Japanese explain why they don't like sitting next to foreigners on trains | Gaijin seat explained 😱 

The old man at the start is so lovely. I love people like him in Japan. I’m half black and Japanese and japans is definitely getting more diverse and I love to see that. Japanese people are really kind. When I went to Australia that’s when I noticed more racism. Way more even when it’s more diverse 😂.

I am gaijin seated regularly. Doesn’t matter what I’m wearing. It’s usually older women and younger children that avoid me. Otherwise, mine is the last seat to be taken. Interestingly enough, junior high or high school kids don’t have issues sitting next to me so maybe the foreigner presence at their schools is working.

At first, I felt like I was getting gaijin seated. But in my opinion, Sapporo’s pretty small with only 3 subway lines, so over time, people definitely started recognizing me and would sit next to me with no problem.

I'm not sure if anyone commented this yet, but I think the people willing to respond to you are not the ones that are likely avoid sitting or standing next to you on the train.

As a Japanese person, I never heard and seen the gaijin seat situation in my hometown, but I am sorry those who experienced unpleasant situation😞 Like some people mentioned in the video, I guess that some Japanese people leave seat because of the several possible reasons (I personally agree with the perfume thing), not simply because you are not Japanese. For example, I guess some Japanese people feel not comfortable to sit with strangers including Japanese people. I often find that Japanese people tend to sit the corner seats first, then sit the seats skipping next to strangers, and then sit the rest of the seats. I also found the person sitting next to me in middle part of the seat moved to the corner seat because he possibly feel comfortable with that position. Of course, any discrimination should not happen. I actually think non-Japanese people who live in Japan are very brave because as a person who live in Japan so long, living in overseas using a not familiar language sounds challenging to me. Even if you experienced those situation, please don't think that all Japanese people don't like you. I guess many Japanese people are just not familiar seeing oversea visitors in Japan, and even they have a positive impression, some are too shy to communicate with foreigners. I hope you are not experience getting hurt situation and hope you have a great day🙏

残念ながら、大多数の日本人が差別をしているかのように思わせる動画に見えます。 日本の文化に慣れていない外国人が、電車内で大声で話すのを見かける事があります。 そうすると、大抵車内の人間からは冷たい視線が送られます。しかしそれは差別ではなく、マナー違反だからです。それが日本人であっても同じ現象が起きるはずです。 郷に入っては郷に従え、ですね。 香水に関しては日本人外国人関係なく、匂いが強いものが苦手な人がいます(これは偏見や差別というより、体質によるものに近いと思います) タトゥーは、日本において暴力団を連想させることから避けられますね。(これは偏見かもしれませんね)タトゥーは今でこそ日本人の若者でも見かけるようになりましたが、まだまだ一般的ではありませんし、広くは広がらないと思います。 そもそも、このようなインタビューを受け、丁寧に言葉を選び回答をしている時点で差別感情は持っていないと思いますが… 追記です。 一部の国に対して差別感情を持つ人はいます。それは認めます。私はそういった差別が嫌いですが、一定数いると思われます。非常に残念です。

There are so many great things about Japan but pretending that the bad things don't exist is not one of them.

I’m Japanese but I’m covered in tattoos so, I sometimes get tattoo seated (which I love actually) and I just get stares and glances constantly. And it’s not like I have face/neck tattoos (my hands are). So I think it’s with anything that’s not “normal” people tend to shy away from.

逆に質問してもいいですか？ 日本人が横に座っても、気になりませんか？ 私は知り合いの外国人（国名は伏せます…日本に慣れた人でした）にアジア人は匂うと言われたことがあります。 その外国人は、「日本人は隣に座らない」という話題はしませんでした。 英語ができなくてごめんなさい。 （ここは、そうゆうところかもしれませんね） 日本人は空気を読んでいると思います。

Young Ladies,great job.I like how you put the people at ease because to confront any type of discrimination can put individuals on the defensive.

I lived in the countryside and had a wonderful experience. Sometimes a little too close 😅 but for the most part, countryside was better than metro because I felt like people in metro cities were tired of the bs that could happen. We can't ignore the common foreign tourists attitudes when they visit countries. Everyone doesn't know how to behave. So when I get to the countryside, many people knew they had less contact with foreigners and therefore tried to be more understanding or welcoming.

The guy summarized it for us pretty well lol 😂

I find this fascinating. In the US nobody wants anyone sitting next to them on public transportation.

席が空いてたら人との距離を取りたいだけ。 外国人だとか日本人だとか関係なく、私は端の席が空いたら移動します。

インタビューに答えてくれている時点でその人は外国人に抵抗が無い人だから実際に避けてる人の本音は聞けないと思う それと外国人に差別意識の無い親切な方たちに差別の理由を聞いたり罪悪感を背負わせる尋問のような聞き方をするのはインタビューの仕方としてどうなのかと

Interestingly I didn't really experience gaijin seat when I travelled alone. But when I was with a group of friends foreigners, it was common to experience the gaijin seat

I've never heard of gaijin seat but I think some Japanese locals (particularly those that are not usually exposed to different cultures) just avoid foreigners because it may be troublesome to deal with foreigners. I get that vibe sometimes when I travel there, I don't think it's necessarily a racial/skin colour thing. Kinda like how citizens of a country tend to mix with their fellow countrymen coz they understand the local culture so it's easy to communicate and be friendly. Especially because English isn't widely spoken in Japan as well and there has been some cases of visitors misbehaving in Japan. I can understand how it can come off rather unfriendly and prejudicial though. But more space in a crowded metro train especially in the COVID era sounds welcoming to me lol. Ofc there are instances of blatant discrimination in Japan like any other country, so situations should be judged on a case-to-case basis. Also, I suspect because Japanese culture is a certain way, like a high standard of etiquette etc is expected among Japanese ppl themselves but since they can't expect that of foreigners, some Japanese ppl avoid them. It's not a great way to do things but mindsets can be difficult and slow to change I can understand why the Japanese interviewees may not have heard of the term gaijin seat- it's probably used among foreigners living in Japan so the Japanese locals probably would not have heard of it at all. Also I can imagine that it doesn't affect them day-to-day, so it's not something that will be lingering on their minds

