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“Gaikokujin” through the eyes of a Japanese Girl
16 November 2011 Posted By Drew
We have a special post from a very considerate guest writer for GJ.com. Our dear friend from back in our university days in Japan has been kind enough to write her opinions on foreigners in Japan and the concept of “gaikokujin.” We’d certainly like to provide you with more guest posts and “insider” information/opinions like this post from many different perspectives (so it isn’t just me and Fab blabbing on about our opinions all the time). If you’d like to get more posts like this, just drop a line and let us know what issues you’d like to hear about and from what perspective you’d like to hear it from. Fab and I have friends in many places 
A little bit about the guest writer: Ayano is in the German Studies Department of her university. She speaks Japanese, English, and German, and has had the chance to live & Study abroad in the UK and Germany. She has many friends from all over the world and is very open and energetic when meeting new people of any background. She loves learning about new cultures and has an affinity for languages.
When you say “gaikokujin/foreigner,” just as there are many types of Japanese people, there are many types of foreigners. Even amongst Japanese people, their thoughts on the term “foreigner” can vary greatly, and therefore I’d respect if you read this as the thoughts of myself being just one Japanese person and just my thoughts regarding the meaning of “foreigner.”
In the blink of an eye our world has seemingly become so small. During this process, many foreigners have come to Japan. Although there are a multitude of different types of foreigners in Japan, and it is very hard to label them as “one group.” But if I had to narrow it down, there would be two overarching groups.
The first group: Foreigners that live amongst themselves in segregation with little to no Japanese speaking skills. The second group: Foreigners who passionately study the language, make Japanese friends, and strive to understand the Japanese way of life. The latter being the highly favorable group, I’d therefore like to write some of my opinions concerning the former group.
Whichever group, there are clearly reasons for them wanting to come to Japan, whether it be interest in Japan’s culture, language, financial/occupational reasons, etc. To fully remove themselves from their home country and come here, I’d certainly think there are some things that foreigners might not be able to adjust to, or dislike about Japan. Of course, this is something that could apply to anyone settling in any country in the world. But simply using the reasoning that you dislike aspects of the language or culture and doing things like limiting your contact with Japanese people, and only befriending other foreigners while in Japan is, in my honest opinion, a waste of a great chance.
Personally, I’ve had the experience of living abroad two times. Each time I’ve tried my best to conduct myself (to the best of my abilities) in a manner that allows me to meet the people of that country, and try to understand their culture and way of thinking. Of course, in comparison to those of other countries, the majority of Japanese peoples “spoken investment” in foreign language is quite low (that is to say that they might be great when it comes to studying a second language, but not so much in terms of practically using that language through verbal communication). Due to this, I think that those foreigners whom have learnt Japanese can run into the issue of difficulty communicating with Japanese people. Also, being in a similar circumstance of having only foreign friends, I really understand the need to feel relaxed and the necessity of having those that understand me.
However, Japanese included, to meet anyone that has interest in your own country is amazing and I’d like to think those foreigners are leaving us with a positive image. The majority of Japanese people are very shy but certainly just walking around town one should be able to find those Japanese that will answer questions about Japan or Japanese happily, and help out in times of need. I also doubt that those Japanese who would like to meet and make friends with those from foreign countries are not few and far between. Those kinds of Japanese people are missing out on these kinds of chances perhaps because they use the excuse that they don’t have the chance to have these kinds of interactions. For example, despite knowing of the existence of foreign exchange students in one’s school, a lot of Japanese student’s with interest will remain uninvolved with foreign students and let them pass by without developing anything.
By no means do Japanese people dislike foreigners. This may not apply to everyone, but I certainly think it would be great if more foreigners would connect with Japanese people, rather than act as two completely separate groups. While in Japan, things that can be easily discovered wont be discovered by those foreigners who close themselves up into shells. Out of all the countries in the world, for whatever reason they have ended up in Japan, so it’d be best to learn Japanese and the culture and customs through positive relationships with Japanese people. Certainly, to foreigners that would be a meaningful experience, and from the perspective of Japanese people like myself, we would certainly be happy to see such a “gaikokujin.”
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2 Responses to ““Gaikokujin” through the eyes of a Japanese Girl”
“By no means do Japanese people dislike foreigners. This may not apply to everyone, but I certainly think it would be great if more foreigners would connect with Japanese people, rather than act as two completely separate groups.”
Really? Doesn’t the head of Honda’s statement, when questioned by shareholders about why they were spending so much money on the Asimo robot project, tell a story of the bigger picture? To paraphrase what he said: “The population of Japan is in decline, who would you rather have looking after you in your old age, a robot or a foreigner?”
I think this article is either denialism, or the hopeful thoughts from a Japanese that the issue of being divided isn’t her countrymen’s fault, but rather… a foreign issue.
All that said, there are a whole lot of open-minded Japanese people, but due to political statistics (how many times has that racist Ishihara been re-elected?), I’d have to say that they aren’t in the majority.
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In Ayano’s defence: Fab or myself did not prep her whatsoever in writing this post. We simply gave her the title, and left it totally up to her. With that being said, she covered herself nicely by stating in the initial paragraph that what is written is to be considered as “her opinion” and “her thoughts as an individual Japanese person.” Of course there is much left to be said regarding a whole list of issues that have gone unmentioned, or even just briefly mentioned in this post. But to extract that sentence, cross reference to an unknown source, and then to go and paraphrase that, is rather farfetched and irrelevant.
I agree with your statement that these kinds of open-minded Japanese people are not in the majority (clearly, otherwise it would reflect more in the demographics of Japan itself)… but I see no harm in spreading these kind of messages (Ayano’s post) to let foreigners know that it is not a 1 way street, and there are those Japanese out there willing to work together with foreigners. I think the general assumption of a lot of foreigners going into Japan is that they are to get some kind of hand out because they are foreigner (and possibly white, who really, imo, get it the best out of all foreigners in Japan yet still complain). This mentality leads to a kind of angst built up in the foreigner, who has never really been used to being treated as the minority and can’t handle it. Replace the word foreigner with immigrant (because it is essentially the exact same thing), and let that thought sit a little bit. How are immigrants treated in your home country? Is it entirely fair? Are they the minority?
I can agree with you that Ayano’s post is somewhat idealistic, but I don’t think she is “placing a blame on foreigners” as you mentioned. As she said herself, she does (to the best of her abilities) try to adapt when going abroad, and I’m certain she has never complained or protested when things were “unfair” due to the fact she is an outsider. Life is unfair, if we choose to go to Japan, we have to deal with that unfairness in the best way possible. Getting defensive and up in arms about it won’t solve anything. But then again, there are those that beg to differ. That’s just my opinion