Comments on: The “No Gaijin Allowed” mentality

By: Michael

Michael — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 05:30:00 +0000

I think experiencing Japan for a short time is an entirely different experience than living here for an extended period. Especially if you only visit the cities, the countryside is a whole different world.

By: Sato Tatsuhiro

Sato Tatsuhiro — Tue, 21 May 2013 09:03:00 +0000

First time I writing in regard to this issue. I am saddened to learn as a gay man that the largest population of gay bars on this planet 300 alone in “Ni Chou” (Shinjuku ni Choume) in Tokyo discriminate against fellows members of our LGBT communty based upon “non Japanese”. I do hope that upon my karmic return back to the land of my own ancestry that I shan’t ever be denied entry to a gay bar or any other venue I would probably wind up emotionally wounded!

I am hakujin, predominately Caucasian as I have 87.5% European, Swiss, German, British, and Scandinavian as well. I also have that 12.5% Nihonjin as well. Thus from all accounts of the definition that I know of nikkei, I am such. I am planning to come back to my true homeland in one to two years time. I will (politely) try and stand up to any sort of racialism and challenge these few (thank goodness to what I understand to be very few) who would deny me entry being told that I am not Japanese enough to enter, that okay should I get a katana or a Nihontou (Samurai sword for those of you who not know) and slice myself in “seppuku” style one eighth of my body and throw the eighth in the club as being Japenese?
Would their challenge be that I don’t have Japanese nationality, or is it purely racial, I simply do not know. I might be a “two deminsional gaijin” on paper, but my ancestry, kokoro (Heart) to tamashi (soul) says different. I am karmically, inter-incarnationally, and ancestrially Japanese despite being mostly hakujin and non-Japanese insofar as NATIONALITY in this life so far! Otherwise I am as Japanese as one can possibly get!

I would be mortally emotionally wounded and in great pain if I were ever told that I could not enter a gay bar, onsen, otsen, restaurant, rent apaarto, or whatever that I was not “Japanese” enough to enter or take part!! It is already bad enough to be legally considered to be a “foreigner” or “gaikokujin” (外国人) in my own true homeland! I might even, if really bad enough, to driven to Aokigahara Forest (Jukai) near Fujisan and wind up doing Ji-satsu (suicide)! Truely I would. I am patriotic and would defend to the hilt if necessary for this country, as I even have cried in tears of my homesickness to return. to ever be told that I am an outsider would be absolutely tear my Heart and Soul apart thus being mortal to me!

By: Peter Payne

Peter Payne — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 02:53:00 +0000

When I went there, I met so many Okinawans happy to see me, because I speak fluent Japanese. The master of the restaurant would come out and shake my hang. It was very strange.

By: Peter Payne

Peter Payne — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 02:52:00 +0000

I’ve never seen these signs and I’ve been here 21 years. Yes, once a video store told me they didn’t want to rent to me because another foreigner had stolen a bunch of videos the week before, but I calmly discussed things over with them and they were cool with it.

Remember that Americans/other foreigners sometimes *want* to be victims. If you’re not a victim you’re nothing.

By: snoho

snoho — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 06:19:00 +0000

I feel a little silly replying to such an old post, but for the record I have seen more than one of these signs in bars and clubs in Nagoya. They do not mean that language is the problem. They mean they don’t want foreign customers. I was really shocked when I saw this, so I spoke to one of the bouncers about the sign (in Japanese) and it was made clear to me that foreign customers regardless of language ability were unwanted.

By: Electricrailwaygod

Electricrailwaygod — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 08:26:00 +0000

Somebody, PLEASE someone, I have this burning question that I can’t seem to get anyone to answer! HAKUJIN (白人) and HAFU (ハーフ) vs Gaikokujin (外国人). I have met a Hakujins from Japan in New York once who indeed carried a Japanese passport (I almost got into a love relationship with him some time ago — until some other “gaijin” (American) stoled him away from me)!

Really, how are hakujins, people born and raised in Japan, with full Japanese nationality who are basically caucasian treated uopn a daily basis? And the same for “hafu” which is of course, from the English word “half”! …Or for that matter a “hapa” a Hawaiian word now in a non-perjoritive sense means someone like me, who has Asian ancestry as well as non-Asian ancestry. I am a Yonsei, but racially I am 95% hakujin! (If one looks really close at me perhaps the %5 Japanese (especially of my eyes) can be seen. So just where would WE (people like me) stand in Japan? As Gaijin, or indeed as “hakujin”, or even “hafu”?

I am going over there either towards the end of this year (2012) or during the summer months of 2013 when Fujisan is open for hiking to the summit. Hopefully I won’t be called a “gaijin” but if I do, I am afraid that I might take it as an offence. I am a Hakujin hapa, thus European born in Switzerland, as well as from other European descent AND Japanese as well!

非常に親切にありがとう！