英語わからないので最初外人シートって聞いた時、外人専用シートが有るのかと思ったけど、なんとなく、外人が座ると席を立つ人の事言ってるのかなぁと思ったけど合ってるのかな？日本人は英語できない人が多いので話し掛けられると困るし嫌で逃げる人は居ます。昔のテレビで英語で話し掛けるコーナーが有りましたが逃げる人が多いです。席を立った人は近くに居ますか？たまたま降りる駅が近くなったので立ったり降りる駅の改札や階段の近くに行きたくて電車の中を移動したかもしれませんね。あなた達も被害妄想で1回そういう事が有ると全てその様に感じてしまっているのかもしれません。日本人は外人に慣れてない人が多いのですが昔よりは友好的だと思います。他の国より差別は少ないと思います。Tattooは、まだファッションというよりジャパニーズマフィアのイメージが強いから日本では怖がられます。

I'm Japanese and people don't sit next to me because of my tattoos. Personally, it doesn't bother me. More space for me so luck, am I right?

i'm half japanese and gaijin seat does exist. it's not that they never heard about it. if you ride public transportation in a regular, there's no way you're not gonna notice it. especially in places like tokyo, when trains are packed and everyone's standing but you see an empty seat next to a foreigner. there are definitely racism in japan, it's just not loud.

うーん… 別に日本人同士でも隣に座らないとかあるけど… 知らないのかな

I’m a Japanese guy with wide shoulders and people avoid sitting next to me until it’s fully packed and people are forced to sit. It’s not just gaijin who have this problem 😂

This happens all the time here in the US. Nobody wants to sit next to someone else. It's actually a good thing if you like space.

日本は単一民族国家で見た目や振る舞い方や考え方などが非常によく似ています。そしてそれはとても心地よいことです。隣の人物がどのようなことを思うか、だいたい想像がつきます。他人に対して不安を感じることがありません。 だからこそ、その同質性から外れた人物に対しては過敏に反応し日本人だろうと外国人だろう と避けられます。 同じ日本人であったとしても、振る舞い方が一般的でなかったり服装が一般的でなかったり考え方が一般的でなかったりすれば避けられがちです。 日本人であったとしても、仲間の輪の中に入るには空気を読み適応し、同じであることを示さねばなりません。 最近では日本でも多様性が重視されていますが、同質性がもたらす安心感を捨て日本がアメリカのような多様性を受け入れられるとは到底思えません。

I live in Japan for around 20 years. I could share some thought: 1. Japanese do not like to disturb others. Including talking on the phone, or chit chat with loud voice that might disturbed others 2. Japanese do not like people with strong smell (parfume).. ise parfum lightly is ok, but if smell too strog it is kind of rude.. because the act effect others that smells 3. Even with Japanese, unless they are very close and familiar, they dont talk much, especially on the train. 4. Talking with voice that might be heard considered impolite. Because of that act disturbed others people that doesn't want to hear the noise 5. Privacy means, you could do your privacy things, but try not to disturbed others privacy. Like smells, noise, etc

Maybe only us foreigners notice this as it is happening to us and the Japanese do it so often that they don't even think about it and thus think it doesn't exist? Or is it a location thing because I definitely experience it very often on the train, even standing.

People's experiences are indeed different. I am an Asian gaijin wearing hijab living in Tokyo. I also travelled to other prefectures. I never once experience the gaijin seat and Japanese people are very kind to me. In contrary, I was ignored and received unpleasant treatment from some African ladies when I bought some African foods in an African festival in Hibiya Park Tokyo. They were nice to other people. I could not understand why they were mean, because I only talked to them briefly and politely and I like African foods and cultures. I never go to any African festivals ever since. 😄 Also, when I was living in Australia, I sometimes received hateful anti-muslim remarks from strangers (Caucasian, some with American accent). In Japan, I also received hateful anti-muslim remarks from strangers (all were Caucasians with American accent). Imagine how annoying it is and so pathetic of them to harras me even when they are not in their country. I was not doing anything, not even talking. From my experience, I never receive those kinds of bigotry from Japanese people. That's why I love living in Japan.

Thanks for posting such an insightful video. I’m an American, who lived in France for years and who speaks French but I did notice much the same phenomenon when I lived there, largely I think attributable to a general inability among average French people, to speak English, but also doubtless partially because of the boisterousness of some foreigners, particularly Americans. I had the marvelous opportunity to work twice in Tokyo for months each time, and I do not speak Japanese. I did not notice (perhaps because I wasn’t perceptive enough) the behavior you describe. To the contrary, I found Japanese people, even those who understood neither English nor French, graciously offer to help me navigate the subways or decipher menus when eating in a restaurant.

