Why He's Not Considered Japanese in Japan 

If I moved to Japan, I wouldn't mind being treated as a foreigner, as long as people aren't straight up rude to me. But if I was half Japanese, I think it would bother me a lot.

The greatest advantage is living in Japan as a foreigner. True, you will never be accepted as a Japanese, BUT you get all the advantages of having a cohesive and well ordered society, without all the disadvantages of having the MANY obligations and demands that a Japanese person has to fulfill.

The happiest Japanese nationals I ever met were living in Saigon or Bangkok. Those were also some really cool and friendly Japanese people that I met. Its going to sound crazy but--I made more Japanese national friends in Thailand and Viet Nam than when I lived in Tokyo. All my friends in Tokyo were from other Asian countries, eg Vietnam, Philippines, Burma.

What the guy from Cameroon and went to Japan when he was 4 said hit me really hard. He said that he thought he'd get a lot of friends if he went to Cameroon. I'm Taiwanese American who was raised in America. I was bullied throughout my elementary and middle school years because I was one of the very few Asian kids where I lived. When I went to Taiwan when I was 13, I thought, this will be freaking great. I'll fit in, maybe make some friends. That was a huge no. I didn't dress the same, I was taller than all the kids there, I couldn't speak the language like they did. It was a real shock and for the longest time, I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. Fortunately I eventually realized I could create my own space, and that was where I belonged and fit in.

As a Japanese father of a "hafu" daughter, I knew straight away Joey was part Japanese and half Australian. My daughter gets asked if she is Spanish, Russian. She gets asked if she is Asian when she is in Australia but she gets treated like a foreginer in Japan unless she wears a mask

Gaijin treatment -- I never knew that term, but that is a real thing. If you hate it, you will hate living in Japan.

One thing that has struck me as ironic is that Japanese society envisions itself as homogeneous and harmonious. However, many of Japan’s most notable historical figures have been nonconformists and individualists who thrived in chaos. Off the top of my head, one is Oda Nobunaga who actually said “Innovation and unconventional thinking pave the path to greatness.” Also, Miyamoto Musashi is renowned for flouting custom when he engaged in his duels. He used totally ruthless tactics to defeat Arima Kihei, the Yoshioka brothers and Sasaki Kojirō. I’m sure Musashi-San received a good helping of passive aggressive animosity from his contemporaries at the time, not that he cared! So, are these guys un-Japanese by modern Japanese standards?

Western people, especially English speaking ones are very expressive and individualistic. The famous sociologist, Abraham Maslow coined the term "self-actualisation" - hence a lot of western weebs made their "passion" very apparent and show to everyone as part of their identity. A lot of stories, especially coming from the US revealed about how kids and teenagers there are also pretty conformist in certain way, people who watch anime were bullied or treated like an outcast. So the recent explosion of anime is like those "discriminated" group "coming out", and hence the parade-like expressiveness. In Asia, not only in Japan, everyone watches anime like it is normal. In many places, including Indonesia, we grew up watching Doraemon every Sunday morning. My Japanese client's boss knows "Shingeki no Kyoujin", my boss likes Dragon Ball, the other one proudly displays the entire Shohoku's starting five figurines from "Slam Dunk" in his office, the food delivery guy knows Naruto and discussed with our security guard about the recent Boruto episode. Nobody does ninja run or dress in obnoxious anime accessories, unless they are going to a convention like local comiket. It is just "normal" - nobody needs to be a weeb or otaku to watch anime or read manga. And yes, the school library has manga section, and back then, even my school teacher follows Detective Conan. Outside Japan, we already slowly started to see school teachers as just another human being - it is probably still quite a surprise to discover an upstanding member of society like school teacher to share the kid's hobby. That felt like 1990s Indonesia, when my entire class erupted when my teacher mentioned a popular TV episode like "eeeeh? Teacher watches TV too!!!".

I’ve been living in Japan for 24 years. My Japanese is native level. When I walk with my daughter people still address us in English, when my Japanese wife walks with my daughter they address her in Japanese. I don’t give a damn when I am alone. Doesn’t hurt a bit. I think the trick is that I turn to talk a lot before the other person has the chance to even say hi. Merry X’mas.

I'm half french and japanese and currently living in Japan. After watching this video (which is great btw), I somewhat felt a bit better because I can totally relate to everything that was mentionned. My first language is french because my education was based on french. As for my japanese, even though I have no problem conversing, my writing and reading was only at the elementary level. So I am without a doubt more french than japanese in the inside. But as to the appearance, I look more like an Asian/japanese. So everytime I went to Japan, I was subconsciously trying to act like a Japanese even though my knowledge of the culture was still a bit shallow. I knew afterwards that in fact, by doing so, I was putting more pressure on myself in just trying to save my face and not embarrass myself. The day I decided to stop trying to act like a japanese and started to be more like myself, as a foreigner/french, I felt like the whole world arround me was different, in a positive way. I could casually talk to other people and say that I'm still learning japanese, so that they could understand in which situation I was. No more fear of other people judging me. No more shame in how I acted or how I spoke. It was really relieving in so many ways. The message that I want to pass on is : Please stop pressuring yourself in changing the way you are just because you want integrate in the society. Please be more proud of yourself, in what you are and in what you do, as long as it doesn't affect your surrounding. And finally, Please respect other people's choises. They might be in the same situation as you ;-).

That's crazy how Joey and I are like two faces of one coin ! While Joey was being mistreated like a "gaijin", but people treated me like a "japanese"because i looked like a japanese. Everytime i met somebody who doesn't know i'm a foreigner, they talk super fast; soon after i reveal my true nation they start to slowing down 😂

People in Japan don't usually have beards, except actors, celebrities, etc. You know, like famous youtubers.

