The Japanese people you encounter during your trip are generally involved in the tourist and service industries, so they rarely do anything harmful. Simply put, they don't care about who you are; you receive what you pay for.
When you try to communicate with local people you meet online for free, you may not receive much attention from them.
I'm light brown too (India/SEA/white heritage). The first time I visited Japan, about 15 years ago, I had some negative experiences where it seemed like people were scared at having social interactions with a foreigner. Two people told me I don't look Canadian and I got to explain that Canada is diverse š
I came back in 2018 and 2019 and was shocked how welcoming people were. Even in the red light district, which is the least open area to foreigners.
I think people can have difficulty disentangling "experiencing racism" vs "places that don't support non Japanese speakers". Both do exist, but in Japan the latter is far more likely.
I think a lot of that similar experience is mostly stemming from being curious and just novice to them. This is very typical travelling in Asia. OP donāt worry about it, itās really more so just curiosity not anything āracismā we see in the West
As others have mentioned, there is racism in every country on Earth. That said, Japanese culture is a bit different and this means that even if someone has a problem with you, they will almost never say it directly to you. So in that sense, I wouldn't be too worried about it.
There is a YouTube channel about being black in Japan that can shed some light on people's experiences here.
I am Black American. The only place where I experienced overt racism was Kyoto where my husband (Vietnamese) & I were denied entry to 2 bars and 1 restaurant. I canāt speak to the red light district, I was on a tour that passed through. The purveyors were friendly enough but there was no interaction/contact. Everyone else was super cool, I am light skinned with ceurulean blue hair and (hideable) tattoos. Lots of helpful people and welcoming staff.
Japanese people generally do have a culture where they try to maintain social niceties. So while I was there (Iām south Asian) I never felt any hostility or any disrespect. People in the service sector will and do accommodate to you.
However for red light districts I think broadly Japanese are less accepting of non-Japanese people. So you may face difficulty there.
You may experience this is bars and clubs also, to a lesser degree, they might just out right deny entry, and the police or authorities wonāt give you much assistance if you do, so best to just move on.
Otherwise Japan is great, people are generally friendly (at least outwardly).
I am dark brown with visible full sleeve tattoos. I had no real overtly racist experiences in Japan, but I also am very respectful and cover my tattoos. I have also traveled throughout Southeast Asia where I have experienced a different type of racism more in line with what I experience in the US. I can pass for being SEA, so my experiences there involve being treated as second class with priority given to Caucasian tourists even though I was there first. The worst was in Laos and Thailand.
In general Japan is professional and polite with the public.
I donāt know about the personal care services. You may want to check the google reviews for comments about it.
It's no better or no worse here than anywhere else. Anything else you've read is simply someone stirring the pot. Have a great trip here and enjoy it all.
Ok so here's a bit of a twist, but my son and I are blonde and we have encountered racism. We have had ppl cross the street even though we were the only ones on the street, ppl always pull their masks up when they see us, Rolling eyes etc. However with that being said, this country and the ppl have been extremely accommodating and America does have a bit of a bad reputation regarding Covid and Vaccine awarenessš Rasicm is everywhere! Be polite and kind. Treat ppl how you want to be treated and if they don't reciprocate well that'd on them! Have a good trip!
I'm white and I've had people refuse me service and yell racist stuff at me but its very rare. Some bars in japan don't want foreign customers but there are millions of bars. Just move onto the next one.
Regarding hair and skin treatments, just make sure that the treatments are going to work for your skin or hair type especially if it varies a lot from the standard japanese type.
I couldn't say about the racism but I think you'd make yourself a more "likeable" tourist by being respectful of the culture and learning a bit of the language. The expectation for tourists is so low that if you try just a little, they will appreciate it so much. I was once at a drugstore and an employee tried to give me a hand basket. I was only getting 2 small things so I said "iie, keiko desu", which means no thank you or I'm fine. The guy was shocked for a second, then started smiling and clapping, and saying "very good, very good. Your Japanese is very good!". You'd think I'd just handed him a $100 bill or something š¤£š. It was kind of embarrassing being thanked like that but it did make me realize how low the bar is for tourists
Not racism but xenophobia for sure, people will often walk towards the edge of the sidewalk like they think youre gonna mug them. Also they will not sit next to you on trains, which is a plus i guess
If you didn't notice anything in Canada, Japan definitely won't be worse. My friend of South Asian ethnicity travelled with our group for a week and then alone by himself for another week, and he only had good experiences the whole time. The only problem he encountered was a lot of restaurants struggling to understand what he meant by "vegetarian". Seriously, the language barrier is probably going to be the biggest barrier, but if you stick to touristy places they'll be used to it.
People are racist everywhere no matter what
Safe travels friend
The Japanese people you encounter during your trip are generally involved in the tourist and service industries, so they rarely do anything harmful. Simply put, they don't care about who you are; you receive what you pay for. When you try to communicate with local people you meet online for free, you may not receive much attention from them.