隣に座らないだけで差別ってどういうこと？なぜ隣に座らないだけでそれが差別になるの？ 私は電車ではゆっくりして座りたいから、たとえ隣が黒人だろうが日本人だろうが白人だろうが、関係なく一つ席を空けて座るよ。 逆に、疲れていてどうしても座りたい時は隣に黒人や白人がいても座るよ。 日本人同士でも席を空けて座ってるよ。 てか日本人が差別している前提でインタビューしてない？ あなたの隣に座らなかった日本人があなたに対して「黒人は嫌いだ」って言っていたならそれは差別だけど、何か言われたり暴力を振るわれた訳でもないのに、隣に座らなかっただけで＝差別に結び付けるには無理があるよ。 それこそ日本人に対する差別であり、あなたはレイシストだ。

I've been in Japan for over a decade and I never got gaijin seated ever. I'm alt, have a lot of piercings, long pointy nails, and stand out a lot but for whatever reason the seat next to me usually fills very quickly. I wish I was gaijin seated though. Stay tf away from me lol

電車での日本人の習性 ・なるべく人の隣に座らない ・隣に誰もいない席があれば移動する←これを差別と勘違いする人が多い ・外国人とか関係なく体が大きい人を避ける←これも差別と勘違いしている ・匂いのきつい人を避ける ・話してる人を避ける←うるさいから 他にもあると思うけどこれに自分が当てはまってるなら差別ではない。日本人の習性を理解していないだけ。差別されたと勘違いしてるとしか思えない😂

As a foreigner who experiences the gaijin seat on a daily basis I really loved this video. It gives me hope that there are a lot of Japanese people out here that do get it and do genuinely want us to have a comfortable experience in their country. The first man you talked to made me smile so much 🥰

これを完全に人種と絡めてるけど、みんなそれぞれ人によって違いはありますが、出来ればあまり近くに座りたくない人っていません？例えばおじさんは嫌とか太ってる人は嫌とか。それを差別と呼ぶなら差別でしょう。しかしそれが必ずしも人種が理由だというのは違いますよね？だって同じ日本人でもあまり近くに座りたくない人とかいるわけだから。なので外国人であっても、外人シートを全く感じなかったという外国人もいる。要するにケースバイケースで、人種関係なく、その個人の感覚の問題で起こっていることがほとんどだと思います。もちろん中には完全に外国人を嫌ってわざと座らないという人もいるかもしれませんが。 そしてこれはあくまでも個人的意見ですが、職務質問の問題にも少し関連してるかもしれません。よく外国人の人で、自分が外国人だから警察に職務質問されるんだ、これは差別だという主張をする人がいます。しかし不思議なことに、全く職務質問されたことはないという外国人もいる。実はこれって日本人も同じなんですよ。何度も職質される人っていう人がいるんですよ。逆に全くされない人もいる。警察官が自分の感覚で選んでるからそうなるわけです。これは日本人も外国人も同じなのです。

The Japanese man interviewed seemed so warm and friendly.

Could it be because of cultural shyness and the fear of being judged by fellow Japanese? I'm a Mizo and cultural shyness is a thing here in Mizoram, Northeast India. Not that people don't want to, but that they feel awkward and shy. While I agree some do it out of dislike of other races, esp Black people. Anyway, we can't always use western yardsticks to measure Asian societies since the nuances are different.

外人シートって日本名つけられてあたかも日本特有の現象みたいに言われてるけどぶっちゃけこんなんどこでもあるぞ　俺は2020年から2021年までヨーロッパにいたけどガチでバスや電車で露骨に避けられたもん　アジア人は普段からやられてるんだよね...俺らはこんなことでいちいち文句言わないけど　人間は他の人種見ると警戒してしまうんだよ　これは生物の本能だから仕方のない事だと思うけどね

Only 1 experience of the gaijin seat for me but not on the train. I think it was the sudden eye contact that scared them 😅

日本語で失礼します。おそらく彼らは遠慮しているだけだと思いますよ。どうぞ。と一声かけてみてはどうでしょう。

自分が座ったら隣の人が席を移動したって言う人いるけど、それ多分端の席が空いたからそっちに移動しただけだぞ

12:43 I’m in Japan. And fortunately have not experienced any issue of “ gaijin seat”, in fact many tried to offer their seat when I’m with my child.Though sometimes some people don’t mind offering seat but it doesn’t matter. It takes courage for some to even talk to foreigners 😊.

I am Japanese. I saw a critique video of this video a while ago and wanted to comment. i have a few questions. First, let's talk about the "Gaijin Seat". If a Japanese person leaves their seat when a foreigner sits next to them on the train, it is often because most Japanese people are shy and carefree. I think this is not because I dislike foreigners, but because I don't have confidence in my ability to communicate and I get confused about what to do if someone talks to me. Behind this is Japanese culture. We are an island nation, not a landlocked country like Europe and the United States. Therefore, I didn't have many opportunities to interact with foreign countries. In recent years, the movement of globalization has become more active, and more and more people are coming from abroad. If you are Japanese, you speak Japanese. That's why I'm very surprised when I see people from overseas sometimes. It's even better when you can talk to them. Also, even if we are Japanese, we don't often talk to each other when we meet for the first time. I think this is Japanese manners. From your point of view, it may look like you are avoiding it too much, but this is just because you are not used to the opportunity. There is also a linguistic reason for the unfamiliarity with English. It is a feature of Japanese katakana. Japanese is different from other languages in that it listens to newly introduced foreign words and transforms them into katakana and incorporates them as Japanese. For this reason, Japanese can adapt to the changes of the times every day, and the need for English does not increase so much. Globalization is progressing, and English is studied from elementary school to university, but there are few opportunities to use it. Unless you're going to a school or company that emphasizes English. Finally, I would like to mention the manners of the questioner. Most of the Japanese listeners in this video were respectful and polite to the questioner. For example, using comparative expressions or using honorific expressions. However, the questioner suddenly asked, "Why do Japanese people discriminate?" Even though they clarified their reasons and said, "There are Japanese who discriminate and there are Japanese who don't. Not all Japanese discriminate." Why did the questioner use the phrase "Japanese people discriminate"? Quite frankly, I was shocked. Perhaps it is the questioner who has a sense of discrimination? This may also be due to cultural differences, but I think it is important to remain calm and respect each other when arguing. Also, in one scene, after this remark, he proceeded to claim, ``I was actually discriminated against,'' and finally made the listener apologize. I felt very sad about this. he's not bad ! I'm so sorry.

