What's it like being Latin in Japan? 

TOKYO GUIDEBOOK takashifromjapan.com/tokyocompleteguide

YOOOOO you are probably like one of the first RU-vidrs to ask a Latino person about their experience in Japan.

Whenever I visit Japan, I find myself always speaking Spanish with other foreigners so that I can get directions, ask questions, or have conversation. One clerk lady (Peruvian) I spoke with at a gift store almost cried, because she had not spoken her native language in many years.. it was tears of joy for her. :)

That Ecuadorian girl is crazy good at languages! she is super fluent in english and Japanese. The Mexican guy sounds very good in Japanese too. All these guys have 3 languages in the bag, vamos latinos!

I'm a Latino in Japan, but who grew up half my life in the States. The one thing Ive noticed that is so extremely apparent for me, is that I dont hit as aggressive or over the top racism here. If anything, people have been so warm and welcoming. Theres one person I met, who is Japanese but speaks both English and Spanish, so when we run into each other in the bars, we overwhelm the people around us by just combining all three languages to communicate. It's really fun to do. I've all but lost reason to go back to the states anymore. Ill go back to my home country some day, but otherwise, Im loving it here. 5 years and going!

I believe one of the last statements was very true. Many people even outside of Japan only really see South America and Latino countries as very poor. But the gap between the poor and the rich is tremendous. I do hope things get better and the gap shortens.

Japanese here. Mexico and Spanish have always been one of my favorite countries and languages since my early teens, the late '90s. Me and my friends didn't know much about Latin American or foreign countries back then because there were no smartphones. We were living in the Stone Age like the Flintstones. Joking aside, Clifton Collins Jr. and Robert Rodriguez's movies sparked my interest in Mexico and Spanish. Also, I was a fan of Delinquent Habits, Kinto Sol, and Buena Vista Social Club when I was in my twenties. I'm sorry I'm still not familiar with other Latin American countries, but one thing I can say for sure is that whoever you are, wherever you're from, you're beautiful. I see Latin Americans as the morning sun.

I'm a foreigner living in Tokyo for 20 years. These interviews were very insightful. In particular, the man from Peru's comment about friendships here being somewhat shallow really struck a chord with me. This is so true. People will be a friend to play tennis, or a friend while your kids are at the same kindergarten, or a friend to have lunch with and practice English. But it is shallow, never goes anywhere, and I crave so much more.

I'm a Latino living in Japan for about 15 years and The half peruvian half Japanese guys explanation is VERY spot on. Many relationships are hallow in Japan. You can't really open up or form deep connections with people because of the way Japanese culture and society is.

When the Mexican girl said, "I am never going to be Japanese" that really struck a chord within me because it really does feel like that. I feel like if you come from a Latin American country that is especially hard because we tend to welcome foreigners as if they were family. Like, you become one of us. Japanese people do make a distinction between "us" and "them" (foreigners) and it is pretty marked. When I was in Japan the realization that it was happening sometimes felt like a slap in the face. It's one of those cultural differences that you don't really know are bothering you until you really sit down to think about it. Very interesting!

As a latina, I really appreciate these interviews that help to demystify misconceptions and prejudices with our countries and our culture. South America and Latin America in general has so many good things the world could see. Great job, Takashii !

I'm Mexican-American and I really resonated with the differences in how culture and relationships work in both countries. Latin Americans value closeness, warmth, and openness so much to the point where people can get nosy and offended if you don't share everything with them. And it seems like Japanese people value autonomy, personal boundaries, and harmony to the point where it can feel a little cold and unfriendly towards others. I think of Latin Americans as like dogs while Japanese are more like cats, but I love both! Ultimately though, we both have a strong sense of ourselves as part of a society and a culture and we value things like politeness, hard work, and hospitality. We have a lot in common despite our differences!

I think big factor that doesn't get discussed is that Latinos vary in skin color a lot, if you're clear enough people can perceive you as being European, and that changes your experience a lot.

I am Japanese from Hamamatsu city. Which there is a lot of south Americans like Brazilians and Peruvians. I had a lot of good time with them during primary school and middle school. They spoke Spanish Portuguese and Japanese, which is very impressive. I learned some Spanish and Portuguese from them which made me love latin people. Someday I would love to visit latin countries. (Brazilian can double jump)

All of them speak at least 3 languages, this is amazing!

