Aside

50 Shades of Japanese

A very insightful and personal story from Inkling about racism in Japan. Racism, discrimination, stereotyping, whatever you call it, is a rather serious issue but has become invisible in the eyes of travelers and the Japanese themselves.

To respond to Inkling’s rhetorical question “…does that mean that Japan’s free of racism, or that because it’s less visible it’s more okay?” No, of course not! In fact, invisible racism is much much worse. I myself never thought of it before reading this article (thanks again for sharing).

“Quite a few people who’ve lived in Japan longer that I have, say that no matter how long they live in Japan, no matter how well they know Japanese, they are still treated as an outsider.” I bet some of you understand this feeling, wherever your country of residence. Racism is every where, and need to be dealt with. First step is understand what it is and how you can help combating it (raising awareness).

It’s a long post but I encourage you to read on. Inkling has done an amazing job making it educational and entertaining at the same time. Something worth sharing.

An Inkling

I know, I know, I’m following a terrible trend. There are so many 50 Shades posts right now it’s unbelievable. I think 50 Shades is outdoing The Interview on the controversy level right now. Anyway, if you’re here to read about 50 Shades of Grey, you’re in the wrong place. I’m sure you can find something else to read rather quickly.

Actually, I wanted to talk a little bit about racism in Japan, and as 50 Shades was everywhere I looked, I realized it would be a good pun for this blog post that could be interpreted a few different ways. I’ll let you decide what it means.

Part of this post was written a year or so ago and saved in my drafts. I hadn’t finished it because I felt there was too much to talk about, and I would be doing the topic an injustice.

But this week…

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3 thoughts on “50 Shades of Japanese”

  1. rebelriotori says:

    I do enjoy reading Inkling’s posts on Japanese culture. Thanks for bringing this one to my attention – It’s great to generate a positive discussion on topics like this. As a foreigner living in Japan long term, it’s a big responsibility for me to ensure that I work towards a wider, positive understanding of foreign culture and help to combat racism anywhere in the world!

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    • Japan is an amazing country and I believe with enough time, more and more people will recognize racism and they can feel more comfortable talking about it 🙂

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      • rebelriotori says:

        A lot of younger adults are more aware of issues than we realise – which is great! Many of them are becoming teachers, or having kids. These topics will be discussed with their kids and students. It’s a positive ripple!

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