日本人の振る舞いを差別的と捉える海外の動画をちょくちょくみるけど、その原因は日本人の内向的な気質と、海外の方の振る舞いにあるということを理解して欲しい。 電車内で大きな声で話していませんか？大きく足を開いて座ってませんか？ 周りの日本人と違う行動をしているのではありますか？周りに遠慮せず大きな声で足を広げて、または組んで座っている人の隣には座りたいとは思えません。これが日本では普通でマナーですが、残念ながら多くの海外の方はそれが出来ていません。なので避けようとします。それが差別的に感じるようですが。 そもそも、自分たちの差別は棚上げされていることが気になります。 海外では意味がはっきりとしている言葉による差別があるのに、日本人の｢行動｣という相手の受け取り方によっては意味合いが変化する曖昧なものを同じように差別と断定するのは考えが浅はかだと感じました。

I remember travelling to japan with my classmates and teacher in 2018, we weren't sitting but standing. The funny thing is that I'm a pretty light skinned east african girl and I had straight hair during that time. So people couldn't really tell if I'm a foreigner or not lmao. I remember these two middle aged japanese women talking about me (not in a bad way though). They were speculating wether I'm a foreigner or not. "あれ, 外国人ですか?" They were so surprised that it made me feel like a unicorn from outta space. Then I accidentally dropped my yen coins from my pocket ( so embarrassing ) and they helped me to pick them up. Even some people from around helped me picking them up. So I said "ありがとうございます". (Thank you) And it was at this moment, they knew, I was indeed a foreigner. That was quite an experience. So yeah, I think that all the points people addressed were pretty accurate. I think it's important to not take things personally right away. Bc I think even if you are a foreigner, when you are in need people won't shy away to help you out in some way. Even if they were scared sitting or standing beside you in the beginning. It's only human nature to be scared of the unknown. The question is always how you deal with it. On the other hand I think odour is a BIG one. My teacher made sure none of us were using perfume or way to strong smelling shampoo etc. and she even made us abide by the so called "japanese dresscode". It wouldn't be surprising if someone changes seats bc you smell to strong. Luckily this is smth that can be fixed :D

自分が電車に乗ってるとき、隣に座ってた外人が向かいの席が空いた時そっちに移動したことありましたが、あれは日本人差別だったのかなｗ まあ冗談です、日本の電車ではよくあることなので。 さて、私は外人が好きだし、あなたのような美人が隣に座ってくれるのはむしろ嬉しいくらいですが、いくつかの要因は心当たりがあります。 日本人は隣に知らない人が密着することは好きじゃないです。騒がしいのや匂いがきついのも苦手です。 スマホを触っている外国人もいますが、電車の乗り換えを間違えたのか急に私に英語で話しかけてくることもありました。多くの日本人は英語で話すことは得意ではないです。 それから多くの外人が気づいてないのが不思議なのですが、周りの日本人と比べて大きな体格だったりしませんか？ 隣に座ったらシートが狭く感じることありませんか？自分自身だけじゃなく他人も窮屈にさせるのは日本人は迷惑だと思ってしたがりません。 あと日本人は海外の文化やマナーを知らないので、隣の外国人に失礼なことをしてしまったらどうしようかと考えます。まあそれが外人シートと言われて差別だと思われてるのは皮肉なことですが。 もしどれにも当てはまらないのに座らなかったのなら、そのときは仕方ないですが、外国人が苦手な人だったのでしょう。

僕は日本人だけど隣の人が席移動することはよくあるよ😂 日本人の習性を理解していないだけじゃない？

This happens to me quite often as well. Although, it could be for many reasons. I am the type of person who only wears all black and has a bit darker makeup and is quite tall but I am also the type of person who follows the rules, strictly. I never talk on the train, never eat or drink and always remain to myself. I could come off as a bit shocking to some older people but it still hurts a bit. Most of my friends here have darker pigmented skin and I myself have noticed more discrimination towards them than myself as a white person. Not only on the train but in the street or in a restaurant. Even if my friends' japanese is better, Japanese people still decide to talk to me when my japanese is not as great and that's what makes me so unbelievably mad. Discrimination happens with almost every foreigner but the more different you are in appearance, race and skin color the more you'll get discriminated here. I am happy that things are changing because times are changing so it is a slow process but I hope that in the future, more people will be open to the idea of foreigners. We're all just people with lives of our own regardless of our country or race. If most people here knew and understood that, perhaps everyone could live comfortably together. Homogamous or not.

日本人は全ての人（日本人も外国人も）を平等に避けてると思う。日本人は面倒臭いの嫌いだから。 平等と言っても私は特に、疲れて寝てるおっさんと、電車で騒いでる老害と、隣に居たら喋りかけられそうな外国人は面倒臭いことに巻き込まれそうだから避ける。 私は電車では静かに一人で居たい人だから隣の人とはだいたい1つ席開けて座るし、1つしか空いてる席無いんだったら立ってるわ。 たから外国人だけわざと避けてるわけじゃないんだと思う。 本能的に避けちゃうんだと思う。 あとこの動画は誘導して理由を絞り出してる気がしてあんまり好きじゃなかった。 自分で自分たちを勝手に差別してるじゃん。それを日本人に押し付けないで。

日本人だけの車両の時でも、開いてる席があると普通に席を移動したりするし 人が降りてスペースが出来ると、ちょっとずれて間隔を開けたりもするし 被害妄想が何割かあると思いますよ。実際あるのであれば残念ですけど。

I'm a big black man that moved from Japan last year after 7 years. I must say people always sat next to me on the train. I never felt discriminated on the train. When I hear about this issue its usually from my white friends who are used to being the majority. I'm not saying it doesn't exist...I just never noticed it. Actually I would prefer if nobody sat next to me because a lot of the Salary men would have some bad body odor at rush hour...lol.

