Being a nikkei in Japan
I should apologize to some people for writing in English again. Anyway, the topic today is about one thing that probably every asian-looking person has already experienced in Japan (Japanese don't count in this one, though...), and I think it's one of the reasons why some dekasseguis (japanese descents who return to Japan to work) complain about treatment they recieve here (ok, in this case there's more to it, like the feeling that some Japanese have about "foreigners taking our jobs"... And that's quite interesting coming from a population whose workforce is decreasing...): they usually think that we're also Japanese. At least initially.
Some funny situations may come of it. For exemple, once when I went to a restaurant to drink (in my case, soft drinks) with Silvia and some (North-)American friends. One of them had a Japanese better than mine (and I still think he has, although he denies it), so he usually orders things. But the waiter came straight to me (the only male japanese-looking person in the group) to ask for the order, and he was a little surprised when my friend ordered our drinks instead of me...
Also, in places like supermarkets and stores, when I didn't understand completelly what someone told me, sometimes I ended with a Japanese making a face like "What's wrong with you? Why can't you speak proper Japanese?"...
There's also a good side. You don't get stared so often and you can stay in the crowd unnoticed (hey, sometimes it is a good thing, really...). and, if you can keep a conversation for some time and only later they realize that you're not Japanese sometimes thay get impressed. So, being looking like Japanese is bad when you want to be treated like a foreigner (hum... perhaps the word "tourist" fits in some situations, too...), and it's good when you don't want it.
Well, but yesterday I noticed that I'm also starting to behave like that. Another friend of mine told me about some JETs who live in Himeji who get together on Saturdays to play frisbee (actually the game has a different name that I can't remenber now...). As I arrived, I asked one person that was leaving about the game and if I could join. That person looked like a Japanese person, and there were some Japanese playing also, so I started the conversation in Japanese, but she was actually (North-)American, and, as I started the conversation in Japanese, she thought the same thing about me. And the others also thought I was Japanese at first...
Guess I've been here for too long... Or is it just a biased thing here?
3 comments:
E ae...
In English, em portugu?s.. ou em nihongo(neste caso tentarei...) continuarei lendo o q vc escreve... jhauhaua... se bem q eu jah disse q prefiro PORTUGU?S...
Cm andam as coisas por ae..??
Jah come?aram as aulas..?? Hohoho... eh isso ae... estuda., hein...
Se cuida...
[]'s...
So, maybe we should start treating you as a foreinger when you come back here? Ok. You look like a japanese, can speak in japanese, english, and german, and is a game-maniac. Well, for me is enough to think that you are a real japanese... huahuahauha It�Ls interesting to read here, because you have some good points about daily experiences.
Well, have a nice day over there!
Igor,
I thought you were a nihonjin at the Saturday game for what it's worth. Then I heard the name and realized you were one of us... the diaspora is funny, dessho.
here's the link to my site that I was telling you about: www.adventuresofshu.blogspot.com
Ja na,
-mike.
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