As a Latino who has lived in Japan, I can say that Japanese people did not know much about Latin America except for the things they may have seen on TV or similar. Once I tried to explain where I was from and the young Japanese lady had no idea! I was confused because I thought Japanese people were more "cultured" per se, but they were genuinely curious to learn, which is why it didn't bother me as much when they didn't know about Colombia (where I was born). I lived in Okinawa and the people are different from mainland Japan, as they are more warm and inviting! Latin America is not all negative! In Colombia and the rest of Latin America, we have some of the most intelligent people in the world! We are not just "poor" people! We are rich not only in finance, but also in culture, family, unity, friendship and can't fail to mention, beautiful people inside and outside! Japanese people have to learn that Latin America is so much more than just Peru and Brazil. We have an immense amount more to offer the world! I will say that I ❤️Okinawa until the day I die, but my soul and spirit will always be Colombian!

Being a Mexican-American person and hearing them speak Japanese gives me hope to be as fluent as they are. I will work on learning Japanese

Hace 4 años, conocí a un par de japoneses que trabajaron en mi país Costa Rica por 2 años, pero ellos no querían regresar a Japón porque les encantó Costa Rica y sobretodo nuestra cultura latina. Ellos me pidieron que les enseñara español para prepararse para el examen DELE. Yo me comunico con ellos muy a menudo y espero algún día volverlos a ver. Los extraño mucho!!

Movies and the media have influenced the stereotypes we have of people outside of our own country. That's why I love "Takashi from Japan" videos. He gets to the facts!

What she says about the pronunciation is really true. I speak Greek which has the same pronunciation as Spanish and when I get to speak Japanese words are natural to pronounce (the majority)

偶然見つけたTAKASHIさんのチャンネルでした。たいへん興味深く、飽きずに何本か拝見しました。

This was so interesting! This is something I’ve been curious about for a long time. As a Latina who loves the Japanese culture, this was so informative and satisfying to watch. Looking forward to more interviews with other cultures.

I'm a chicana when I visited Japan I had a lot of people coming up to me asking what part of the United States i am from and called me American. In California I'm very use to people telling me to go back to Mexico even though my family has been in California for hundreds of years. It felt nice to be noticed as an American and as a chicana in Japan. I got to hangout with a lot of people in the Chicano scene and share my experiences being raised in the culture.

The part where the girl said: "I had to accept I was never gonna be Japanese" hit home for me. Realizing that myself when I went made my whole trip there better.

The one that mentioned the vowels between Spanish and Japanese - as I learn both languages, I've had that same exact thought. The vowel sounds are nearly identical and I thought that at least that part of it would be easy to transfer. As opposed to English, where it's said we have close to 20 vowel sounds. Also, I like how most of the interviewees are at least trilingual.

I've been living in Colombia my entire life and I remember when I started studying Japanese back in 2016, our Japanese teacher told us about the time she send to her friends in Japan a picture of how Bogotá looked from her window in her flat. Her friends replied with “Oh, so there are buildings in Colombia!”. I remembered this with the Chilean girl’s comment.

I am an American married to an Ecuadorian who has lived in Ecuador for many years. The things the girl mentioned at the start are very similar to what we have always heard whenever we go back to the States; I have always wondered if many of the same misconceptions exist in other cultures as well. It's interesting, to say the least.

Being Spanish myself pronunciations do sound so familiar in ways and it’s so cool seeing Latino/as speak Japanese and pronunciate so well. Keep up the good work on the videos! I’d love to see you interview other cultures as well! Or, even show us stores or restaurants that are themed in a different culture such as Spanish restaurants.

I'm Japanese.Gunma,Shizuoka and Aichi prefectures have a lot of South Americans, especially Brazilians and Peruvians, living in japan difficult for south Americans.too cross cultural.if you can't get used to life in Tokyo, Okinawa is recommended. This is because people in Okinawa are frendly than mainland Japan,and there are many people who are not strict about time and are at their own pace, I think people in South America will like it because have a bit of South America personality and the climate.