I sympathize with the old man in the blue T-shirt.🙄 Even though he said "I don't know, I don't avoid foreigners" he seemed to be being blamed and made to apologize by the interviewer as if all Japanese were jointly and severally responsible. 😂

When i went to tokyo didn't have a single issue with this. Actually had a few people sit directly next to me pretty frequently even when other spots were open. Tbh as a black person it surprised the hell out of me.

There is discrimination against Asians in America and Europe, but not everyone is like that Even if there is discrimination against foreigners in Japan, not everyone is like that.

I think this is more like lookism of some kind. I'm Japanese and I look like a typical Japanese person in the sense that people don't assume I'm a foreigner. But I've also experienced this many times. It's likely because I look scary or something. I don't remember how many times I've been told that I look scary or like a yakuza member. Some people just look scarier than others, and it just so happens that a lot of foreigners, especially non-Asian ones, look as intimidating as a yakuza-looking Japanese person like me.

I think another aspect of this, in SOME cases, is the way foreigners sometime sit. I often see foreigners on the train sitting down bent over on their phones in a way that they are just taking up a lot of space, or at least more than they would be if they were sitting straight up in the seats. (I occasionally see Japanese people doing the same thing, but much less) Being aware of other people and how your position might inconvenience someone else is obviously something you get to understand after being here a while. But maybe some Japanese people see these types of people and get an impression that sitting next to foreigners might be a little trouble some. ( just an idea from a fellow gaijin that knows what it's like to be gaijinseated ^^ )

BrooklynTokyo さんの動画を是非見にいらしてください。 コメント欄の反応から貴女の質問の答えを見つけることが出来ると思います。 ここからは私の意見です。 日本は前提として単一民族国家です。なので、海外の方がいらっしゃれば自然とそちらを向いてしまうことが多いです。例えば黄色のお花の中に一つだけ黒色の花があれば目に留まるのは当然です。多くの海外の方が視線を感じる、というのはこの反応のことだと思います。これに関しては特に差別意識というのは無いはずです。 また、日本人しかいない環境で育った我々日本人と、多民族国家の国の人とは当然認識が違います。英語を当然に話せるものだという認識は無くした方が良いでしょう。 日本には「郷に入っては郷に従え」という言葉があります。日本に来たなら何事においても日本のルールに従う。これが全てです。 私は海外の方に話しかけられる機会がありますが、その多くは日本にいるのに何故か英語で話しかけてきます。日本に来るならば多少なりとも日本の言語を学ぶ、若しくはGoogle翻訳で話しかけようという考えを持った方がいいです。また、電車内では海外の人は大きな声で話していることが多いです。日本の電車では基本的に静かにしているのがルールです。こういった点が「郷に入っては郷に従え」を実践できていないとして苦手に思う日本人が多いのだと思います。 どうか、より多くの海外の方がこのことを理解してくださるとありがたいです。これを理解した方々なら、日本にいらした時にあたたかく日本人は迎えてくれると思います。一部の差別主義者を除いてですが。。

The old man with the blue shirt was so polite and patient. The old man with a black jacket was so open-minded and easy to talk . Thanks for the video.

外人シート💺？　そんなもの100%有りません　日本人は電車やバスで隣に誰かが座ると　少しでも　多くの人が座れるように端に　詰めて　離れます

I m Japanese but i got the same type of experience when i lived in Madrid, Spain. I guess it could happen anywhere. Here in Japan, I avoid sitting next to man and woman wearing a thick down jacket in winter time⛄️

It’s a simply fear of unknown which is human nature. That’s a pretty much same response I received when I visited/drove through tiny village of Appalachian mountain, it happened on Rt 50 somewhere in Kansas as well. It was kind of awkward but once I started taking to the people things were much more smoothly went, talked to them,know people,try understand each other. Yap,I’m Japanese who lives in states long enough to have grandkids. Racism? unless you want crap happen to you or looking for one I don’t see it much as some people want to believe there is, I’m not one of them.

Japan is a safe country and we do not like unpredictability. Our greatest fear of all is suddenly being spoken to in English. Japanese people cannot speak English, but they make an effort to answer in English. Being spoken to in English on a quiet train with many people on it is like having to answer in a large university classroom in English that you cannot speak. It is inevitable that you want to avoid it. 　The strong smell of perfume , people speaking to you in English, and the fact that you are large with your legs spread apart are all reasons why people do not want to sit next to you. Some foreigners do not consider the situation of Japanese people, and if they feel uncomfortable, they say, "Discrimination!" This is probably another reason why we avoid foreigners. If they make a fuss about discrimination against us for acts that are not malicious, then it is better to stay away from them. There may be a lot of discrimination in other countries, but creating discrimination and turning people from other countries into racists with your own paranoia will only make the situation worse. Bringing racist acts in your own country to other countries and saying, "It's offensive! Racism! "is selfish thinking. If a Japanese person went to another country, he or she would investigate the situation in that country and make sure that his or her behavior was not wrong. The basic rule is "when in Rome", do as the Romans do.

I used to think there was such a thing as Gaijin Seat too. But after living here for more than 6 months and observing everyone on the train everyday, I’ve realized that normally, even Japanese don’t like to seat next to Japanese. It was never that they don’t like to seat next to a foreigner, but more of they’d prefer no one seating on either sides if they can.

I lived in Japan for 3.5 years as a foreigner and traveled to many prefectures as well but Gaijin Seat never happened to me. I’m a brunette Caucasian but as short and as petite as most of the Japanese girls, so maybe it was the reason. There were even times when Japanese people would squeeze themselves between me and another Japanese just to have a seat on trains. Interesting that people in Japan ask for permission to seat next to you on buses and they always did that in my case.