I once saw someone wearing a hoodie and clothes covering all of their body walking in Japan and immediately knew he wasn’t Japanese from the way he was walking with a more energetic stride than the rest of the people around him. So even your gait can be something that shows where you’re from.

I'm half Japanese too, and my time in Japan/experience with Japanese culture is probably pretty similar to Joey (I actually went to the same Japanese class as him in highschool so we're the same age/from the same area), but I more often than not get treated as Japanese, with situations where people don't even really make the connection that I'm half Japanese until I bring it up happening fairly often as long as they've been talking to me beforehand. This leads to funny situations where I say things like I'm actually in japan to visit family for a bit and I get asked if I moved overseas recently because of work. If they just see me without interacting at all though I think I often get spoken to in English as a default, but once they do see me speaking/how i act i've very rarely felt like an outsider. It's probably because culturally/mentally, and even linguistically I'm more Japanese aligned than Joey, so I think that does play a big part. I guess the main thing is physical appearance may not be the be-all end all like what the video's about.

That guy from Cameroon was good at integrating with Japanese people. A lot of people who move don’t become part of that country. So I applaude him and his family

In my first trip to Japan I had a short homestay in Shizuoka. The homestay father was a kendoka/teacher. He mentioned a saying "A tomato is a tomato, an apple is an apple, a tomato cannot be an apple." The context at the time wasn't really about being Japanese, but it can be. I'll always be a gaijin, but I'm fine with that.

I don't think it's just about physical appearance. The question is would people in Japan recognize a person with a foreign-surname to be Japanese. Historically, Japanese government didn't grant natural-born citizenship to children of foreign fathers until 1985. Conversely, children of Japanese emigrants under male lineage were able to maintain Japanese citizenship because they were considered overseas-born Japanese. It's why the former President of Peru was a natural-born Japanese citizen. (Japanese Citizenship Law was revised in 1984, banning dual-citizenship after adult-age, and allowing children of foreign fathers to have citizenship.) In other words, Japanese society historically didn't view children of foreign fathers to be Japanese. And this perspective dates back to ancient practices, like the times when "UJI (氏)" or clans were still in use. Japanese society has always been organized and structured around paternal lineage. People inherit surnames, family registry, tombs, land, rituals and customs predominantly from the paternal side. And when a daughter marries, she becomes a member of her husband's family/clan. (To date, you're registered and recognized as a member of your father's family/clan in the KOSEKI, unless you're child of a single-mother, or if you become a MUKO-YOUSHI 婿養子. And it's customary for the wife to adopt the surname of the husband when legally married.) Thus, if you have a completely foreign surname and a foreign father...it's possible that Japanese people may not recognize you as Japanese. But I doubt people in Japan would consider TAKAHASHI Ran, MUROFUSHI Koji, SAKAI Gohtoku, AKIMOTO Sayaka, HAYAMI Mokomichi, or SAWAJIRI Erika to be foreigners just because they have foreign mothers. They have Japanese surnames, upbringing, education, and native fluency in language/culture. (It's also why many Taiwanese, Chinese, and Koreans have chosen Japanese surnames when they naturalize to Japanese citizenship. Having lived among Japanese people, they know that they would be considered a foreigner if they have a non-Japanese name.) Having said, there is only one thing that is more important than all of the above. It's cultural upbringing and education. Both of your parents can be Japanese, you may have a Japanese first and last name, but if you are not fluent in Japanese language and culture, you won't be treated Japanese, regardless of your ancestry or citizenship. It's because Japanese people share a language, culture, history, mindset, mannerism...and most importantly identity. In real life, those qualities are how a Japanese person will identify another Japanese person.

I do agree. I have a lot of friends who studied abroad and moved abroad in high school or college, and despite being completely Japanese, they get mistaken for being foreigners based on mannerisms or fashion. Even my boyfriend, who has never even traveled abroad, doesn’t speak English, has lived in Kyoto his whole life, and is ethnically fully Japanese, he still gets confused as a foreigner when he’s with me because my foreignness almost rubs off onto him in the perception of other Japanese people. Sometimes, this is frustrating because staff will speak to him exclusively in English or give him English menus, and he gets flustered, unable to read/understand them. In fact, just this week, we went to his family bounenkai, and as soon as I, a foreigner, stepped into the restaurant behind my boyfriend, the staff tried to push us out, telling us it was a reserved event in broken English until my boyfriend’s father spotted us and saved us. But the thing is, it isn’t an intentional thing; it’s more that Japanese tend to have very strong views of what is and isn’t “Japanese,” and it can be very easy to cross the line in their eyes from “Japanese” to “foreign.” I think it’s extremely different from the American view of nationality/race, so it’s sometimes hard to navigate because it can lead you to have a separated foreign identity, both for immigrants and Japanese natives.

Honestly living in Japan I don't want to be accepted as Japanese, I want to be accepted as myself. I think a lot also has to do of the perception of why you've come to Japan. I'm here as an engineer and get treated very well despite my broken language skills. My opinion is that if you are perceived to be helping Japanese society people will treat you very well. But that could be biased by the fact the company I work for has a lot of prestige associated with it. I will always be gaijin, but I feel like most people go out of their way to treat me better because of it. To be honest as an Irish American, I never get treated as Irish in Ireland. These issues are not unique to Japanese society, but the human condition.