I studied in Japan for 1 month back in 2018. Even though I was only there for a short amount of time, I could relate to most things being said. I was really proud to display my roots and culture. Everyone was super nice and welcoming 😊 It was really refreshing to see their surprised and amazed reactions when I would tell them that I was from Mexico 🇲🇽 I did get one reaction like that first girl where the man said "oh mekishiko-jin sexy". But other than that, I loved my experience there. I've never felt so safe in my life. I've lived in Mexico and I've also lived in the US for most of my life. I never had the intuition to look over my shoulder or walk faster or avoid a certain person or just have my guard up. I LOVED Japan so much. I will go back to live there someday

The one common theme in most of the interviews is the sense of feeling alienated by native Japanese even when lots of these people are half Japanese.

Hii! Thank you so much for watching I’m planning to make a video about the budget for moving to Japan! So you can calculate how much you need for it. Recently people recognize me on the street in Tokyo, and many of them just came to Japan, So I was thinking maybe finally it’s time to come to Japan for you guys Stay stunned!

As a 27 year old in South FL; born of both Colombian parents and deeply raised in my culture/traditions, seeing these Latinos thriving in Japan gives me hope. Have always wanted to go since I was about 17. Now I believe that this year I can seriously start making my moves. Thank you so much for this video 🙏

I think one of the biggest misconceptions regarding Latinamericans is that we're all the same. Like similar to the meme/joke about Americans just dubbing anything south of the US as "Mexican" and thats it. There are a lot of cultural differences between Latinamerican countries, like for example there are huge cultural differences between Argentina and Colombia even though both are in South America. Even between neighbour countries like Chile and Peru there are huge cultural differences so it's really appreciated when foreigners don't put Latinos or South Americans "in the same bag" just because we happen to live on the same continent or share the same language. It's similar to how different Japanese locals see themselves compared to neighbouring countries like s-Korea and China. It's nice to see Japanese interested in learning about different Latinamerican cultures similar to how some of us gained an interest in learning about Japanese culture.

Having Peruvian Japanese representation in this video did it for me, love that there’s people like me, I unfortunately haven’t been able to experience my Japanese side of my family at all but I will experience hopefully soon!🇵🇪🇯🇵

This interview series is amazing. Really provides the world insight on some of the hard truths of making your new home somewhere you're a non-native. Thank you and Japan for your openness.

I was stationed in Tokyo Japan as a latino, and the biggest thing i noticed is that everyone is so intrigued with my culture and the differences in both appearances and style. Still have a lot of close Japanese friends that are stationed there and I am looking forward to going back again real soon

i love to see latin people speaking japanese

I feel like culturally, Japan and South America are polar opposites. Yokoi Kenji Diaz, a Colombo japanese speaker, emphasizes on that and ussually says that both cultures could learn a lot from one another

You’re doing great Takashi. I’d love to see an episode on Indians in Japan!

This video is so inspiring in so many ways. The people you interviewed are very smart.

As a latino moving to Japan in a couple days this helped alot thanks Takashi!

Omg as a Latina (Mexican American) that studied abroad in Japan, I appreciate this interview soooo much! Thank you 🥺🙏🏽

By far my favorite video since I’m Hispanic and I want to move to Japan this helped a lot. ありがとうございます😊

It takes a smart person to ask questions nobody would even think to ask. Good video.

With Mexico so close to the US, knowing about Mexican culture is fairly common for many Americans, but the further south you go into South America the less people will know about the countries. I still don't really know that much about countries like Chile or Argentina. In my mind it's just lumped into a big "South American" group of stuff I kind of know about that part of the world. For people in Japan, I honestly would not expect them to have much experience with many people from those countries or to know much about them unless they happen to have researched stuff on their own.

The one girl trying to change herself and being ashamed of her culture, low self esteem, felt sorry for her. Love seeing you interviewing different Latin cultures and getting their perspective.

Takashi you've grown better, i really love watching you grow. As always you look great in black ❤️. Hope you have a great day. Stay happy healthy. God bless 🙏

As a Mexican who want's to visit maybe even move to Japan it was lovely to watch this video. Thank you.

Takashi you’re such a good interviewer man, you asked really interesting questions and got interesting answers as well ! As a Mexican I’ve always wondered how would it be to be in your country, seeing this just makes me wanna visit so bad someday !! great video, man :)

I'm from Chile and I've been thinking of visiting Japan because I'm interested in living there. I really want to "test the waters" for it so I'm really excited about the budget for moving to Japan video! You have some amazing content Takashii, thank you so much for this useful information!