This happens everywehere except the US. The last seat taken was almost everytime the seat next to me because I'm Asian and they know it.

Haha, I rarely get gaijin seated because I hate sitting right next to someone and usually scootch away before they get a chance to. 😂

I am a female german and lived/worked in Japan (Sapporo) for one year, also travelled there several times. People did always sit next to me in the train and bus. I was even annoyed sometimes because i wanted to sit alone, there was so much free space but someone had to take the seat next to me. Anyway, i dont think its about being a foreigner. Its more about your whole appereance. I am 1,60 cm small, skinny, actually body type same as japanese and dressed like the japanese. If you are a big, probably also overweight guy with beard (facial hair is not sooo common) then people could be bit scared and you have to consider the seats are smaller in Japan. Gender, cloth, body size, facial hair, tattoos, hairstyle, strong parfum/no parfume everything together is deciding if people sit to you

I am sorry if the translation is incorrect. I am a Japanese high school student and live in Tokyo. I take the train for about 30 minutes when I go to school, but I've never heard of anything like a gaijin seat, and no one around me has ever heard of it. So, I will summarize my own views. 1. First of all, Japanese people still have a culture of wearing masks due to the Corona disaster, and many people are afraid of Corona. However, as far as the video shows, the interviewer's women don't wear masks, and the Japanese usually wear masks. In other words, if she doesn't wear a mask on the train, there is a great possibility that she will be avoided. (I don't often see people without masks in Japan.) 2. Even among Japanese, there are people who lacks consideration leave when someone sits next to them. So I don't think this is a matter of racism or anything. That's my opinion. I am waiting for objections to my opinion and comments of approval. Please feel free to comment.

the guy calling out the stupidity is a legend, would definitely go for a beer with him

日本にいる99%が人種的にアジア人で民族的に日本人だから、外見が全く違う人々に違和感を全く持たないってのは難しいと思います。アメリカやヨーロッパと日本の人種的な多様性の違いがあるので。 それでも他の人種の人々や外国人の人に対して偏見などを持つことがないように日本人が努力すべきではあると感じます。今の世代は結構グローバルに物事を考えてる人も多いのであまりそういう外国人に対する違和感なども少ないと思います

I'm Japanese. In my opinion, I think that foreigners are positioned between people who actively avoid and ordinary Japanese people. There are various types of people that I want to actively avoid, such as those who behave strangely, are badly dressed, have a large body, spread their legs wide, or have a strong smell. Rather than being a foreigner, it is bigger reason to avoid them because they are big or have a strong smell. Also, I avoid sitting next to a foreigner than a normal Japanese person, but rather than someone who looks scary. Basically, I sit next to a normal Japanese person, then next to a foreigner (someone who isn't big or doesn't smell), and if it's not vacant , I stand. I think there are many people who unconsciously choose who to sit next to and avoid . I think it's a human defensive instinct, because this kind of thing happens even outside of Japan.

I hate how scent became a issue. I gotta say that's pretty universal. Don't matter what race you are or where you are. Their's someone thats not going to like a scent you find pleasent but disruptive to others.

The first Japanese man they interviewed was very open minded. ❤ I just visited Tokyo, Osaka, and Shinjuku. I feel like Japan is much more open with diversity. Japan is safe, people are friendly. It’s such a lovely country. I love Japan.❤❤❤❤

In Germany usually try to sit a sit further in train to not bother each other. For me I oftener stand because we're already sitting all day, no? :)

I am using a translator, so my English may not be good, but I hope you will read it. I am Japanese, but I hesitate to sit next to Japanese people as well as foreigners. This is out of a precautionary measure to avoid causing discomfort to the person sitting next to me. In addition, there is a sexual abuse on Japanese trains called "痴漢" (molestation). To avoid this, many people, both Japanese and non-Japanese, do not sit next to others. I also take the train to school, and even if there is an empty seat, I would not sit next to it. This is because I would feel just a little uncomfortable if I were to sit next to someone. I don't want others to feel the same way, and I don't want them to direct their dislike toward me, so I don't act the same way. Japanese people are more introverted and sensitive to other people's feelings. There are at least some who avoid foreign people because they feel discriminated against them, but I believe there are more who do not. I am a high school student and I have not seen any of my friends in school who have an aversion to foreigners.

I drive so fortunately, I don't have to deal with this on a regular basis but it has happened to be before. I live in the countryside and I'm heavily considering moving to a bigger city. Definitely showing some Japanese people this video cause they love to claim other Japanese don't do these kinds of things.

Japanese here. If you really want to see if Japanese people avoid sitting next to foreigners -Sit on a seat next to a edge seat (locals prefer edge seats and avoid middle seats. I always stand instead of sitting if edge seats are not available.) -Take off sunglasses (weird as it may sound, many locals dislike people wearing sunglasses in public transport.) -Use deodorant if you have strong armpit odors (Unfortunately this often applies to certain nationalities) -Avoid using very strong perfume -Don’t spread your legs and shoulders (Locals often try to squeeze their shoulders and save space to the next passengers. Seat length are very narrow on these trains.) -Hold your backpack on your laps or the shelf -Don’t converse loudly across the seats (I’ve seen it countless times in Tokyo) There are several codes to follow on a Japanese commuter train, and people won’t say it out loud. If someone don’t follow it they simply give a blank stare and avoid them. This is also the case with local people too. Most of locals don’t care if you’re foreigner or not as long as such rules are followed. I’m certain people will sit next to you 99% time. And in case someone avoid sitting next to foreigners, it’s not due to the hatred or negativity. I haven’t heard or known anyone who hates foreigners and avoid sitting next to them. These people are usually very shy or feared of being spoken in English. Majority won’t care and they just want to sit and relax rather than standing if the seat is comfortable. One thing I want to highlight: If you’re sitting in a middle seat next to a local passenger, and edge seats become available, this person will likely move to that seat. I’ve seen many foreigners ranting this is racism but it’s not. Local simply prefer sitting on the edge seats as it’s more spacious and don’t have to worry about squeezing their shoulders not to bothers next persons.