I can relate to him in the sense that I was born in Hawaii, but grew up in Taiwan. For the first 18 years of my life, I felt as if I was native Taiwanese. I had no problem with the language, culture, way of life, and obsession with Boba Milktea that people would have never batted an eye to think that I know English just as well as a foreigner or the fact that I was an American Citizen. It was when I actually went to the American mainland to attend college that I actually felt foreign. People in my small university would assume that I am not fluent in English and would often assume that I prefer to hang around other Asians and would leave me alone on purpose. In the end, it took 10 years living in America to the point where I feel that people could at least assume I'm ABC or something when I have a chat with them. However, the downside of this transition is that I feel very foreign myself whenever I travel back to Taiwan. I can still speak fluent Mandarin, but there are just some cultural norms or expressions that have changed over the years and I have to try to adjust to that lifestyle once again. It leaves me sometimes wondering which culture I truly belong to nowadays...

Those issues are not just in Japan. I was born in Mexico and grew up in the US I'm a US citizen and many people think I'm not American. While older Hispanics/Latinos do not think I'm Mexican or Mexican enough. Personally it never affected me or needed a I belong here card from strangers.

Even though I am not Japanese, I am half Korean and the first language I ever learned was Korean, people in Korea still treat me like I'm a foreigner impersonating a Korean person like I'm some obsessed K-pop stan (so this vid kinda hits close to home). Whenever I join in a conversation where the people are speaking Korean they suddenly switch to a easier, dumbed down version of korean or outright switch to english (or "Konglish"), even though I feel like my Korean if perfectly fine (shoutout to my mom for never giving up on my Korean) and I spent a majority of my childhood with Korean people ;-;. I've also gotten comments that it "creeps people out" when I speak Korean, because I've got such a western face. I sometimes wish I was born fully Korean or fully something else so that I can speak my mother tongue without "making people uncomfortable", but what can I do lmao.

I recently discovered your videos and I am so impressed. As an American, I do know a little about what it's like to live in another country and try really hard to be part of that culture. I lived in Germany for some time and at first it was very daunting, but with time, and educating myself, and also asking people in the German communities in which I lived for help, I found most of them more than willing to advise me. When it was time to leave, I was so sad to be going. I had spent several years, trying my best to not just keep to the 'military wives' circles. To try to help integrate myself more into the culture and have true interactions with my fellow neighbors, I worked at a local German video store (this was in the early 90's). It was the best experience ever. Granted, just as you have pointed out in some of your other videos, the older generations were much more reluctant to work with me or help me, but some, when they really saw that I was doing my absolute best to be a part of our community and adhere to their cultural customs, would indeed be appreciative. It was the best experience of my life. Thank you so much for educating people, you are doing a wonderful job!

In my personal experience, it’s not about accent or physical appearance, it’s much more about body language. My Japanese is not good but I was raised by my Japanese grandmother until I was 6 or 7, and my relatives say I got all her mannerisms, the way of speaking to people. I spent some time in Japan and even though I couldn’t communicate very well, people would try and talk to me instead of my relatives that are also of Japanese descent. I became kind of a joke in my family because I am the worst to speak Japanese, but Japanese people would ignore them and insist in talking to me. The same happened at stores and restaurants, with complete strangers. I sincerely believe it’s because of the familiarity I somehow project with my body language.

This isn't just a japanese thing. Anyone of mixed race isn't considered as either of the parents races. I'm mixed myself and I'm never truly accepted by either races.

I'm originally from the UK but my wife is Chinese. I speak enough to get by but can struggle a bit in group conversations with lots of people talking at once. While you do get comments like "哇，你说的中文真好!" (Wow, you speak Chinese really well) for even basic communication, my experience is most people are happy simply because they can communicate with you. It isn't very common for foreigners to put in the time and effort to really learn such a different language so of course they are surprised. So am I when I find another foreigner who speaks Chinese well!

Based on what I’ve seen and heard during 13 years living in Japan, there’s 2 requirements “to be Japanese”: 1. You must “look” Japanese. 2. Your Japanese must NOT have a foreign accent. (So local accents like from Yamanashi, Aomori etc are ok). So it doesn’t matter if you were born and raised in Japan, with one Japanese parent+one foreigner. Or if both your parents are Japanese. You need to meet those requirements. About the podcast scenes seen in this video: I always think they live in a parallel different Japan of where I live (I’ve lived in three different prefectures, urban and rural areas so I have met diversity): my Japanese isn’t good but unlike those podcasters I never get asked “Nihongo daijobu?? “ unless I’m with a group of foreigners so the staff think we are tourists. I’m very deep into the music scene (Metal and punk) and I wear leather clothes and bullet belts so you could argue I could look like a delinquent or a little bit intimidating, yet unlike those podcasters, I’ve never been detained or asked questions by the police while wearing those clothes, in the contrary, I’ve been interrogated while commuting to work so while wearing casual or even formal clothes. (A total of 3 times in 13 years). But that’s my experience, so totally anecdotal and may not reflect the reality of most.

It's probably similar to other South East Asia countries - your exterior look defined if you are foreign or not. Also, tattoos usually mean "bad people" universally nearly in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia. We Asians can even distinguish between Chinese, Japanese, Hong Kong, Taiwanese, Korean, etc among the group. I agree that Joey looks very much like foreigner non-Japanese, not even half/quarter-Japanese.

Many Japanese DO bring things up and question things----just not in public or politics. Ask a few parents privately about how schools are doing. Ask them about their job supporting them as parents. You catch them on the right day and you'll get an earful.

I was extremely biased when watching this video but now I understand why they don't like him because trying to understand a complete stranger is a stronger barrier than just their different language. Keep up the great work.