Latinoamérica loves japan, specially the Otaku/weeb side of it, animanga is a culture over here, plus we have a soft spot for your culture in general

Thank you very much. Your interviews are very well balanced and one can guess actual attitude and situation in Japan. I was born in Italy but I live in Paraguay. I study Japanese online at Shinjuku Nihongo Gakko and it is very helpfull although I am so old and I came to Japan first time in 1974, and so many more times after that. I wish you much success and once again thank you very much.

Some people were requesting these interviews, thanks for creating this for them

I’m honestly REALLY surprised Japan isn’t as informed about Latin America as they are with other parts of the world. I think Japanese people would be REALLY surprised that the family ethics among Hispanics are VERY similar. The food is AMAZING, the people are very loving, and they speak the language of romance for pete sakes lol. I honestly encourage every Asian person to educate themselves about these cultures because they’re missing out big time!

OMG THANK YOU! Finally some latino representation in 'foreigners' videos. This was fun and very insightful for me since I'm planning to move to Japan.

I'm surprised that no Brazilians were interviewed, considering what a large population they have in Japan, due to the nikkei immigration allowance. Anyway, this was a great video! As a gringo I naturally spent many hours searching for Mexican restaurants during my months in Tokyo. Saludos y abrazos desde los Estados Unidos

I'm Salvadorian, and I'm actually planning a trip to Japan in a few years. I like that other Latinos suggested learning Japanese to connect more with the people and culture. I do appreciate the respect Japanese people have towards personal space and boundaries, that's something I wish we had more of here in the US.

It’s great to see a fellow a Ecuadorian in the video genuinely made me smile keep up the good work man

Thank you for this video Takashii! Being a Mexican American who loves Japan this is definitely a video I need to see

Dicen que se les hace más fácil a los hispanos hablar japonés por su parecido fonético... de alguna forma eso me da más ganas de algún día intentar aprender japonés (aunque sea de forma autodidacta), y digo "Algún día" porque actualmente intento aprender inglés y apenas puedo ver series con subtítulos en ese idioma.

That Mexican guy is a RU-vidr 😆 as well, what a coincidence!! I'm a Mexican living in Japan too 😊 , hope to meet those fellow mexican guys someday 😃 . There are plenty of mexican restaurants in Tokyo but not all of them are good enough, so I hope you can visit a good one. 😀

I'm really happy to see this kind of content talking about latino people in Japan, well I'm also latino and is my biggest dream is to live in Japan someday and watching this makes me believe somehow is possible to accomplish that dream. Thanks a lot for doing this, is really helpful.

the one cool thing about latinos and spanish is that the language has very similar phonetics to Japanese so it makes learning the language a little easier than coming from most other languages

When I lived in Japan I used to teach English to Japanese and I loved how they were fascinated to learn about my Mexican culture. Eventually I was teaching them English and Mexican culture through our conversations. It was lovely experience. ❤

I love this video, as a Ecuadorian I feel happy cause I know different people from south america. I have a japanese friend, to be honest sometimes it's difficult to talk with her, but I'm learning Japanese and their culture. I hope to travel to Japan someday and show our latin culture and learn more your culture.

I really want to travel to Japan although some people say Japan is not a country to live so freely, but even their comments don't make me regret my decision to want to go there Grettings from 🇲🇽👌🏽

Yo the first girl was spitting facts when she said Japanese and Spanish are similar to learn

Un saludo a los latinoamericanos en japon, en especial a los que aparecen en este video, coincido con lo expresado por la mayoria de ustedes (dicho o sugerido), sobre apreciar nuestra cultura y no olvidarla, asi como apreciar y valorar la cultura de otros paises. un abrazo!

I’ve never actually seen a Japanese RU-vid cover this topic before and I’ve always been curious so glad you decided to! Thanks it was great to see!

As a Peruvian wanting to move to Japan someday this video has been amazing! ビデオ素晴らし！ありがとうございますたかしいさん！

I'm from Argentina, I live in Hawaii, and It was always a dream of mine to live in Japan or just go visit for a long time. I hope our Latin people live a happy life there and show how diverse and beautiful our many cultures are! Thank you for the video, I was always curious about this!