Went to university here, lived here several times, for years at a time. My arms are visibly tattooed. Never in my life have I experienced this or heard of gaijin seat. I have friends from all over the world, all different ethnicities and none of them have ever mentioned this. If this is a phenomenon then it'd say it's perhaps only happening in the countryside or under very specific circumstances. Funnily enough I myself will not sit next to gaijin because I don't want to have a conversation lol

I used a translation software, so sorry if it sounds strange. Most of the time, I think it is paranoia. Some people may be like that, but it is not limited to Japan, and there are people who keep their distance from foreigners in every country. I don't like to describe Japan as if it is particularly bad. But if I were to consider the cause, I would say that some Japanese are naturally afraid of foreigners when they learn about the horror of foreign crimes in the news. I have seen many videos, for example, of a black man with a big, muscular body, who looks to be over 6 feet tall, beating up an Asian grandmother. This is neither your problem nor the problem of foreigners, but the problem of too much security in Japan. There is also the issue of body size. If there is a seat with a large Japanese person and another seat with a small Japanese person, I will sit next to the small Japanese person. I prefer to sit next to the smaller Japanese because I want to feel relaxed. Maybe it is not a question of nationality, but rather your size, and you just happen not to be sitting in that seat. I try to observe this story because there are many foreigners who tell this story, but I have never once seen such a scene on a train in Tokyo. However, the foreigner himself may have experienced a lot. If this happens, instead of rubbing it in that you are a foreigner, why don't you try to make it easier for the person sitting next to you by not spreading your legs apart? Also, if you really want them to sit next to you, smile and talk to them and tell them they can sit next to you. Japanese people are shy and don't get many chances to talk to foreigners, but it makes me happy to hear you say so. 翻訳ソフトを使ったので、変な表現になってたらすみません。 大抵の場合、被害妄想だと思います。 中には、そういう人もいるかもですが、日本に限った事ではなく、どこの国にも外国人に距離を保つ人はいます。 日本が特別悪いような表現は好きではありません。 でも、もし原因を考えるなら、日本人の中には、ニュースで外国の犯罪の恐ろしさを知ると、自然と外国人を怖がる人もいると思います。 体が大きくて、筋肉質な体で、身長も180センチ以上もありそうな黒人の男性が、アジア人のおばあさんを殴ってる映像など、沢山見ました。 これはあなたの問題でも、外国人の問題でもなく、日本の治安が良過ぎる事が原因です。 また、体のサイズの問題もあります。 私は、体が大きな日本人がいる席と、体が小さな日本人がいる席なら、小さい体の日本人の隣に座ります。 なぜならリラックスして座りたいからです。 もしかしたら、国籍の問題ではなくて、あなたの体が大きくて、たまたまその席に座らなかっただけの事もあります。 この話をする外国人の人が多いので、私はよく観察するようにしていますが、東京の電車の中で一度もそのような光景を見た事がありません。 とはいえ、外国人本人は沢山経験しているかもしれませんね。 もしこのような事が起こった時には、自分が外国人だからだという理由にこじつけるのではなく、隣に人が座りやすいように、足を広げないなどの工夫をしてみたらどうでしょうか？ あと、本当にあなたの隣に座ってほしかったら、笑顔で話しかけて、隣に座っていいですよって話しかけてみてください。 日本人はシャイで外国人と話す機会はあまりないけど、そう言われると嬉しくなります。

I haven’t noticed this but at onsens, every time my husband gets in a pool, the current occupants get out and move to another. And yes, he uses them correctly.

A very entertaining interview! Thanks for your hard work :)

インタビュアーのやり方はおかしい、質問された人は差別しないって言ってるのに、でも私は差別された、あれされた、これされた、それは何故？知らねーよ、やった本人に聞けよってなる、同じ日本人だから、差別する日本人の気持ちわかるだろみたいな、目の前の一人の人間を見ずに、「日本人」みたいな大きな括りで見てるのバレバレ、結局差別してるのはそっち側だって事に気づいてないんだよね、このインタビュアーが本当にやりたい事は、日本人に質問して意見を聞くじゃなくて、日本人をRU-vidのネタにしたいだけ

「ガイジンシート」なんて初めて聞いた言葉だな🤔

Why try to make Japan like America????

I’ve heard from other foreigners in Japan that this exists, but it very rarely happens to me. There have been a few times where I’ve wondered if the seat next to me is empty because I’m a foreigner, but 95% of the time, someone will sit next to me

I have asked this question from Japanese people I’ve met. Honestly, the gaijin seat situation has been improving as Japanese people become more and more used to foreigners in Japan. I think it’s simply unfamiliarity. Remember, Japan only experienced an influx of foreign residents about a decade and a half ago. So, it’s a pretty new thing to see foreign faces in the trains. And the people I asked pretty much say the same thing - they’re worried about getting asked a question or directions or in any way being put in a spot where their lack of English skills will be highlighted. It’s a kind of insecurity for them. Japanese people usually avoid uncomfortable situations like that. It’s not because they particularly dislike foreigners. As for the perfume, yeah, I’ve seen people switch seats even though the person wearing the perfume is Japanese, that is a legit thing. So maybe some foreigners wearing strong perfumes misunderstood why people refused to sit next to them. Another thing to pay attention to is if the person did not sit at all or deliberately looked for a different seat. Cause it’s common for people to ignore a seat and remain standing especially if they’re getting off just a few stations away. Tokyo trains are notoriously crowded and if you sit down, you’re farther from the door. Chances are, it will be harder for you to get off the train when it becomes packed. There are a multitude of reasons, but foreigners from countries where racism is rampant do tend to jump to the conclusion that it’s racially motivated. Just food for thought.