Ethnically, I am half Japanese with a Japanese surname, but culturally and nationally, I am American (4th generation on my dad’s side). Living in Japan for the past year has helped me understand my identities more and come to peace with not being Japanese enough. It’s not a bad thing imo but it does make things awkward when trying to communicate since I am not very good with Japanese despite looking Japanese.

According to interviews, if you lived all your life in Japan as half-Japanese (white), and still have people talking behind you about how you'll never be "true" Japanese.... Honne and tatemae makes things extremely hard too.

I’m from Hawaii, I have a few friends that are fluent in Japanese because their grandparents/parents taught them. It also helped that one of my friends would go to Japan for summer school from a young age. When my friends that can speak fluently visits Japan it seems that they are accepted as Japanese, however that could also be because they look full Japanese or of the Hawaii culture of being laid back. I think even though Hawaii is apart of the United States, we have a lot of roots from Japan and other Asian cultures because of its rich history of being a “melting pot” of cultures

It's weird, I went to Japan, fully expecting to be treated as a foreigner since I'm half-Japanese as well. But it didn't really feel that way, sure I got people staring at me, but it didn't really feel like I was being treated as a foreigner.

To me the "ostracizion" treatment seems more like something you would only really get annoyed at over a long period of time. It's as if you're being treated as a commodity and have to be ready to explain your situation everytime you have an interaction. Something like that doesn't bother one self for the first few 10, or even 100 times, but after years of living there I can see it becoming quite annoying. Like, why is that just because you don't fit the script that the duty is somehow on you to explain your role in the script every single time. I think as a westerner you can get irritated thinking to yourself that dropping the script all together would just be better. Since from a westerners point of view doing so seems quite easy, it can sometimes feel as though everyone else is being selfish/unwelcoming forcing themselves on you, expecting conformity without real reason. But Joey also knows what country he is living in and I also agree that one should adapt to the culture they're surrounded by and not expect everyone else to change. I just wanted to explain how one might come to feel that way.

I am required to speak several languages because of my job. When I travel abroad, the absolute shock on people's faces when i respond properly in their languages is a mix of amazement and slight disgust. I got the best and worst responses in Japan. I also understand that as an American, countries where nationality, ethnicity, culture, and language are completely intertwined do not have organic head space for certain kinds of diversity. ....small interactions have won people over. I'll take that.

This video is so well written and edited with the real life examples from interviews that back up the claim that would otherwise just be opinions.

I’m half. I speak Japanese and English. I have to be honest, I sometimes pretend I hardly know any Japanese so I can get away with being an aloof foreigner.

To put it in another light; I speak such fluent English with an American accent both people living in the UK and America think I am American. My mother tongue is Norwegian; through the exposure of American entertainment such as TV and video games I learned not just how to speak it but to flip between it at a needle-drop. The only times you can discern the differences is when I am either: A. Drunk. B. Really tired. It is fully possible to learn another language to such a degree you become, in a way, superior? It is so important to you that you will study it for hours, as I have, to master it. One thing is having an ear for language, it is something else to really "imitate" it. Yes I wrote this drunk.

I mean, it's the same in the USA. Been living here for 21 years, working, paying taxes, Bachelor's degree and citizenchip.. I will die here.. and they still see me as a foreigner.

Been living in Japan for 4 years. Absolutely love it! I speak Japanese and almost never get 'nihongo jouzu'. I have no idea why this is, I certainly don't think I am the best Japanese speaker, but I just talk and say what I need to say. I have no issue with not being accepted as Japanese because I am not Japanese, I am Australian, that is part of my personality. I hope to continue to live here for the rest of my life and make many more Japanese friends that I can laugh and joke with.

Adults (above 23?) that are into anime and express this in their identity through clothes etc. are also considered weird here in Europe. A lot of people will think they are socially incompetent, unemployed and may even fear them around children. The people that are surprised by this happening in Japan, probably didn't understand why this happened where they originally lived either. I visited Seul once and while I was there I walked past a white girl in cheap cosplay like clothes on the street. I don't usually identify as white or a westerner, but at that moment I did, and I was deeply embarrassed.

it SORT OF SEEMS like even if your Japanese by birth, if you spend a few years away, you'll still be treated as an outsider because you have more than one perspective now.

Japan is not unique in not seeing long term foreigners as "natives". It is also a thing here in Denmark, where people do speak english to you, if you do not speak perfect Danish or look foreign. Denmark is very culturally different from Japan, very informal in many ways. People will be known as the "Frenchman" or wherever they are from the rest of their lives, if living here (we do say people's name to eachother, but referring to a person another person might not know, we do that). The people who might have an issue with this are often people from former British colonies or Americans, while other nationalities do accept it as a part of their identity here. The major difference between Japan and Denmark is probably is that you do not need to be able to interact in the native language at all to get around, everybody here can speak english, often pretty well. Being a foreigner, or a returnee from another place will also be noticed. It is not a bad thing here, but more like an assumption, that you know more about that place, than a native do.

As a Taiwanese half Japanese I didn't get the gaijin treatment since well I don't look like foreigner (sometime people thought im mexican but well that's different story) but I do got the opposite of it, I do speak japanese but I never learn how to speak formally and I only got like elementry school level vocabulary, so it get real awkward when people talk to me, my family always say I talk like Japanese trying to act like not knowing Japanese.

