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Gaijin to Kokujin:
Being a Black Foreigner in Japan.
by: Ervin Brandon
When people ask me what Japanese think of foreigners (non-Japanese)I tell them that we are all gaijin.
Gaijin literally means outside person. This word and its definition gives a vivid picture of how Japanese perceive foreigners, for it doesn't just mean an outsider to the country but a permanent outsider to the culture. Foreigners are like the little boy who never gets picked to play baseball with the others and has to sit by the fence and just watch. No matter how long you stay, or how well you may speak the language, you will always be seen by many Japanese as ignorant to the culture (i.e. you are never going to get a chance to play). Like a secret organization, many Japanese feel that their culture is far too profound for the uncultivated mind of an outsider to understand. I believe that many Japanese enjoy this feeling of being misunderstood for it gives them a sense of pride and uniqueness, which any person withholding a secret feels. Though I believe that it is a very interesting culture and is worthy of study, I don't believe that it's as deep and mysterious as many books would have us believe. If anything, it is a culmination of both ancient and traditional formalities and rituals, which have lost meaning to many over
the years, that is, except for those who, have a sense of history. Because all foreigners are seen as outsiders, there
exist something that is relatively absent in America: a strong commonality of experience between different people. What this means is that people from different countries and ethnic groups can share and, most importantly, relate to their experiences in Japan. I must admit, though, I became quite amused by the surprise and shock of my white friends who, for the first time in their lives, were now part of the minority. Yet this commonality of experience does not mean that all foreigners are perceived as exactly the same. Take for example how many Japanese view the two countries of America and England: America is much more admired for its strength and vitality but Japanese seem to respect and relate more to British culture. One reason is that like Japan, England has a very long history and they both still show reverence to their monarchs. Another reason is that Americans tend to be very direct when expressing themselves, while the British and Japanese have cultivated the art of indirect speech and circumlocution.
The other day I was watching a video by Missy Elliot. At the very beginning of the video, an Asian guy was simultaneously doing kung fu and speaking a few lines of Japanese. I guess it was suppose to be cool; but having just spent three years in Japan I only thought of how confusing the image was (i.e. kung-fu is a Chinese martial art, not a Japanese one like karate). I then remembered my own distorted image of Japanese culture before I went there: people walking around in kimonos and wooden sandals, everyone having a certain grasp on the art of being a ninja, and people meditating on life throughout the day. Since my stay over there, my whole idea of Japan has significantly transformed into something more realistic. The funniest thing about being there was that while my misguided stereotype of Japan was changing, I realized that Japanese had some very misinformed and misguided notions about foreigners, especially about black people. Most foreigners are shamelessly stared at. For people who visit or live in more rural areas of Japan, like I did, the staring is much more intense; nevertheless, the experience is still universal. To get a better grasp of what the experience of Japanese to come in contact with a foreigner, you have to remember the first time you saw the elephants at the zoo. Do you remember that? You may have read about elephants in books or had even seen them on television, but you had never seen one in real life. When you finally got a chance to go to the zoo, you saw the real thing in person. For some of us the experience was so overwhelming that we became scared and started to cry. For those of us with enough courage to watch them, the animals were probably doing something as mundane as eating or sleeping; nevertheless, you were still amazed at what you saw. I use this example because many foreigners can truly identify with those elephants. Like me, you might experience old people who stop in the middle of the street and just gawk at you, or maybe little children who point at you in the grocery store and yell Gaijin. Others, having more tact, are slicker in their staring, but you can still catch them peeping when they believe you aren't looking. As said, this is universal in Japan and no matter your ethnic group or nationality, you are considered a gaijin. And though you may be treated as an outsider, it does not mean that you will be treated without respect and kindness for the Japanese are definitely some of the nicest and most respectful people on
the earth. Japanese tend to idolize whites over any other group of people. This is evident in their advertisements, magazines, and even in their
much-cherished animations. I knew better than to ask why there aren't many Black characters in their animations, but I did often ask why most of the characters look white instead of Japanese. One show that worries me and which has been a huge success in America is called Dragonball. Dragonball is a highly imaginative story, which places good characters against evil ones and has characters of varying moral hues in between.
There are two aspects of the show which raises my eyebrows: 1) The character of Mr. Popo, whom I will discuss later 2) 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. But I'm just glad that when I became the first foreigner to win a judo tournament in my city that my features did not go through some miraculous transformation, as some might have expected.
