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  tkoind2Aug. 17, 2011 - 09:29AM JST

  I have experienced racism personally and through people I have been with.

  In Japan I was told no Gaijin at many realtors. I have been insulted by salarymen and by teens as a foreigner.

  In Vancouver B.C. with my Asian girlfriend, when shop clerks refused to help her and restaurant staff ignored her and would only talk to me.

  In Texas as a child my cousins, from the African American side of my family, were treated very poorly in shops and grocery shops. While I, with blue eyes, light skin and sandy hair, had comments of "hi cutie" and given smiles. Though I was six or seven, I remember this clearly and it is why I still dislike the American South.

  Growing up I was a white looking kid with an African American mother. This resulted in white kids treating me badly for my mixed race. Black kids would not accept me because of my white appearance.

  I will say this. I am thankful for all these experiences. They have helped shape my political and social ideas and have shaped my empathy for people who are unrepresented or outsiders. The racists in the world fail to see the humanity in others. I am lucky to have been taugh to see both the dark and light in people at a young age. This gives me hope that one day the light will overcome the dark.

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  sfjp330Aug. 17, 2011 - 09:49AM JST

  tkoind2Aug. 17, 2011 - 09:29AM JST. In Vancouver B.C. with my Asian girlfriend, when shop clerks refused to help her and restaurant staff ignored her and would only talk to me.

  Maybe it's an isolated case. Wish it didn't happen, but it could happen to anybody anywhere. We visit Vancouver and Nanaimo area 3-4 times a year and we never have problems. I consider Canadian people as conservative but a nice people, but most are not exposed to multicultural life (other than Richmond area of Vancouver).

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  FoxieAug. 17, 2011 - 10:12AM JST

  tkoin2, what happened to your GF in Canada, is happening every day to me at the supermarket. My J-husband, standing behind me, gets asked to pay eventhough I am standing right in front of that woman with my purse in my hand. He now ignores her or tells her that I am her customer and not him. In Europe, i have some Korean friends who had real problems. Getting paid less, working like slaves and everybody calling them Chinese. I stood up for them, spent a lot of time with them in the open and little by little, people started to talk to them because they knew that they were my friends. Nowadays, they are running their own business and doing fine. I think there is not much you can do yourself when being faced with racism but you can do a lot if you see others being faced with racism.

  About the sexual harrassment, it is better to forget it because if you fight it, it only makes you sick in the end.

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  tkoind2Aug. 17, 2011 - 10:13AM JST

  This was back during the period when people from HKG were immigrating to BC and there was a lot of racial tension there. But still there can be racism against Asians in some isolated cases there.

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  ExportExpertAug. 17, 2011 - 10:35AM JST

  Racial discrimination in Japan used to be rife, there were many bars clubs restaurants that would not admit foreigners and some even had signs out front saying Japanese Only. It still goes on today at some establishments but is not so prominent now days. Then the realtors are still racist in alot of cases but they push this off by stating the landlord doesnt want gaijin.

  I have felt compelled on occaisions to push this issue by making videos of the people telling me i cant gain entry because I am a gaijin and then taking a prosecution against them. But i have better more productive things to do with my life.

  I was groped on a train here once in the morning by a group of girls, I was surprised as hell as i thought it was only men who groped on trains.

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  tkoind2Aug. 17, 2011 - 11:22AM JST

  What do we do about these things? Ignoring them makes us complicit in them. Racism, sexism and ageism cannot be tolerated.

  When someone is racist to me in Japan or anywhere else, I confront that person directly. I can be quite agressive for a quiet and small foreigner. And have given a few J-racists an earful.

  The thing that has me in a bit of a rage recently is the extent of age discrimination in Japan. Two very bright and talented women I know are wonderful designers, web programmers and experienced translators. Something that should make them both very desirable for companies doing web based business.

  But both have been refused jobs with companies saying, "you are too old." Now note that both of these ladies are progressive, youthful mid 30's women. They are media savy, trend savy and have fingers on the pulse of both business and creativity. Yet these companies say "if you were younger we would be so happy to hire you. But you are mid 30's and must be out of touch, or ready to have children."

  This needs to stop. I am considering fighting back with their help by creating web sites pointing out these discriminatory practices. With careful use of SEO, searches for Company A, will also bring up results illustrating their unfair practices. If the government won't resist this kind of discrimination, then consumers and potential clients should by not buying or using services from companies that practice racism, sexism, ageism or any other discriminatory practices.

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  BreitbartVictoriousAug. 17, 2011 - 11:32AM JST

  My friend knew this attractive young Canadian woman (closer to girl really) with blue eyes and blond hair lucky enough to find a job here as an English teacher. She was sitting on the train one day and though the seat next to her became vacant no one would sit next to her. We were all gutted by the incident. She is now hikikomori and back in Nanaimo, but getting government assistance.

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  HumanTargetAug. 17, 2011 - 02:03PM JST

  Blatant racism doesn't bother me at all. I pity people who live with such a narrow-minded worldview. I don't care about realtors discriminating or anything like that - I'd rather go to a realtor that readily accepts foreigners than fight to force myself on a racist one.