You’re interviews are so interesting!! Thank you for doing them and showing what it’s like for people who aren’t Japanese living in Japan

Hello! Thank you for this video. I'm from Venezuela and I'm going to study a month in Saitama. This and all your videos encourage me to speak more in Japanese. I think the way you said Latino and Latina is cute and I appreciate it ♥️✨

Great video, a part 2 would be interesting to see. From the Japanese people I have met in LA, they seem to become interested in Mexican culture as well as our cuisine and its always beautiful to see their enthusiasm. I would love to bring more of my families culture to Japan for cultural exchange!

My family (Ecuadorian) went to Japan in 2009 or 2010, had a great time. We spent a day in Rappongi Hills and got a little bit lost, and coincidentally a Mexican gentleman who was working in the area overheard us and offered to help, saying it was so nice to hear Spanish spoken so openly, if I remember correctly he had been living in the area for work for a few years at that point and hadn't gone back to Mexico to visit family in that time. Nice little experience we had.

I just found this page 1 hour ago and I am addicted. You do a very good job!

Honestly, a video on food culture from the perspective of a foreign restaurant sounds really interesting. I want to know how a single restaurant goes about changing the flavors of their food to suit the Japanese taste, if they even do that at all.

Amazing content. I'm from Brazil, we really know a lot about your culture, through movies, series and anime. Also from youtube creators like you.

Great video! And yeah, many foreigners think there is only poverty and violence in Latin America, not only the Japanese. Anyway, I look forward to your video about latin restaurants!

I love this video. I am not latin either japanese, but I speak spanish very well. Me gusta mucho ver latinos triumfar en otros paises. Yo crecí escuchando música de Mexico, aprendí el español en la escuela, a travez de la música y las novelas.

The way you talk about other cultures is very impressive! You never make a mistake

As a Latin American hoping to live in Japan one day, this was really good insight-you’ve earned a subscriber, thanks Takashi and keep up the good work🙏🏽

Awesome video. I am also from Latin America but I don't live in Japan however I find your videos very informative. Greetings from Peru 🇵🇪

I like that you actually seem interested in knowing rather than just asking half assed questions. I subbed 👍

I need a part 2! as a latina who loves japones culture it was really nice to know the experience of latinos in Japan, I hope to be able to travel there at some point in my life:)

I'm so glad you share this videos with us

Hi Takashi!!!! I love your videos and I am actually planning to move to Japan (5 years from now). I have been learning Japanese on the Duolingo app and I am loving it so far! Just like the girl said, Spanish and Japanese sound very similar. So for me, it has been easy to learn the pronunciation of words, etc. It would be great if you could do a video of how foreigners can work in Japan, the legal process of living there, and other tips for people looking to move there. Thank you so much for the videos!!!

Great idea about interviewing Spanish restaurant owners. Can’t wait to see it! 😊

I’m going on an exchange to Japan in a few months and I’m really excited to talk about Puerto Rico!! Hopefully my Japanese will be enough to make friends 😭✨

Yay, loved it!!

Takashi-san, Thank you 🙏🏼very much for this video. It was very interesting to hear how Latin American residents feel about life in Japan and the cultural differences. The idea of a video interviewing restaurant owners is excellent- food culture may be a good way to show a more insightful depiction of cultural exchange beyond language. Well done 👏🏻

2:48 “yeah I know” …. Very humble gal 😂lol wow. 🤦‍♀️

I'm Indian, and I didn't have Latino / Hispanic friends all my life until I moved to Canada (My best friend is Colombian :D). That said my impression of Latinos was always that they are a lot like us: very family oriented, marriages often last, humble & down to earth, spiritual, hardworking, genuine hospitality, deep friendships, amazing food (spicy ;)!), and they know how to enjoy life. Regarding countries having "some" poverty, I'll be the first to say India has poverty. I'm always more skeptical of countries that boast of wealth, vs countries that have poverty. Because those that struggle, always have the right perspective in life.

I didnt realize how many people go to Japan without learning any Japanese until watching this channel. Its so funny to me.

my two favorite languages Spanish and Japanese😭😍

I enjoyed this so much!!! It was such an interesting take on living abroad. loved listening to their different experiences!

Greetings from Brazil, I found the RU-vid channel and found the topics covered very interesting because I saw some videos, I would like to ask if possible to include subtitles in Portuguese in the next videos, so it is easy to understand the past content 👍

Here an uruguayan living in Japan! Very interesting topic 👍🏻

0:17 she is so pretty 😍