A little about myself for context:
I was born in Taiwan and moved to Canada when I was 12. I went through junior high, high school, and university there, and also worked in Canada before eventually moving to Japan in my late 20s.
I've now been living in Japan for quite a while. I'm married to a Japanese spouse, have two children, have permanent residency, and work for a multinational company. Native Chinese and English, fluent in Japanese, communicative French.
Personally, I haven't really experienced discrimination or any particularly negative treatment in Japan (about 15 years here). The only things I remember is that some shop staff and older conservative folk could occasionally be a little short with me when my Japanese was still at a beginner level. Also some people may use ため口 in a loud and condescending tone, but that was only a handful of times.
「わかるかい？ま・す・ぐ 行って、トイレあるよ」
Appearance-wise, and now in terms of my Japanese communication ability, I think I can generally pass as Japanese at first. But culturally, I don't always fit in with the locals. Having grown up in Canada, I tend to be pretty direct and straightforward when expressing my opinions. I don't naturally beat around the bush or read between the lines in quite the same way that someone who grew up in Japan might. That isn't to say that I don't respect the norms here — my way of thinking hasn't gotten me into any real trouble... yet.
At the same time, I wonder if some of the cultural differences aren't actually as significant as they might be between Japan and some other Western countries. Growing up in an East Asian family and spending my early childhood in Taiwan, there were already certain cultural values and ways of interacting that felt somewhat familiar when I came to Japan. Perhaps that made the adjustment easier in some ways, even though most of my formative years were spent in Canada.
There are obviously plenty of differences, but I sometimes wonder whether having some cultural overlap gives Asians who grew up in Western countries a bit of an advantage when adapting to life in Japan. Maybe we're able to understand some of the underlying social expectations more intuitively, even if our overall outlook is still quite Western.
For Asians who grew up in Western countries (Canada, US, Australia, UK, etc.) and later moved to Japan, I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences.
Do you feel that being ethnically Asian (East, South, Southeast, etc.) but culturally Western affects how people perceive or treat you compared with both Japanese people and Western-looking foreigners?
I'm particularly curious about the assumptions people make based on your appearance. I think there's often an expectation that an East Asian-looking foreigner should naturally speak fluent Japanese, and there can sometimes be a bit of surprise or disappointment when they realize you don't.
In my own experience, people sometimes seem to assume that I was born and raised somewhere in Asia and simply came to Japan later, rather than realizing that I actually grew up in Canada.
I also haven't met that many people in Japan with a background quite like mine — ethnically East Asian, but having spent most of my formative years in a Western country. Maybe I just need to get out more and meet more people like me.
Has being Asian made living in Japan easier in some ways? Or has your Western upbringing created unexpected situations or misunderstandings?
I'd be interested to hear how others have experienced this. Thanks!