I just want to add onto how weebs are precieved here in the U.S. For context, I'm a 20 year old university student and these days, being a weeb or a anime fan would be considered as something """"normal""""" or "Okay" now that anime has became mainstream-- BUT that wasn't always the case. Back in my elementary and middle school days (early 2000s and mid 2010's), people would make fun of you if they found out that you were a anime fan/weeb simply because it's nerdy or weird. I was afraid of being bullied for it so I didn't openly admit to people that I was into anime. So yes, back then, being a weeb was weird and you can get bullied or made fun of for it. Nowadays, people wouldn't care or at least, they care less now.

The main reason he generally not accepted is he questions Japanese culture and society. Japanese people are Group conscious society meaning that they think of what is better for the group. Americans are individual society think what is best for me. This thinking style is key in why foreign people don't fit in they can speak and know the culture but the mindset is different. Which is why being foreign is great I'm Japan. They will treat you like you don't understand and try teaching you the proper way in their culture. Also even if they hate foreign people you may never know because they will not let it affect the group. Just like the idiot om the train a group of Japanese tried to reason and honest the restraint not to punch the guy yelling in the train 😅

Having lived in Japan for four years, I'll admit my language skills are crap (I'm old, but working at it). But, I'd rather live here than back home. I'll always be a second class citizen, but I don't have to deal with all the shit. Everyone has treated me well, I've made great friends, and I feel at peace. When I first went back to the United States after living here, everybody asked me about culture shock. I told them I didn't feel that, I only felt culture shock after visiting home, because the United States doesn't have one. In Japan there is a common culture, a history, good or bad, that ties people together. In the US we are the 'Melting Pot', which is cool because you can meet so many people, and experience things outside your bubble. However, we don't have that shared thread that binds us. That is why you see so much strife in the US today.

I think we should also praise TJR for learning English and making videos for us, Westerners, in English from a Japanese perspective, so thank you for your effort

Come to Philipine man I'm not a pinoy neither do I live in Philipine but I speak on their behalves and I can assure you that you'll always be welcome here. It's fine if you can't be Takumi or Nakamoto in Japan but here you can be Joey, Fabricio or Augusto whatever you want it doesn't matter cause we ain't gonna reject let alone to sell one of our own...

Tldr He doesn't look Japanese He doesn't act Japanese He doesnt think Japanese

i’m half japanese and i think it’s a complicated issue because as much as i love living here and it feels like my home it can be upsetting sometimes when i’m treated like im not japanese when i am

Half Japanese half Brazilian here born in Brazil. I haven't lived in Japan long enough yet but enough to form an opinion. I also lived in Canada. This is oversimplified but: So many of the problems in Japan are due to Japan being... Japan. I understand and respect the culture and many things Japan does, but there are things that should change, like teaching that "standing out is bad". Standing out is NOT bad and Japan should start teaching WHEN to stand out. That's very important. You can follow the rules AND be your own person and have a personality and not care about what others thing. This is almost like brain washing. You can do both. Harassed at work? Complain. Tired and stressed? Go home and REST. F*** the work, your health is more important. Don't like the company anymore? Quit. Want to go on vacation? Use them all, not just half. By preventing death from overwork, suicide or even people fed up with toxic Japanese work culture, you prevent the government losing taxpayers. Happier people working less can go on dates, get married, have babies. Less time at work doing nothing means less that with that person whom you would most likely cheat on your partner. People saying "I don't want kids because everything is expensive" but it's only expensive because there are not enough taxpayers for the gov to help subsidize.... If Japan was 15% more individualitic, Japan would THRIVE so much more.

I feel like Joey is the ultimate under cover westerner in Japan spilling all the tea on everything we gaijin would never know about otherwise.

That's to be expected, because in a country that has a different ethnicity as the person that moves there; its to be expected they assume you are a foreigner. Japan isn't an immigration country (that has a wide variety of people) like the US, Canada or Australia.

I think every language is to some degree associated with race. I'm Russian, so my language is spoken by a lot of different "white" and "Asian" ethnic groups, but if i saw an African fluently speaking it, i'd still do a double take. Even in English you might get weird looks if your accent doesn't match your appearance ("you talk white"). Japanese just happens to be spoken mostly by a very specific kind of Asian.

you can do alot worse than looking like foreigner but actually be Japanese. be me, an Asian foreigner in Japan. you should see the look on some Japanese's faces when they started talking to me in Japanese but found out I'm a foreigner. their face literally go through the "my dissapointment is immersurable and my day is ruined" meme

I was born in Japan, and all my ancestors are Japanese, but I spent 20 years of my life living overseas, much of it during my childhood. Even I faced significant difficulties being accepted in Japanese society. People outside of Japan, don't fulllly understand the importance of education and study in Japan. This means the importance of actually going through the entire school education system. Not just being good at some subject matter. The university entrance exam (as well as getting employed) is the pinnacle of one's life here, and everything up to that point is preparation for it. Traditionally, the Japanese have been working themselves (often to death) for this. You can cry about it. but that's how important it is. And just living through that grind, creates the camaraderie and bonds. If you didn't live through that process, you are not "trully" Japanese, as far as the society is concerned. No matter how good your language may be, or how many other cultural aspects you aqcuire. Japanese people primarily associate themselves with their schoolmates and workmates, and these bonds last a lifetime. If you aren't in those groups, where else are you going to fit in? The rest are really just misfits etc. At least, that's just the way it has been. Joey is a fun guy, and I have nothing against him at all. But as far as "why he is not perceived as being Japanese" is because he never went through the Japanese education system, so he just feels out of place for other Japanese people. There will be people saying that it shouldn't matter etc, etc, but the country is Japan, the culture is Japan's, not some other place. The culture is deeply rooted in these shared experiences. So If you can't accept that, you're going to have a hard time ever trying to live there. IMHO.