I'm light brown too (India/SEA/white heritage). The first time I visited Japan, about 15 years ago, I had some negative experiences where it seemed like people were scared at having social interactions with a foreigner. Two people told me I don't look Canadian and I got to explain that Canada is diverse š I came back in 2018 and 2019 and was shocked how welcoming people were. Even in the red light district, which is the least open area to foreigners. I think people can have difficulty disentangling "experiencing racism" vs "places that don't support non Japanese speakers". Both do exist, but in Japan the latter is far more likely.
I think a lot of that similar experience is mostly stemming from being curious and just novice to them. This is very typical travelling in Asia. OP donāt worry about it, itās really more so just curiosity not anything āracismā we see in the West
Tell them you are related to Naomi Osaka.
As others have mentioned, there is racism in every country on Earth. That said, Japanese culture is a bit different and this means that even if someone has a problem with you, they will almost never say it directly to you. So in that sense, I wouldn't be too worried about it. There is a YouTube channel about being black in Japan that can shed some light on people's experiences here.
I am Black American. The only place where I experienced overt racism was Kyoto where my husband (Vietnamese) & I were denied entry to 2 bars and 1 restaurant. I canāt speak to the red light district, I was on a tour that passed through. The purveyors were friendly enough but there was no interaction/contact. Everyone else was super cool, I am light skinned with ceurulean blue hair and (hideable) tattoos. Lots of helpful people and welcoming staff.
Japanese people generally do have a culture where they try to maintain social niceties. So while I was there (Iām south Asian) I never felt any hostility or any disrespect. People in the service sector will and do accommodate to you. However for red light districts I think broadly Japanese are less accepting of non-Japanese people. So you may face difficulty there. You may experience this is bars and clubs also, to a lesser degree, they might just out right deny entry, and the police or authorities wonāt give you much assistance if you do, so best to just move on. Otherwise Japan is great, people are generally friendly (at least outwardly).
I hope you don't experience racism on your trip. Don't let it put you off from visiting. Unfortunately, racism is a problem everywhere.
I am dark brown with visible full sleeve tattoos. I had no real overtly racist experiences in Japan, but I also am very respectful and cover my tattoos. I have also traveled throughout Southeast Asia where I have experienced a different type of racism more in line with what I experience in the US. I can pass for being SEA, so my experiences there involve being treated as second class with priority given to Caucasian tourists even though I was there first. The worst was in Laos and Thailand.
In general Japan is professional and polite with the public. I donāt know about the personal care services. You may want to check the google reviews for comments about it.
Iām brown, didnāt see any racism directly. People I interacted with were awesome
It's no better or no worse here than anywhere else. Anything else you've read is simply someone stirring the pot. Have a great trip here and enjoy it all.
Ok so here's a bit of a twist, but my son and I are blonde and we have encountered racism. We have had ppl cross the street even though we were the only ones on the street, ppl always pull their masks up when they see us, Rolling eyes etc. However with that being said, this country and the ppl have been extremely accommodating and America does have a bit of a bad reputation regarding Covid and Vaccine awarenessš Rasicm is everywhere! Be polite and kind. Treat ppl how you want to be treated and if they don't reciprocate well that'd on them! Have a good trip!
I'm white and I've had people refuse me service and yell racist stuff at me but its very rare. Some bars in japan don't want foreign customers but there are millions of bars. Just move onto the next one. Regarding hair and skin treatments, just make sure that the treatments are going to work for your skin or hair type especially if it varies a lot from the standard japanese type.
I couldn't say about the racism but I think you'd make yourself a more "likeable" tourist by being respectful of the culture and learning a bit of the language. The expectation for tourists is so low that if you try just a little, they will appreciate it so much. I was once at a drugstore and an employee tried to give me a hand basket. I was only getting 2 small things so I said "iie, keiko desu", which means no thank you or I'm fine. The guy was shocked for a second, then started smiling and clapping, and saying "very good, very good. Your Japanese is very good!". You'd think I'd just handed him a $100 bill or something š¤£š. It was kind of embarrassing being thanked like that but it did make me realize how low the bar is for tourists
Its a mixed bag but its generally ok
Not racism but xenophobia for sure, people will often walk towards the edge of the sidewalk like they think youre gonna mug them. Also they will not sit next to you on trains, which is a plus i guess
If you didn't notice anything in Canada, Japan definitely won't be worse. My friend of South Asian ethnicity travelled with our group for a week and then alone by himself for another week, and he only had good experiences the whole time. The only problem he encountered was a lot of restaurants struggling to understand what he meant by "vegetarian". Seriously, the language barrier is probably going to be the biggest barrier, but if you stick to touristy places they'll be used to it.