African Americans in Japan

[xathenex]

Hello all!

I'll be going to JCMU in the fall. I have a few concerns about my trip. For one, I'm an african american. I know that the population of Japan is mostly Japanese and people of asian descent. So I was just wondering how Japanese people tend to respond to African Americans? I've heard stories ranging from playful curiosity to down right racism. I know it really depends on the person, but do you have any experience with this?

Thanks!

~Brittany

[TwistedMac]

Heya bit-bit (can I call you bit-bit?) I think you'll find although we might have one or two here that can answer your question, BlackTokyo.com has a whole army of people with opinions on the matter atleast it's a place to look.

[calsonic]

My brother is over there and he loves it. He is with Nova. He says that rarely does he get racism. Most folks are simply interested to meet him.

[calsonic]

Now he even plays b-ball for a junior league over there.

[BlackGirls_are_nice2]

This is an interesting topic. Yes, I am also curious as to how Black females are treated over there. What about overweight people? especially females.
It's just that the population over there is so thin and being a black girl and all, I have the natural tendacy to be overweight.
Hmm.....maybe that's why most japanese citizens avoid people of color (mostly females) and will date other ethnic groups (especially europe and south america) because they tend to be more leaner than people of color.
PS. this is not to say that all people of color are heavyset. There are a lot of thin ones too (mostly those of mixed decent.)

[Flashjeff]

Greetings, xathenex! I'm African-American and spent nearly two years in Japan during my days in the Navy and was treated well. I never experienced any sort of racism, but was seen as something of a pleasant curiosity by some because I'm tall. If you go to Japan with a positive attitude, you should be treated well.

[Ma Cherie]

To B.G.A. N.2. : Yes, this is an interesting topic. Well if you were to go over to Japan being black or overwieght you may get treated like a freak of nature..... no, I'm just kidding, really. But I will say that you will stand out. There's nothing you can do about it, because that's the reality of the situation.

[epigene]

There's no need to worry about being African American. There will be playful curiosity for sure--with questions like, "Can you sing and/or dance?" (Once I heard an African American complain about this constant question because he was totally out of tune and couldn't keep in rhythm.)

Being overweight also is not a problem--only that clothes that fit you will be hard to find, if not impossible.

[Mike Cash]

No matter the reaction the original poster may receive herself, she will at least have the novel experience of watching her white acquaintances for the first time in their lives attempting to deal with being a minority. I hear that it can be quite amusing.

[cicatriz esp]

Originally Posted by mikecash

No matter the reaction the original poster may receive herself, she will at least have the novel experience of watching her white acquaintances for the first time in their lives attempting to deal with being a minority. I hear that it can be quite amusing.

They could always visit LA to get used to it.

[Newgi]

Originally Posted by xathenex

Hello all!

I'll be going to JCMU in the fall. I have a few concerns about my trip. For one, I'm an african american. I know that the population of Japan is mostly Japanese and people of asian descent. So I was just wondering how Japanese people tend to respond to African Americans? I've heard stories ranging from playful curiosity to down right racism. I know it really depends on the person, but do you have any experience with this?

Thanks!

~Brittany

Why worry Just go to Japan an experience the culture/people for yourself

[budd]

"I hear that it can be quite amusing."
quite true

[Endsight61]

Hey don't sweat it! I plan on attending TU when I graduate*praying she does not become a ronin*

[Reiko_no_Tabi]

I think you'll find although we might have one or two here that can answer your question, BlackTokyo.com has a whole army of people with opinions on the matter atleast it's a place to look.

I have to agree that blacktokyo.com is a great place to look if someone is wanting to get an idea of the black experience in Japan. I'm currently browsing the site right now, in fact. I plan on going to language school in Tokyo soon and I appreciated finding out what I perhaps should expect. Most of it hasn't been promising; even the Japanese penpals I have say that many Japanese are racist towards foreigners, but I put it all in perspective. Living in the U.S., especially the south like I do, I encounter it all the time. Even so, I can more understand--to put it in a strange way--getting racism from people in a country like Japan, because there aren't that many black people there, blah blah. I just remind myself what I'm going for, what's the reason. I really don't care what they think of me when it comes down to it, because whatever ignorant ideas or stereotypes they may have of me, I'm going to make sure I shatter them. I'm doing it here in America as it is.

By the way, I like your sig, Endsight61. Gackt... Getting flustered here!

[Inuyasha-the-kid]

There are racist people there read below to see for your self

Racial stereotyping in the world of children persists, however. Today, racist images are more likely to appear in computer animation than between the covers of books. Two such characters appear in "Pokémon" and "Dragonball Z," wildly popular cartoons and digital games from Nintendo and Sony, respectively.


Few of Pokémon's 150 evolving pocket monsters have human attributes. However, the character Jynx, Pokémon #124, has decidedly human features: jet-black skin, protruding pink lips, gaping eyes, a straight blonde mane, and a full figure, complete with cleavage and wiggly hips. In her pink gown, Jynx is a dead ringer for an obese drag queen.

When I first glimpsed Jynx on the "Pokémon" cartoon, I thought surely the character was an aberration. Then I saw Mr. Popo, a cosmic character from "Dragonball Z." Mr. Popo is a rotund, turban-clad genie with pointy ears, jet-black skin, shiny white eyes, and, yes, big red lips.

I discovered these characters because my 10-year-old son is a Pokémaniac. He watches the cartoon, collects the trading cards, plays the digital game, and surfs the Net for game codes and trivia. He still pleads for new Pokémon games, but declares that "Dragonball Z" is his favorite cartoon, as his daily doodles of the show's protagonist Goku attest.


