The name #georgefloyd and his last words #icantbreathe have been used as slogans to slash the ugly head of the racial divide that is still alive in this modern society. As different countries conduct their own version of #BLM protests and demonstrations, I would like to dwell on the almost invisible #racialdiscrimination or #racialstereotyping that happens in Japan. Yes, I believe, based on my personal experience, that it is alive in my second home. What’s interesting is that the stereotyping isn’t done by the Japanese people alone.
Bar Hostess
I used to live in a cluster of dormitories with students coming from different nations at Tsukuba University (Tsukuba, Japan). One night, my friends and I decided to have dinner at a quaint cafe-restaurant near an area where I don’t normally visit (my professor warned me about it being a red-light district). Since I was going to be with a huge group, I had nothing to worry, right? Wrong! One of my friends invited a Japanese male student from her class. When this male student found out that I was from The Philippines, his first question was “Did you know that there are a lot of ladies from The Philippines in the bar?”. To which I replied, “Yes”. This line of questioning went on until I shut him up with “Does that mean you go to them bars too since you know about the ladies?”
My Japanese Husband
My work involves going to meetings with Japanese clients and partners from the Philippines. In most of these meetings, my Japanese boss and I meet people from different industries. Per business ethics, it is my responsibility to introduce my boss to partners and their agents or introduce our clients to another. Several times have people assumed that the Japanese man I am introducing (even I tell them the title/ position clearly) is my husband. And both Japanese and Filipino people don’t say this assumption privately, but they usually blurt it out while exchanging business cards. I have to recheck my business card; maybe there’s a part written there that says, “Japanese wife”.
Work Hours
When I meet Filipinos in random places, the usual questions I get are:
“How long have you been working in Japan?”
“Which station is nearest my place?”
“Where am I from back home?”
But in more than few occasions, someone will ask me, “Pang-gabi?”, which roughly translates to “Do you work in the evenings?”. From an untrained ear, it sounds very innocent, right? The first time I was asked such question, I replied with my company’s work hours. Then it was explained to me that the question is really asking if I work in the girly bars. Imagine for feeling foolish for my comprehension!
Apartment-hunting Rejection
Our Japanese company assists its employees when we look for accommodation. The contract is between our company and the real estate agency to make the procedure less stressful for the employee and the agency. However, when we try to inspect some units and the agents inform the owner of the nationality of the potential tenant, 30% of the time, we get rejected to view the unit. Why? Because the employee is non-Japanese. Even if our staff explains that all communication would go through our company to avoid miscommunication (majority of the owners uses language barrier as a reason), they still don’t entertain us.
These are just some examples; I know that when stacked against what the George Floyds and the #AhmaudArberys of the world have endured, my snippets of stories don’t even compare. But here’s what we need to remember: No one is born a racist; environment creates them, while society makes them flourish. So, we need to nip this mentality in the bud.
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