I am a Thai but have traveled to Japan quite a lot of times, and tend to observe the Mannerism and Logic behind the Japanese actions and reactions whenever I have to interact with them. Most of the time, having Asian features on the outside gives me the benefit to kinda blending in with the group and people's first reaction tends to assume I am just another Japanese. I don’t know but since the first time I went to Japan long ago without any prior Knowledge and deep understanding of their culture, I kinda got hunches from the inside and intuitively know how to act accordingly. Maybe deep down as a Thai, whose values and deep social norms are not far away from the Japanese, can adapt to the expectations of the society not that difficult. We might act differently on the outside according to various situations but I kinda sense that the actions stem from the same values and logic. Coming back to Joey, I have watched his many interviews with the Japanese in a “Japanese environment”, I am not saying I am an expert on body language or anything but most of the time he always gives me a “non-Japanese” person who happens to speak a very good Japanese. His Mannerisms are kinda off. He may know some of the social rules and social etiquette of the Japanese but his way of speaking or interactions always slip off and looks very much like a foreigner. (His interview with the ex-Yakuza is the best example of this) On the contrary, Garnt his fellow RU-vidr, who I just found out not long ago is Thai but grew up in GB. When speaking in English, obviously his mannerisms, speech patterns, and everything is very British or in my Thai eyes, “very Western-like”. But once he switches to Thai and interacts with the Thais. His mannerisms and body language become Thai very naturally. He maybe has glimpses of wrong intonations or weird pronunciation once in a while but overall it appears he is just another Thai who just happens to have not had a chance to use the Thai language for a long time. Not just a foreigner who speaks a very good Thai. As for Thai, we also have this concept of “outsider” especially for people from different cultures with which we are not familiar (basically any cultures that are not from East Asia). No matter how good your language (which is almost impossible for a non-Thai to reach a native level) or your understanding of the social nuances. You will always be the Foreigner. The reaction from the Thai might give off a relaxed or easygoing vibe but deep down we are secretly very judgmental. I am not sure whether this is a sign of xenophobia or not but we are not discriminating against foreigners (at least most people from the newer generations) but acknowledging that people from different cultures are just different.

This channel is awesome. You're really level-headed and down-to-earth. You totally understand and have a realistic outlook on the perspectives of both the foreigners and Japanese. You just understand everything and see the stuff that is "invisible" to most 😁

Incredibly informative, good job.

I lived in Japan and I’m originally French-American. I am thankful that I made a few really great Japanese friends, and ironically got rejected by my American friends for being Buddhist. Maybe I didn’t really integrate in Japanese society but the few Japanese friends I had helped me survive the regimented military culture of the American AirForce which I couldn’t adapt to despite being in the medical field

I'm asian living in japan, as an asian living in japan, i can easily dive into their society cause they mistaken me as a japanese a lot, but the setback is they expect me to understand all of their rules and manners 100%! Once you make a mistake, prepare yourself 😖

It took me a couple trip there to realize just how the otaku thing works. It's seem like it's okay to be an otaku, but only in specific designated spaces. Nobody will think that your anime shirt is weird if you're in Akihabara or at Comiket, but almost nobody wears one to the grocery store. This is a little different from the American geek who might do something like have a model X-wing in his office without getting much of a reaction.

One thing I notice about Joey, especially on his own channel (not animeman) is that he is very opinionated. In particular, his seemingly libertarian and almost anti-(Japanese) government view, is surely to rub the average Japanese in the wrong way.

My mom and I are both Japanese, but we live in America. I was told “Your Japanese very good” by a worker in Japan when we were visiting.

I think what a lot of people are missing is that the Gaijin treatment isn't that big of a deal if you are like Conner and you are staying in Japan for work and cultural exchange but have no plans to immigrate and become a citizen. If you are someone who wants to live in Japan, become a Japanese citizen and be treated equally like Joey, it is completely different that the people there so cool but no you are a Foreigner and will never be anything else. Though I do understand what The Japan Reporter is getting at where Joey wants to be treated the same, without conforming in the same way. Even in America that is true, where if you are here as a visitor or just for work or school, people are easier to accept your differences, but if you are planning to immigrate and move in their is a expectation of conformity to American values.

Very insightful stuff, really enjoyed listening!

so basically he's australian

Great analysis, thank you!

that is very easy to know, his behavior is what make him different, his values are different, he will always be a foreigner with excellent language skills

This is an interesting topic, especially because I had a bit of the opposite experience. I'm Japanese American born and raised in the US. I lived in Japan for a few years out of college but my Japanese was very much kitchen Japanese. The first few years of living there was tough because despite looking 100% Japanese, I was not able to communicate in the same way so at least initially people thought I was impolite or too casual and it was off putting to many. So many of the expectations were higher for me which motivated me to become better in the language. I remember a time in the office when another American joined our team and was like, "こんにちは” and everyone praised him while with my somewhat カタコト Japanese was made fun of kind of sucked when we both essentially had the same background. A lot of people perceived as Gaijin that speak fluently complain that Japanese praise you for being able to speak Japanese, but the opposite is constantly being put down because you don't/can't. i.e. 何でちゃんと喋れないんだ？

I think it's more complicated than people make it out to be. People make these generalisations, but I think it's because they're missing something. For example, a first reaction I get from Japanese people isn't "Nihongo jouzu" it's "Nihon de sunde imasu ka?" Because I look like someone who has a job. I'm sure Joey has a more robust experience than I do, but... don't buy into the popular myths.

