared at by wide-eyed children and shocked elders alike. I would be pointed at and noticed because I was different. In the city, I experienced none of this. I put 'racist' in quotes because, although I felt like an attraction, it wasn't a bad or biased opinion of me. It was simply "That's a rare sight! Look over there, a foreigner!"
"Gaijin" don't tend to know social norms. That's a fact. Some do, most don't. It's easier to ban them all then have to kick out 95% of them. They cause problems because of said lack of knowledge of social norms. Why deal with problems? It might lose you customers. It's much easier to ban any and all foreigners.
Same reason you can't go to many bathhouses if you have a tattoo. Having a tattoo is seen as being part of the Yakuza and Yakuza are nothing but trouble. So instead of kicking out Yakuza, they don't allow people with tattoos. Are you Yakuza because you have a tattoo? Of course not. It's just easier to ban tattoos preemptively to prevent problems.
If it were for racist reasons, they wouldn't let you enter simply because you don't "look Japanese".
Not to say the issue doesn't exist at all. Just that it isn't prevalent. If it didn't exist, there wouldn't be this comedy sketch about it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLt5qSm9U80
Although the scenario I experienced was that the waitress asked my Japanese friend what I wanted to order rather than asking me. Assuming I didn't speak Japanese.
At most places I ordered food at - they would ask me what I wanted directly. So I wouldn't say it's a common experience either. Just that it does happen and it's because few foreigners speak Japanese! It's a habitual thing, not a racist thing. It happened more in the touristy parts of Tokyo than anywhere else (even in the touristy parts of Kyoto!)
I can't say I have not considered this, but it requires "faking" yourself, even for just a minute. It also demands that you have a high degree of Japanese language.
I don't think it's entirely unreasonable to expect people who do not look as though they know the language in a virtually homogeneous society to not know the language. I've heard that the people who encounter this "get around" it by demonstrating that they do know at least something.
I read a blog post once that language is one of the biggest barriers; seriously dedicating one's time to learning the language is something that many, many non-native speakers simply miss out on - and, in some cases, go onto assume that this response is because of xenophobia or racism.
I haven't been in Japan long enough to give my own anecdotal experience, though.
I've never been denied entry to a nightclub or any decent establishment (kyabakuras don't count).
I've never noticed people crossing to the other side of the street because of me.
> I just thanked my lucky stars that I wasn't Brazilian.
I've heard that before but I've never experienced it. I'm Brazilian, but since I don't usually go around wearing Brazil's football jersey, I might as well be Indian to a Japanese passersby.
When people learn I'm Brazilian, the reaction typically ranges from positive to neutral (even when discounting for the tatemae).
I suppose things are different in areas with high concentration of Brazilians. But even in those places I'm pretty sure we aren't nearly as despised as certain 2 Asian nationalities, or even as much as American military.
In any case, I've witnessed and experienced way more racism in my own country than in Japan.
I'm of the opinion that it's a mix of various insecurities, fear of displacement (in terms of power), and stereotypes based on past high-profile interactions that have percolated through the local culture. For example, there is a segment of expats in Japan who, being largely transient, pay no heed to their impact on the local culture, and in more extreme cases, take to actively antagonizing them (trolling or bullying in various forms). I would expect episodes like this to stick more firmly in the local memory than the myriad well-behaved individuals.
That's not to say that I rule out the possibility of a fragile ego and a desire to feel superior. Those tend to go hand-in-hand with any form of tribalism.
That reminds me of 外人 (gaijin). Many will argue it's not a negative word, but when you hear people say it, it's almost never said in a very friendly, inclusive sort of way.
It reminds me of the way white people in their 80s and 90s will use the word 'nigger', and the expectation is "that's just what everyone called them back then, it wasn't racist." And you know, some of the time it may well not have been. But it was always meant as a way of saying, "not one of us."
Now sure, as a literal fact, this person is half Japanese, and this is the word to express that. But what's more important, is when and why is it being brought up? It shouldn't matter, and there should be very few times in life when you need to say or ask it.
These sorts of things seem inevitable when you have such an overwhelmingly homogenous society (99% native, and most of the remaining 1% still Asian.) I'm not quite as hopeful as the author that this is going to change any time soon there.
TBH it's not that different from Korea or China in general, countries I've also lived in. Those 3 nations (ones I can speak for at least) are homogenous, not "nations of immigrants," they haven't had turf wars for minorities, civil rights & political correctness movements. Just the casual daily encounters experienced there as someone who is trying to live there (not someone who is clearly a tourist), would completely baffle any politically liberal, tolerant American.
I get that Asia can be pretty racist, but until they start imprisoning minorities disproportionately, or implementing policies like stop-and-frisk, or allowing police to shoot unarmed minorities, then let's just step back for a minute. Not being allowed into a club or getting dirty looks from your local girlfriend's family sucks, but let's not pretend they're on the same level.
Because if you're going by "casual daily encounters" that seem racist to you, do you ever wonder if a minority in 21st century america experiences the same?
Maybe I have to go further south, or be more homosexual or something, but I haven't experienced the hardcore racism you're describing.
That being said, youre definitely onto something. Why should I be pissed that there aren't Chinese folks in cinema when I know that China has it's own massive film industry? I know what it's like being part of a massive majority, but some other asian kids I grew up with might not; they only have America, and they would be more foreign in Asia than here. I feel kinda bad for them, because despite being Chinese, they'll only feel different, instead of proud of being part of a great civilization/history.
No, Ariana Miyamoto was chosen as "Miss Universe Japan" by a fashion company called HDR Japan. http://www.missuniversejapan3.com/about-us/
Nobody in Japan has ever heard of this.
1) Ariana Miyamoto was chosen as Miss Japan by Japanese people.
2) The critics of Miyamoto are an extreme, vocal minority on Twitter and 2chan.
3) Although Japanese contestants often perform well at the international level, beauty pageants of this sort do not receive much attention within the country regardless of the contestant.
4) "Hafu" is a Japanese word derived from the English "half". It is used to refer to biracial people, but there is no connotation that they are "half" a person. I cannot understand the logic of the author who says that the word sounds derogatory in English -- it's a Japanese word, after all, and is not derogatory in Japanese.
The author uses point (2) as well as his short personal experience in Japan to make broad statements to the effect that Japanese people in general do not accept those whose appearance differs from their own. Japan makes an easy target in this regard because of the well-known (outside Japan, at least) concept of Nihonjinron, as well as the persisting sense that Japan is an isolated country where outsiders will never be accepted into the "in group". Due to this, there is an expectation (particularly in foreign media) that Japanese are racist, and any proof, even that of an extreme minority on Twitter, is taken as evidence in support of this.
Of course, living in Japan, I remember hearing similar broad statements about racism in the United States concerning the backlash against electing a black president in 2008.
The real lesson here is that we should not be basing our impressions of an entire society on a vocal minority, no matter how much their opinions conform to our expectations.