Comments by "Yo2" (@yo2trader539) on "What’s it like being Half Japanese in Japan ?" video.

  1.  @Trilenxy  Some native Japanese speakers would avoid saying "良い質問ですね" in a conversation, because it can be interpreted as condescending. I know more than you do....kind of attitude. It sounds like a professor/instructor commenting a student's question.
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  2.  @mon_avis2978  I've met and worked with a few Japanese-Canadians, -Brazilians, -Peruvians, and -Americans. Honestly, having Japanese ancestry isn't anything special for us, because we all have Japanese parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. Having Japanese ancestry doesn't mean we click automatically either. And a lot of Japanese immigrants don't speak Japanese or know Japanese culture, so it's not like we can speak to them in the same manner. But the person who I found most fascinating was an Indonesian lady with a Japanese grandfather, who fought for Indonesian independence and later permanently resided in Indonesia. Her family history was beyond interesting.
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  3. He has no plan on integrating to Japanese society, learning Japanese language, culture, or mannerism...yet he wants to be treated like a Japanese (because he's half-Japanese by birth). それは無理です。
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  4.  @mon_avis2978  What was your point? That you don't speak Japanese and that's somehow our fault? Why would you even assume we would treat you as Japanese if you don't have the same fluency in language, culture, and norms? And frankly, it would be arrogant on our part to expect the same culture and mannerism from descendants of emigrants who've left Japan generations ago.
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  5. Imagine Japanese nationals/students living in your country. Some adjust easier, others find it harder to adapt and make local friends. There are many half-Japanese kids who live in Japan and have successful careers, from famous celebrities, actresses, Yokozuna, politicians, athletes, etc. But they all have one thing in common. They are fluent in Japanese language, culture, and mannerism. Most foreigners in Japan cannot read Japanese menus. They are basically illiterate from a local perspective. The flip side is, you will not be an "outsider" if you can communicate like other Japanese people. In reality, many foreign-nationals in Japan fail in social and cultural integration, which is why they are eternally foreigners/outsiders. They spend most of their time in expat bubbles with no connection to Japan. Basically they're just long-term guests/tourists from a local perspective. Depending on your bringing, it may be easier for you. But without sufficient knowledge/fluency of Japanese language, culture, mannerism, or norms...most Japanese will not know how to interact with you.
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  6.  @showwhite7320  She doesn't need to pretend. Women over 190cm is taller than most volleyball players on current Japan's Women's national team. If I had to guess, over 190cm is less than 1% of 1% of the entire female population in Japan. Perhaps women over 190cm in the Netherlands, Baltics, or Brazil won't be that rare, but in Japan you definitely stand out whatever you do.
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  7. You're just another Gaijin. If you're not fluent in Japanese language/culture, you're not Japanese.
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  8. Depends on your upbringing. If you're native in Japanese, obviously you won't be treated as one.
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  9. Unlike the half-Iranian girl who was raised in Japan, the Colombian dude must've been in some kind of expat Gaijin bubble after moving to Japan. To be blunt, he's not culturally Japanese, which is why he struggles more than the other two. When he speaks Japanese, he sounds a little drunk. I met a few Nikkei-Peruvians and Brazilians who work in Japan, and they have near-native fluency in language/culture. So I don't know what happened to his education. He speaks like that after 13 years in Japan, which can only mean he doesn't use Japanese in his daily life.
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  10. We do have quite a few half-Japanese politicians, celebrities, and athletes. I can't imagine why he hasn't reached near-native fluency if he's been living in Japan since 12 years old. It can only happen if he's been in an expat bubble and without any formal Japanese schooling. (Most international/foreign students who graduate from Japanese universities are near-native speakers.) For reasons unknown, he failed to learn Japanese language, culture, and mannerism despite being in Japan for so long, which is why he's not viewed as a local/native. And it has more to do with his upbringing than him being half-Japanese or not.
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  11. There are a few Italian YouTubers in Japan. They have no Japanese ancestry but they blend in just fine because they're fluent in Japanese. It's more about the person than anything else.
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  12. You have no idea about the racism in the West.
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  13. It's not racism. It's simply not being able to deal with customers who don't speak Japanese. The Colombian doesn't speak fluently.
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  14.  @xoseoa  It makes me happy that you're fluent in Japanese and proud of your heritage. The more time you spend in Japan, the more local you'll become (whether you like it or not). The opposite happens too, when Japanese nationals live outside of Japan they start to change/adapt. Everything from choice of clothing, hairstyle, mannerism, make-up, facial gestures, body language, food preference...all those small things start to slowly diverge. Your current assumption is that your physical appearance is why you're initially treated like an "outsider." (Being assumed you're an "insider," without being able to speak Japanese is tough too.) While I have no idea how Japanese/Western you may look, I have a strong suspicion that locals are judging from the other stuff. Eventually, you'll end up just like the rest of us. You'll be able to identify resident/visitor by how they walk, behave, dress, talk, etc. I actually think it's rather presumptuous to assume that you'll be able to fit right into Japan without having ever lived in Japan. This process of cultural assimilation (i.e. "Japanization") will take a few years minimum. This is a common struggle for children of Japanese nationals who've spent their entire lives abroad. Perhaps you know of these people. While not every one of them has a typical Japanese appearance, none of them will get the "outsider" treatment because most of them have been in Japan for a very long time. For example, Arashi Rina is half-Iranian, Michibata-sisters are half-Argentine, Haraka Christine is half-Swiss, Takigawa Christel is half-French, and Becky is half-British...and they carry themselves with Japanese aesthetics and beauty standards. After some time in Japan, you'll know what I mean. I'm sorry that you're living in a sauna like the rest of us. I always recommend spring/autumn for visiting Japan.
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  15.  @Miandros101  Don't you know that Australia used to ban immigrants from Asia?
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  16. For us, it's not about whether you're half or not, it's about how you're raised. The famous Yokozuna TAIHO was half-Ukrainian, Gold Medalist MUROFUSHI Koji is half-Romanian, DARVISH Yu is half-Iranian, and Governor of Okinawa TAMAKI Denny is half-American. There are many half/mixed people who are successful and well-respected in Japan. And nobody would consider them to be foreigners or outsiders because they were raised in Japan, educated in Japan, and behave/think like the rest of us. (We also have naturalized politicians who have no Japanese heritage like ARIFYA Eli who is half-Uyghur and half-Uzbek...but again she has Japanese mannerism and identity because she went to Japanese school in Japan.) Conversely, even if both of your parents are from Japan...if you were not raised in Japan or attended Japanese school overseas, you will not be considered ethnically Japanese by most people, because the language/culture fluency is missing. In a way, we can sense who is Japanese and who is not from mannerism, behavior, mindset, etc. The way we talk, walk, sit, laugh...everything is different.
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