I'm 18 and live in The United States and I was intreguied by what you said about anime. I used to really love a lot of isekai anime as a kid, but I was proud of the fact that I watched anime, not scared of being judged. when I told my friends I watched anime they said "cool! and thought nothing of it, or I would even make friends because of it. Over here, in my experiance, anime has become not only more mainstream, but also there is a lot less assumptions made about people who watch it (at least within the younger generations). Despite the fact that a lot of anime can be quite sexual, and some anime have characters that are downright degenerates, here in the US anime is smiled upon as just another form of storytelling. Because in the US I feel like we recognize that there are other medums of storytelling with sexual content, and fanbases of degenerate people. It's not just confined to anime. Just my thoughts! :)

This is also the same in many non-caucasian countries I feel, in my country you can be fluent in the language, have citizenhip. And be completely immersed in the culture, but people will still look at you as an outsider to some degree. You really just have accept it as yoh say and make the best of the situation, and at worst you'll just be regarded as an eccentric, fun foreigner

In the States, people (I'd say particularly younger generations) don't want to blend in. It's actually cool to have a nerdy obsession and to show off your niche interests. Confidence in showing off one's "personality" and getting attention (positive or negative) is generally seen as an overall good thing. Americans don't typically have the societal judgment hangups that people in Japan (and I'd say also in a lot of Northeast Asia) typically do when it comes to standing out in a crowd. Joey is multicultural, and a lot of his own views are reflected in his upbringing and family life. I'd say that it only takes a bit of an outsider's perspective to see the cracks in a society's supposed perfect image. I'm a Chinese American who was born and raised in a predominantly white suburban community. People treated us well but at the same time our family felt like perpetual foreigners (my parents had been living in the US since the 1960s). I think ethnic and cultural diversity do a lot to shake the very foundation that many societies base their institutions on, and if you don't grow up with much social diversity (this doesn't just include racial or ethnic diversity, but also diversity in terms of socioeconomic class, educational background, and gender and sexuality), then you will find human beings who are only slightly different from the norm to be a real threat to your country because of all the negative stereotypes and propaganda against them.

Yet he does not look like the typical Japanese unless we count The Ainu.

I am Chinese, but many Chinese and Japanese I’ve met thinks I’m Japanese at first, especially in Japan. I love Japan. But sometimes I’d rather be treated as a foreigner because I am one. I know Japanese social standards and I follow them, but being put as “Japanese” can be a little tiring for a foreigner.

Tbf, speaking a better and more fluent language doesn't make you more native, in fact, it's the opposite. Native people would develop their language for everyday uses with new terms, slang, etc. These things you don't get to learn through books or courses.

I've been living in Japan now for the better part of ten years. I will admit I allowed the "micro-aggression" nonsense to really spoil my time here initially, but the sooner I allowed it to just be, I was infinitely more happy living here. Yeah, they could be implying I don't belong here. Simple answer to that: I don't care. I have made a family here and a few genuine friends, so the occasional "hashi jouzu" doesn't really bother me anymore. I think that is what drives off most expats who are fluent, even those of Japanese descent, the sense that they are forever gaijin. I can say I have hope. My children (hafu to adults) are able to play with other kids in the neighborhood without any issues, its only the adults who act that way. Hopefully as they grow up they retain that sense, and this will gently fade away.

I think you can find the same thing almost everywhere. Certainly in the UK many have such attitudes, the only difference is, perhaps, some brits are more reserved about displaying their underlying attitudes. That said, I've lived in several regions of the UK where I've been given the full-on gaijin treatment because wasn't born in that exact locality. In my experience it takes a special kind of human being to be able to truly look past all the superficial differences, and see our common humanity. Usually I've found that quality in people who have some level of awareness of mystical spirituality... but perhaps even that isn't definitive. TLDR Don't be too critical of Japanese attitudes, because when all is said and done labeling me as a gaijin would only be the truth. The best I could hope for is to aim to be someone who lived my differences in a way that didn't needlessly upset too many around me. In a real sense we are all different, and we are also all the same. We just all do our being the sameness slightly differently.

Interesting tidbit. I know person that has connection to Japanese embassy in Serbia. She told me that all Japanese working in embassy fight tooth and nail to remain in Serbia and not get transferred back. They get to enjoy laid back environment in decent country while having extraordinary salary for local conditions. They get perfect combination of professionalism at work and being laid back outside of it. That said, as I Serb I completely enjoyed my visit to Japan. How orderly and thoughtful everyone is and how its important not to bother others. If I had to leave Serbia and move somewhere I would probably pick Spain or Japan.

Japanese is also a matter of ethnicity so it's more than culture and language.

My sister majored in Japan studies at university,, studied abroad at Waseda, and lived in Japan for years. She's not into anime -- she actually has been doing tea ceremony for like 15 years -- and dresses in a subdued and professional way. She really struggled with being treated as a foreigner. It's not that she wanted to be treated as a Japanse person per se. But it's pretty rude to tell someone "Wow, you can actually use chopsticks!!" as though we do not use chopsticks in the US. I certainly would never compliment someone over the age of 5 on their fork skills. Imagine being complimented constantly by strangers for being able to do things exepected of children (speaking any words correctly, having any table manners, etc) but never trusted to do anything challenging or that requires expertise. For an adult, it's demoralizing and condescending to have everyone around you contsantly expect you to be ignorant, uncultured, and unskilled. Eventually she realized she would never be able to have a successful career in Japan as a female foreigner, moved back to the states, and immediatly got hired at a Japense company in the states as a translater.

Great video. I feel like beards are trending in Japan though. I have definitely seen more and more Japanese with beards in the past couple of years.