How do the Japanese perceive Blacks? Remember the analogy of how a Japanese seeing a foreigner is like a child seeing an elephant for the first time? Well, if you are black, it's more like a child seeing a unicorn. Most Japanese have heard about unicorns such as Eddie Murphy, Michael Jordan, or Whitney Houston, but to see a real one is unimaginable. First of all, the specific term for Black person is kokujin (which literally means Black person) I seldom heard this term; I definitely heard gaijin more than anything else. From my
experience, there seems to be a few words that capture what many Japanese think of Blacks, I call them the K-words: kakkoi, kowaii, and kowaii so. Kakkoi means cool or hip, kowaiimeans scary , and kowaii so means sorry or pitiful. From my conversations with Japanese, these are the common justifications for such ideas: Blacks are cool because they seem naturally gifted at entertaining, singing, dancing, and athletics, or, Blacks are scary because they always seem to be in trouble with the law and they also carry guns (though
many Japanese believe that ALL Americans carry guns), and lastly, Blacks are pitiful because they are the victims of racist oppression and can't get their act together because they don't seem to have strong cultural values like other people, especially like us Japanese. To hear such views was no shock to me because they are the same images and ideas that the media continues to perpetuate and feed, about Blacks, to the world. Before coming to Japan, I asked my Japanese friend, Takeshi, what would be the worst thing a Japanese
person could call a Black person. Takeshi, who had came all the way from Nagoya to Howard University in order to study Afro-American studies (when I first asked Takeshi how did he found out about Howard, he told me that he was listening to a CD by Shai and while reading the linear notes, noticed that they gave many thanks to their alma mater, Howard University), was definitely the best person to ask. Takeshi told me that
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. To specifically refer to a Black person as a means of degradation, Takeshi said, someone would probably say sambo gorirra. If you haven't guessed it, the Japanese term sambo is equivalent to the black-faced white entertainers from the early 19th century that would poorly imitate Blacks; hence, the sambo character. Even the Dragonball character,
Mr. Popo, represents the sambo character with his jet-black skin, big wide eyes, oversized red lips, and subservient speech and mannerisms. Its impossible to live in Japan for a long period of time and not see the sambo character on aprons, slippers, or on key chains. 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. I honestly don't believe that these words and beliefs represent how most Japanese feel towards Blacks. If anything, they are extreme declamations and beliefs that only an extremely small portion of the population would
believe or use. As said before, Japanese are some of the
kindness and most respectful people around. To take the derogatory words from above as what Japanese really think of Blacks would be like a Japanese person watching a show like MTV Cribs, and believing that most Americans must live as lush and fabulous as movie stars and entertainers. The above is more like inside information that you probably won't get from a generic "Guide To Japan" book. If anything, the Japanese are guilty of being ignorant of other cultural issues, but this comes from living in an isolated and homogenous culture. 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. The less extreme and more common view of Blacks, the one that I had more experience with, is similar to a friend of mine name James. James is a Black man from Mississippi who has been living in Northern Japan for several years. He is married to a Japanese woman and they both have a son. He is also the owner of an English conversation school, a dance club, and he continues to expand. Whenever I went to the club, James
would drop what he was doing and give me a hug. If he wasn't too busy, he would sit down and talk with me as if we were back home in America. What impressed me most about James is that we could sit at a table and talk like old friends, but then he could turn to one of his employees and speak to him/her in the most immaculate Japanese that I've ever heard. When I asked James about his experiences and if he had had any
hardships as a Black person establishing himself, he told me that he found it easier to do business here than in America. In fact, he said that he would recommend coming to Japan for any young Black person who was interested in starting a business. When I asked why he felt that way he replied, Japanese tend to judge who you are based on your word and actions, and not on your skin color. As long as you keep your word and do what you say then you are considered golden here. This idea closely approximates how I think Japanese feel
and regard others. Whether you take James advice or not, Japan will give you an experience that you won't forget. Some of my most culturally significant experiences happened in hip-hop nightclubs. Whenever I went, I was always amazed by the tremendous influence that Black culture has had on the younger generation. When I went to these nightclubs, I saw Japanese girls and guys with braids, cornrolls, dreadlocks, and afros. I even saw people who had spent hours in the tanning salon trying to make there skin as dark as the rappers and entertainers they idolized. This imitation of the Black-look was quite a shock given everything else in the culture that would suggest otherwise, but it didn't just stop there. I remember one night when this girl came up to me and asked me, in English, to dance with her. We danced for a minute or two and she told me that she had spent the summer in New York and had spent most of her time in Queensbridge projects. I couldn't tell if she thought she was relating to me in some way or if she wanted me to congratulate her on her achievement; the only thing I was wondering was, Why on earth would she go on a vacation to a place where the residents
try their best to leave? Though there are more and more foreigners who live and work in Japan now, the interaction between them and Japanese is still small. Because
of this, any interaction is significant because Japanese tend to generalize from just a few encounters, so those first impressions are usually lasting ones. Interactions are made even more significant when you are Black, because of the few numbers of us over there. The worst thing that I see
are people who often try to play a role in order to look cool. Often I see Blacks (whether they are from the States, England, Nigeria, etc.) who strut around Japan with bandanas over their heads as if they are Tupac.
If they normally dressed that way then I wouldn't have a problem, but 99% of them don't, but they do it because they know they will get more attention and may even be mistaken for a rapper or entertainer. If you do go to Japan, just remember that every interaction that you have with
someone, whether it's ordering food or having a conversation, is an opportunity to dispel myths and educate. It doesn't need to be overt (i.e.
you don't have to be Al Sharpton on a soapbox preaching) for it can be as simple as being kind or showing respect to people. Just remember to be your own authentic self and as the adage goes, When in Rome, do as the Romans. Even if you don't like many Japanese things (like eating cow's tongue, or slurping your noodles), showing deference instead of distaste will go a long way.
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