Not coincidentally, both Jynx and Mr. Popo were created by Japanese animators. Apparently, racist stereotypes that would shock Americans don't raise an eyebrow in much of Asia.


Hong Kong's Hazel & Hawley Chemical Co. would probably still be hawking Darkie toothpaste had the company not been acquired by Colgate. The Darkie brand's Al Jolson-inspired logo, a grinning caricature in blackface and a top hat, was as offensive as its name. Colgate bought the company in 1985, and then ditched the logo and changed the product's name to Darlie after US civil rights groups protested. However, the Cantonese name - Haak Yahn Nga Gou (Black Man Toothpaste) - remains.


American advertisers also have a shameful history of racial stereotyping, although such images long ago fell out of favor. Before World War II, African-American caricatures were employed for many products, from soap to cereal. Today, collectors of black memorabilia - mostly African-Americans - snatch up advertising and ephemera at antique shops, flea markets, and Internet auctions. Black collectors reason that reclaiming the images not only preserves heritage but strips the icons of their power to denigrate.

Not all black caricatures have been consigned to history, though. On supermarket shelves, updated incarnations of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, bankable logos featuring blacks as domestics, still serve up impressive market shares.


Neither icon bears even the slightest resemblance to Jynx or Mr. Popo, however. Known to millions of children through cartoons and product tie-ins, Jynx and Mr. Popo depict descendants of Africa through the bigoted lens of white supremacy. These stereotypical characters could adversely affect black children's malleable self-images.


Nearly a half century ago, to prepare for the historic Brown v. Board of Education lawsuit, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund enlisted psychologist Kenneth Clark to conduct a study in the South's Jim Crow schools. Using black and white dolls, Mr. Clark asked black elementary-school students which doll they liked best, which looked best, and which resembled them. The students preferred the white doll, but identified with the black doll, despite the fact that they said it looked "bad." This admission upset many of the children. The main hero, Goku,
looks very Japanese (black hair and dark brown eyes). But later, when he
becomes more powerful and reaches a higher level of energy, his hair
becomes blonde and his eyes become blue. No comment.the Japanese word gorirra ( gorilla ) comes to mind, but that it wasn't specifically used towards blacks since
many Japanese often use it to refer to any big, husky, and unattractive person. I once read where someone saw a Japanese college
student with a sambo character on her slippers with the words, Nigger Head. To me, such things are very
offensive, but for many Japanese they are kawaii (cute). Not until I asked how they would feel if I sold little
yellow dolls, with buck-teeth and slanted eyes did they understand why I felt so offended. Another word I
should mention was daisansekaijin which literally means third world person, which does not just single out
Blacks but any dark-skinned person who looks as if they came from an underdeveloped nation.When I first went to an elementary school for a visit, the children surprised
me when they tried rubbing my skin to see if my color would come off. Yet these were the same children that
would cry because they didn't want to see me go. Still, ignorance can be ugly. One of my Black friends once
told me that some old man held out his hand for her to shake. Seeing this as an opportunity to extend her
friendship, she shook his hand. As she shook his hand, he began to lean over, with his tongue out of his
mouth, preparing to lick her hand. Before he could accomplish his goal, she pulled her hand away and angrily
asked what he was trying to do. His reply was that he wanted to find out if she tasted like coffee. Such
incidents as these happen more in Northern Japan where it is more rural and the influx of foreigners is very rare.

besides of that

That means black man tooth paste...



THis is how it used to look......

All of this is offensive to me ...

[komachi]

btw,commodities in those photographs are not made in Japan.
they are product of China. the language is not Japanese.
The public opinion never permits such a design in Japan.

[Inuyasha-the-kid]

What about mr.popo and that pokemon?

[cicatriz esp]

Interestingly, I talked to several black people in Japan, but none of them were African American. I wonder if there would be a difference in the way they are treated?

[~Midnight Angel~]

I am a African American female also interested in going to Japan after I graduate highschool. I hear a lot of people say that when in Japan, no one has been racist towards them or even any type prejudice. I plan to attend Joichi University when I get to Japan and I know I will be asked alot of questions about myself and my background. But, that's no biggie, right? After all I always say I may be black on the outside but I have an Japanese spirit lurking on the inside. :smiling: Or so my mom says.

[MotomanInuyasha]

I'm a Jamaican/Japanese American, if you worry about what people think about you all the time you wont have any fun. I can understand why you would ask tho, but make sure to bring a white friend with you. You could always pull a Michale Jackson and get your self bleached if it worries you that much.

[Hiroyuki Nagashima]

Originally Posted by Inuyasha-the-kid

What about mr.popo and that pokemon?

Are those characters the villains?
Those characters are recognized to be KAWAII(s) in Japan.

[Gaijinian]

It was odd for me, a white boy, to experience being a minority. The odd part of it all, is that I started to act the Japanese when I saw another gaijin (pretending not to notice them, and so on...)!! I was so weird! Did anyone else experience that?

[xathenex]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Don't worry, I'm not getting all worked up over the fact. I was just curious, thats all. Just a simple question, from humble old me. So anymore helpful replies would be nice!

~Brittany

39 days till I leave!

[Live91]

Originally Posted by xathenex

Thanks everyone for the replies. Don't worry, I'm not getting all worked up over the fact. I was just curious, thats all. Just a simple question, from humble old me. So anymore helpful replies would be nice!
~Brittany
39 days till I leave!

I think that tif you respect their customs, they'll just respect you too ^^.

[japantvhost]

Doesn't really matter what race you are, you will be gaijin and that will give you some good benefits and some negative ones.