This was a really interesting take. I just started learning the Japanese language, want to visit, and maybe live there one day. So learning these social perceptions and cultural views feels very important to me. Thanks for the great video.

In many societies, you can't see what is wrong with it until you lived abroad. This more educated view of society is deemed as anti-said society. People that do not have the means to live abroad often don't wanna hear what's wrong with their culture, nor do they care to improve for the better. The worst people for society are really those that hold such narrow views as considering people with a broader view as "not from their country" anymore.

I mean this can apply to anyone in any country, the opinion of complete strangers who have nothing to do with your life shouldn’t matter anyways because the people you surround yourself ie. your family and friends with will accept you and will treat you as their own regardless of where you were born what languages you speak or any other factors

What is your personal opinion on the matter tho? I think it is very clear WHY he is not considered japanese, but do you think it should stay like that? Many things are part of japanese culture and i don’t think many people want to change it, like bowing for example. But things like mysogny or xenophobia are not culture, they hurt people and it’s not just a western trend to do something against it. That is my opinion; what is your opinion?

I love hearing about this topic about other countries! I actually think it's sad when people try to fit in to something that does not accept them. Honestly, people respect you more when you stand alone, especially when you don't actually try to fit into a particular group. This is evident in the RU-vidr that he mentioned in The Japan Reporter's video. I will say, that most people and myself, prefer when a country is more welcoming and hospitable towards foreigners and actually try to include them in their circle, even calling them as one of their own eventually. Good examples are Malasia, Palestine, Turkey, certain parts of Africa, and certain parts of America. Its no coincidence that these are extraverted/highly social countries, while Japan and Korea are more on the introverted/low social side when it comes to the people's overall personality and social structure. Overall, people should know what to expect when living or revisiting a country, so that they can be at peace with their decision and how they carry themselves in front of others.

It's similar in Europe. I'm half German on my mother's side and and even though I have lived in Germany for 7 years (after moving from America) and speak German fluently, I'm still just considered an "American with German ancestry"

Another great video. One thing I would add about critiquing certain aspects of the culture, is that often only someone with no emotional connection to a particular culture can look with a disconnected and impartial viewpoint. I'm not suggesting that that's the case with Joey specifically, but in any culture globally often people from within the culture itself cannot objectively analyze it due to their inherent biases. This can also become an excuse by people to bash a culture. So in cases where someone truly admires a culture and is looking for ways to improve it further, I think that an external viewpoint can be very useful. As a perfect example there are plenty of Americans that would agree with critiques of our culture from outside, while many others would get angry and say no no we're perfect and we shouldn't be critiqued. That second group is not being very realistic but they would tend to be the majority.

It isn’t just a Japanese thing It’s an East Asian thing But. Ig people talk about Japan more often because more foreigners live there compared to other countries. My dad born and raised in Taiwan, is considered not Taiwanese because he simply has a Canadian identity. We became Canadian about 17 years ago. And my dad lives and work in Taiwan as a university professor since 7 years ago , yet still not considered Taiwanese when his Canadian identity is brought up. He is considered a “traitor” by some people. I’m Canadian. People also ask me and tell me the same thing, “wow your English is so good.” Even though I’ve lived in Canada for 17 years and am a legal citizen, and I’m only 23. It’s pretty fucking sad ain’t it. I believe only education to our children can lessen these sentiments. You can’t change the people now, but only the people of the future; if they want to be changed that is. Otherwise you just have to accept that you’ll never really be accepted anywhere if you have an additional national identity. That’s how I deal with it. It doesn’t really bother me anymore. I’ll never have a country where they will accept me full heartedly, and I accept that. I only need the people who loves me, around me. In the end it’s really about finding the people where you can feel belonging. Not making everyone feel like you belong. Because even if we achieve the latter, it will never be genuine.

He doesn't look Japanese and he hangs around actual gaijins so people who see him randomly in public would hear him speaking English a lot. I believe it's these two factors that make Joey feel alienated despite being Japanese.

As a half born raised in Japan, I can confirm that if you don't look 100% Japanese people won't accept you as Japanese. I'm not complaining, as half white i got a lot of special treatment from lot's of people how ever it is sometimes lonely and maybe that's the reason i was hikikomori for most of my middle school days. next year I'm in high school and I'm hoping I will make friends and have a good school life.

As a foreigner, you can walk, talk and act as if you're Japanese, but you never will be truly accepted in the Japanese community. That is something I've learned while living in Japan and I'm perfectly okay with it as I like whom iam😊

I love my Mexican roots, why would I or anyone for that matter would want to fit in and feel the need for acceptance?! Japan is great, I love the music, cleanliness, and culture. Once I get my Japanese down I’ll be sure to add some flair before I visit haha!

Here is my deduction, it only applies mostly to Westerners specially whites and blacks. Based on my experience, I have Indonesia, malay and Filipino friends during my work in Japan. And one thing I've noticed, there is zero time any employee or police asked us anything that is considered out of bounds. Like treat us foreigners ( Gaijin ) like they don't care or we just blend well or they are very familiar with South East Asians.

Born and grew up in japan, but i get the "zairyu ka-do" or "is that your husbands last name"(i kept my japanese last name)? and treated like gaijin since I was young. Funny part is I look like my Japanese side but we were from the south so my tall nose and high cheek bones is from my Japanese side. I even have epicanthic folds. I remember a girl from Okinawa treated as a gaijin too in school. My half korean friend told me secretly shes half korean but to keep it a secret. And yes I get Nihongo jyozu. I still juggle saying "you too" and "Im Japanese"

Amazing Video! i think the perfect end to this trash taste saga of your videos is to be an actual guest in the podcast!