My first thought when I decided I was seriously going to Japan was, “this…will be epic“. The next thought was “Hmm, I’m black. Will that be a problem?”
I have to admit that when I first heard about the JET program in 2003, I had planned to apply once I got the required degree, however, when the time rolled around I chickened out, and I think concerns about how I would be received not only as a foreigner, but as a black foreigner — a black female foreigner, (which is a very rare sight in Japan it seems) were a big part of that. Videos like the one below made me nervous. The depiction of blacks here is sad, but hilarious too, simply because it’s such an over-the-top blatant sterotype. I’d like to draw your attention to the fact that the one guy’s weapon of choice is a basketball…
Sooooo, are blacks treated differently in Japan?
From what I’ve read, yes and no.
Of course, any info I give now will be based on second-hand accounts, mostly the blogs of others I’ve found online, but stay tuned, because I’ll be blogging my own experiences as an expat soon enough 
.
Anyway, what do I mean by yes and no? Here’s my understanding of what will go down.
Yes: Blacks (and any other visible minorities really, including whites, indians, natives, hispanics, etc.) will have to get used to some staring, and this seems to increase the further you get from the big cities. The Japanese (and the rest of the world, North America is no exception) have developed stereotypes regarding other races thanks to the media. There is a huge hip-hop movement in Japan right now. You’ll see Japanese b-boys, Japanese with afros and dreads, and NYC hats and jackets. Since the vast majority of Japanese exposure to blacks is through Hip-hop/R&B and sports, they may ask questions like “Can you sing? can you dance? do you run track?” And they may be somewhat confuzzled if you can’t do any of that. So if you’re black and you want to come to Japan…um I guess you better practice your moves? There will be some ignorance, but overt racism is rare.
No: Over and over again I hear that the Japanese are unfailingly polite, and foreigners and natives alike can expect to be treated kindly wherever they go.
It was with great relief that I realized after reading many blogs and forum posts that the foreigners in Japan, including black foreigners, are loving it! There may be bumps here and there but on the whole they’re enjoying the experience, so I think I will too.
For more on what it’s like to be black in Japan (you know, from people who have actually been to Japan) check out these blogs. You can find them in my blogroll too.
Sista in Tokyo — this sista has been in Tokyo for a few years. She’s even having a baby!
Intro2the1 — excellent vlog about a black girl living in a rural area as part of the JET program.
Jasmine Louis (TUJ-circle.net) — she has some very informative posts, and she answers the three questions black women usually want to know about Japan: 1) Is there racism in Tokyo? 2) Do Japanese men like Black women? 3) What am I going to do with my hair while I’m there?
Gaijin Smash — A very popular blog, it’s pretty hilarious. It’s about the misadventures of black man who is an English teacher.
Loco in Yokohama — This one has a very philosophical vibe. It’s about another black man working as an English teacher in Japan.
“Treated kindly” is extremely relative. If you’ve traveled in Italy, I can only presume you’ll be in for a shock – especially if you don’t speak Japanese, pretty much everyone here will perform their duties with complete professionalism while clearly projecting the sense that you personally are proving to be the worst part of their day, if not week.
Before I pulled the trigger and decided I wanted live in Japan, I was worried about being the outsider. Since I’ve made the decision, I’ve told many family, friends and coworkers, and they always come back with something like, “You’ll love it! My cousin went and he said the Japanese were so polite!”
Then I contrast that with what I’ve read online from people who are actually in Japan, who say the Japanese are masters of beating around the bush, and hiding what they really feel. Then it comes down to “should I let my fears stop my from this potentially life altering, eye-opening experience? Maybe it’ll do me some good to live life as the outsider for a while?”
As far as a I can tell, the situation varies from person to person. It’s been tough getting an accurate read on exactly what I’m in for, which is why I finally said “the hell with it. I’ll never know unless I go for myself.”
One of the great things about being in Japan for an extended amount of time is that you get to grow and mature beyond what you’d even imagine. Being a black woman in Japan will largely be based on how your perceive and receive your experiences. This is an excellent opportunity for you to really push yourself and grow in so many ways.
Being here for five years, you’ll soon discover that Japan morphs into something new for you, every year or so. I’ve found that this is a great place to get rid of racial baggage from my upbringing in Alabama and for that, I am truly grateful.
I love that you are exploring and asking questions already, I can tell you will walk away from here with an invaluable experience. Feel free to contact me anytime, I’ll be sure to keep reading your blog
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Thanks so much! What you’ve mentioned is exactly why I want to come to Japan. It will force me to examine my life, myself and my heritage from a vastly different perspective. I don’t know what the outcome will be, but what I do know is that regardless of what I experience, I will learn something new, and that’s what this move is all about for me.