  It's the more insidious stuff that really bothers me. The way Japanese guys assume I'm here to steal their women or the way people assume instantly that I'm an English teacher or love hamburgers. Or see that I'm white and assume instantly that my native language is English. The way my Latin American friend is stopped by police several times a month where I've been stopped perhaps twice since moving to Tokyo years ago. The way that older Japanese people sometimes seem to think it's okay to cut in front of foreigners in lines because we apparently don't really count.

  I saw some comment right here on these forums a few days ago from a Japanese man that felt his son shouldn't have to stand up on the train for an elderly foreigner because foreigners are guests here and not entitled to the same rights.

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  tkoind2Aug. 17, 2011 - 02:40PM JST

  HumanTarget.

  You can't defeat the more insideous stuff without taking on the blatant stuff. They are one in the same.

  Housing discrimination is only inconvenient for those of us with more or less white western appearance. But for Asians and other nationalities it can be a major barrier to their lives here.

  The state tolerates racism, ageism, sexism and discrimination. It does so by not having greater legal protections and recourse. But it also does so in failing to view this as a problem in the first place.

  You cannot expect to teach society about the wrongs of this kind of discrimination unless you first start to fight against even the most modest injustices. Only then can it gain enough momentum to result in pressure for change.

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  JapanGalAug. 17, 2011 - 04:17PM JST

  Even for those that never faced racism, as soon as they reach age 60, and then 65, they will know what it is about unless they own their own business.

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  laughnowcrylaterAug. 17, 2011 - 04:48PM JST

  I had a few problems finding a place to live but I didn't want to spend money where I was not welcome. Most times no one will sit next to me on the train but I actually like the extra space, if I ever experience it directly or witness it I will respectfully address it.

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  sakuralaAug. 17, 2011 - 05:30PM JST

  I've had a few experiences, but don't know if it's all racism or just people that are just rude. I've seen Japanese people push in front of each other or refuse a seat on the train next to another Japanese person. The only time I've been refused anything was because it was linked to illegal businesses that wouldn't want an international incident on their hands. Overall, I don't feel any less welcome here than at home.

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  SasorizaAug. 17, 2011 - 07:22PM JST

  I've often encountered gender discrimination (some call it sexual discrimination, I prefer gender), but I've yet to meet someone suicidal enough to try to sexually harass me. Unfortunately, while sexual harassment is considered a crime in Japan, racial and gender discrimination aren't. A woman can be refused job or bullied into quitting if she gets married or pregnant. I've been asked often- what will you do if your child gets sick and at the same time our company is very busy with some very important project/negotiations/whatever. As for racial discrimination, I've tried everything-reporting them to the uni, to the human rights center, talking to the boss,making fuss-nothing works. So now if I'm discriminated/feel discriminated just tell them what do I think of them in my language and that's all.

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  Mark_McCrackenAug. 17, 2011 - 09:12PM JST

  Yes.

  I generally ignore it.

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  BurakuminDesAug. 17, 2011 - 11:03PM JST

  I was groped on a train here once in the morning by a group of girls, I was surprised as hell as i thought it was only men who groped on trains.

  Some may call this sexual harassment. Others would call it a lifelong dream...

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  SerranoAug. 18, 2011 - 07:32AM JST

  Yes, at a Japanese real estate office. I went to another one.

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  FireyReiAug. 18, 2011 - 01:52PM JST

  In Japan, absolutely yes.

  What DO I do about it? Nothing. I do something, I get into big trouble with the police - this country is Japanese first and always will be, regardless of what that Japanese person did against a foreigner.

  Nice topic Japan Today.

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  UtrackAug. 18, 2011 - 08:59PM JST

  My first experience with racism was when I was very young. I hid behind my mom as the caucasian kids rained down rocks on us from the 2 story carpark at the then Sears Department Store. That's the First time I heard the N word too. My mom ignored them and we went into the store like nothing happened and I never mentioned it to her. But I was hurt and confused emotionally by the actions of those kids.

  My most recent experience with racism happened years ago while just walking down a center city street during lunch hour in Philadelphia where parallel to me stopped two I can only say inebriated caucasian men one was holding the other back. I was verbally accosted with the repeated words of ( Go Back To Where I Came From ). I actually looked back at the restaurant I had just walked out of thinking huh did I leave something behind and then I realized he meant Africa. I just shrugged and walked back to my job.

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  TimeiClicAug. 22, 2011 - 08:59PM JST

  Utrack; wow, that is nasty. Very sorry to hear of your experiences.

  I get a bit of racism towards me sometimes, but not enough to really annoy me. This has only happened in Japan, of all the places I have been.

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  lucabrasiAug. 22, 2011 - 09:35PM JST

  I've got a Chinese-American friend who's been in Japan a while, looks Japanese but can't speak the language at all beyond the most basic, everyday stuff. I'm white, English and after twenty-odd years here speak more or less fluently. It always cracks me up how if we go to a bar or restaurant together, the staff address all their questions or explanations to him, and continue to do so even after he explains that he's American and can't speak Japanese.

  I suppose that's not really racism, though, just human nature. Myself, I couldn't hide my surprise the first time I was spoken to by a black British guy with a seriously thick Welsh accent. :)

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