同じ日本人同士でも隣に座りたくはねぇよw勝手に勘違いして勝手に傷ついて馬鹿みたいやな

そもそも日本人は外国人問わず誰かの隣に座ることを嫌うことがほとんどです！仮に3つ席が空いていたとしたらほとんどの確率で真ん中を開けて端ずつで座ります、角の席が空いている場合は90%くらいの確率で皆角を座りたがります。外国人が隣にいるから違うところに座ろう、っていう考え方じゃなくてただたんに人と接して隣に座るのが苦手だから両端空いてる席があったらたとえ隣が日本人でもそっちの席に移ろうっていう考え方になります。 正直この動画を見て差別されている前提でインタビューすること自体が差別だと思います。日本人の習性や文化は外国の方だと考えられないものが殆どなので勉強することで何故？という疑問がどんどん払拭されると思いますよ

ほんとに？見た事ないけど。日本人は外国人と接する機会が少ないから遠慮している人も多く、日本人から避けられているという誤解があるのでは？

I've seen it happen in my country where people will avoid a foreigner just because they're worried they might start chatting and their English isn't good enough. Oftentimes, the person most comfortable with the language gets pushed to sit next to them.

Japan is still very much a homogeneous country with very small proportion of the population being gaijin. Particularly Westerners who look different are looked upon with scepticism and fear. I personally don’t think they have malicious intentions- they are just not used to being close to people who look differently.

I think it's not that foreigners "looks scary" for Japanese. I think it is scary for them. The situation. In their head. Many of them are scared, not of the person, but the possibility of egagement. It is language barrier. And language barrier is scary for many Japanese.

This isn't solely a Japanese thing, it's worldwide, albeit less so in societies with more integration (ignoring some US states)

私は昔、外国人を避けていました。 理由は、嫌なことをしてきた外国人に注意をしたら「私は日本語わからない」と言って逃げられたり、 私がアジア人で、日本語しか話せないことをバカにされたりしたので、嫌な気持ちになりたくないと思ったからです。 でも今は、日本やアジアをリスペクトしてくれる人がとても増えたので避けません。私も英語を少しずつ理解できるようになったし、日本語を話してくれる人が増えました。今はいろんな国の人と話ができて幸せです。

この動画で「外人シート」と言う言葉を知りました。 あくまでも私の意見です。 私は50歳です。 私が子供の時は外国人が日本の街中で会うことはあまりありませんでした。 「外人」と言う言葉を日常でも使っていました。 しかしある時から「外国人」と呼ぶのがふさわしいとなりました。 悲しい体験をされた外国人の方々がいるのはわかりました。 日本人全てが善人ではないし悪人でもないと思います。 わざわざ「外人」と言う単語を使うのも残念です。 あまりお互い気にしすぎない方がいい気がします。 タトゥー（刺青）についてです。 日本のヤクザと呼ばれる人達が刺青をしていました。 子供の時怖かったので抵抗があります。 香水の香りが強いのも苦手です。 ただそれだけの事です。

被害者意識強すぎ。いい加減にしろ 何でもかんでも差別を絡めるから本質が見えないんだ

I once experienced sitting next to people from other country who had a very fluffy hair style, and she always moved her head talking to her friends over alleys and so every time she moved her head looking right, looking left, her hair brushed my face. And also she talked loud and didn't sit still. So I was getting unhappy sitting with her next to me. Since then, I've watched people if they have big fluffy hair styles and sit straight before I am seated. People includes Japanese.

About moving seats, that also happens to me (I’m Japanese). And that’s when the seat in the corner opens and I dunno why but Japanese wants to sit in the corners. And also, there’s one time I got in the train and there was 1 seat open on both sides (one side was next to a gaijin-san) and I sat next to the Japanese without thinking and I was like, ooohhh this is what we do without even thinking and I tried to wonder why? and I figured that, for me it’s because the seat next to the gaijin-san looked smaller cuz he was a big guy. And I just simply chose seat that had more space that time. So I feel like most of the time, it’s not really about not wanting to sit next to a foreigner 🤔 I’ve only heard about this “gaijin seat” from my gaijin friends.

I'm japanese and when I did unique hairstyle, my next seat was often empty. When I notice strange vibes, I check myself because I don't want everyone to feel uncomfortable. Then I feel "sorry for make surprise by my fashion" and "I relieved. This vibes was not by my bad manner or something". Of course, sometimes I meet true rasist but this kind of person is all over the world. I also think it's freedom to hate something. If the person who hate me just leave from me is peaceful solve. (Sorry for my bad English.) 奇抜な髪型の時、私もいつもより隣の席座られないよー。触らぬ神に祟りなしだからねー。違和感感じたら不穏にしちゃってるかなって自分を振り返って、私のマナー違反とかのせいじゃなくて良かったってなるよー。完全なる差別をぶつけられることもあるけど、これは日本に限った問題ではなくこういう人間はどこにでも一定数いるからしょうがないねー。何かを嫌うのも自由だし、もし私を嫌いな人が私からそっと離れてくれるのなら、それはそれで平和的でいい解決法だとも思ってるよー。

Never heard of the gajin seat so thank you for this video. Was in Japan already twice as a blonde young woman and never experienced something like this. It even happend multiple times that (mostly schoolgirls) fell asleep and laying their heads on my shoulder. Some woman even sat next to me and started conversations which was amazing.

Amazing video, it's interesting to see the perception Japan has and how well you interact with the people you interview❤️❤️

次は、外国人による日本での迷惑行動や日本人に対する人種差別や侮辱行為についてのインタビューしてほしいです。