Hi!
I look forward to reading about your experiencing in Japan.
Gambatte!
Zu
Thanks! It should be funny reading, this will be a huge change for me
you’ve heard from some of the Black Americans I respect the most, which is awesome.
it’s certainly interesting being me and living here, I’ll say that.
I’m enjoying your interview on BadCommunication – keep on keeping on!
best,
Terri
Oh no that word “interesting” scares me lol.
Well, I think from reading the experiences of black north-americans in Japan I’ve got a good cross section of how I can expect to be treated as a black foreigner in Japan. It’s not all good, but not all bad either. It depends on the people, the place, whether Mars has entered Venus’ third house…hmm kind of just like living in North America huh?
I think it kinda depends on the person, where you live, etc. There already aren’t a whole lot of African-Americans in Japan, but in some areas there can be less than others. I don’t see very many blacks of any kind, so initially I did feel a bit isolated, but I think it was somewhat self-imposed. Because I didn’t have much money when I came, so I kinda kept to myself, which is no real way to make friends.
In general, I find Japanese people to be pretty polite (I can understand what David Morris is saying though). Polite doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll treat you like a friend or as an equal. However, there are some really cool Japanese people that I’ve befriended who have always tried to make me feel like I belong, and who are always going out of their way to be helpful.
To be honest…I really like it here. If I run into people who don’t want to treat me fairly or want to make assumptions about me because I’m black…that’s beyond my control…so I let those people (and there will be some) wallow in their own ignorance and go on enjoying my life in a truly awesome country.
That’s a positive way to go about it! I can’t say I’ve encountered any discrimination because I’m black in the 6 days or so I’ve been here, but then again I can’t understand what anyone is saying so who knows. But what I do know is that genrally where there’s bad there’s good and vice versa. In other words, there may be people who treat you badly, but there will also be people who become good friends.
Hi, I’m an African living in the countryside in Japan. Check me out at:
http://kurokawatheblackriver.blogspot.com
Cheers
OMG yes, the video clip is from the J-drama Hana Yori Dango, and I was cringing so bad when I first saw it!
I’m a Latina born and raised in the United States and I also have reservations about going to Japan for this reason. From what I’ve read there seems to be a hierarchy of gaijin and there are stereotypes of what the typical American looks like. But I feel more reassured knowing that what I face here in the states from time to time would be similar to what I’d experience in Japan. Nothing I’m not used to by now… stares, whispers. I can handle it
I hope you’re doing well in Japan and thanks for bringing up this topic! It’s not often I get to hear a POC voice their opinions about this!
Yeah there certainly does seem to be a heirarchy but it’s maybe not so…pronounced, or adhered to in Tokyo. As it stands, I’ve experienced more people being interested in me for being black than hating on me for being black.
Chics cute. Wished I was in Japan.
Really? Do you know what’s happening in Japan right now?
As a military servicemember in Japan (Yokosuka), I think that we have given the Japanese both positive and negative images of black Americans. Rather than solely relying on television and other outside forms of entertainment, they are able to meet us, interact with us, etc.
Having been to a lot of night clubs and parties in Roppongi and Yokohama, I do think that a lot of our negative traits are what seem to most appeal to the Japanese youth. I can elaborate more on that, but if you’ve been out to a hip hop club here, you probably know exactly what I mean.
I do know what you mean, but I don’t think it’s negative traits so much as traits that have been exaggerated in a negative way. Aggressiveness, loudness etc.
I always find that Hana Yori Dango clip unintentionally hilarious because it’s so over the top. I think the first run of HanaKimi had a similar scene where on eof the main Japanese characters who’s visiting LA gets attacked by a group of young black men. In general I think the majority of “negative” and “positive” depictions of blacks were more black men then black women. I barely remember seeing images of black women outside of Beyonce and Rihanna where as it was easier to find black male actors, athletes, singers, etc. Let’s not forget the popularity of Jero and Dante Carver (and more embarrassingly Bobby Ologun and Bob Sapp). The population of black women is also much smaller in Japan too. At times I think Japanese people didn’t really know how to react to me because they know little about blacks and less about black women specifically.
To some extent I think this is why I felt like I was “American” before I was “black.” For me it was like Foreign -> American -> Black -> Black NOT from LA or NY -> Female -> Female Over 25 and Single. I worked at an eikaiwa and my manager alluded the fact that I would get more students than my Chinese Canadian coworker was because some parents wanted to their students to learn from someone who looked more “foreign” and was American. But the students shifted a little when my coworker was replaced with a blond white American.
We are a rare breed yes, and actually that’s why I tend to think of myself as black first, then foreign. There’s definitely a distinction here between black, white and Asian foreigners.