I know it is a bit irrelevant to say something about other countries, at least, in this thread. But I also think it would be boring if everybody here says something like “Racism Everywhere”.
1.1 Housing : I have been refused accommodation because I was a foreigner
1.2 Housing : My company provides my accommodation (so no problem)
1.3 Housing : I have only stayed at gaijin houses, hotels or friends' houses
1.4 Housing : I have lived in Japan for many years, rented my housing via a estate agent, and never had any problem
1.5 Housing : I have only stayed in Japan for two years or less, rented my housing via a estate agent, but never had any problem
2.1 Tourism : I have been refused entry to a hotel, guesthouse or weekly mansion because I was a foreigner
2.2 Tourism : I have stayed a few times in hotels, guesthouses and/or weekly mansions and have never been refused entry
2.3 Tourism : I have stayed numerous times in hotels, guesthouses and/or weekly mansions and have never been refused entry
3.1 Entertainment : I have been refused entry to at least one restaurant, bar, nightclub, onsen or public bath because I was a foreigner
3.2 Entertainment : I have been a few times to restaurants, bars, nightclubs, onsen or public baths, and was never refused entry
3.3 Entertainment : I have been a hundreds of times to restaurants, bars, nightclubs, onsen or public baths, and was never refused entry
4.1 Police : I have been stopped and asked for an ID (passport/alien registration) by the police for no reason
4.2 Police : I have been stopped while riding a bicycle and had my bike registration checked during day time for no reason
4.3 Police : I have been stopped while riding a bicycle and had my bike registration checked during night time for no reason
4.4 Police : I have been mistakenly arrested (taken to the police station)
4.5 Police : I have had other discriminatory problems with the police
4.6 Police : I have stayed for many years in Japan and have never been checked or annoyed by the police in Japan
4.7 Police : I have stayed less than 2 years in Japan and have never been checked or annoyed by the police in Japan
5.1 Sexual Discrimination : I have experienced sexual harassment in Japan
5.2 Sexual Discrimination : I have experienced sexual discrimination regarding promotion, salary or opportunity
5.3 Sexual Discrimination : I am not a woman or have never worked in a Japanese company
I know it is a bit irrelevant to say something about other countries, at least, in this thread. But I also think it would be boring if everybody here says something like “Racism Everywhere”.
I lived there for 1.5 years or so and yes I experienced discrimination when I first arrived, not because I was a 'foreigner' but because I had a small tattoo of the sun on my arm. I learned that many Japanese people have an aversion to tattoos (as well as the sun!), so it must have threatened them. I was banned from both the local onsen ( actually kicked out when they saw the tattoo) and from a swimming pool.
I spent the rest of my stay working and painting (thank god I brought my computer), also trying to find either a clean beach to sit on or a quiet place to walk where I could listen to the birds. Never really found any of these as they didn't really exist where I was living. Other than that, I was almost stopped by the police on my bicycle once for racing through a light as it was changing (fair enough!) and was also sexually harassed several times by Japanese men who got the urge to masturbate when they saw me. Never really figured out why they insisted on doing that in public. I wasn't sure if they're just sexually repressed or if they did it because I was a foreigner.
After these experiences I tended to avoid people as much as possible, and got out of the country as soon as I could, however I met some really lovely people there and learned a lot about the culture, primarily from my students.
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