Gaijin

I remember when I first came to Japan as a middle schooler, I was very excited to imagine myself being mistaken for a local. It was an exciting idea that in my “home country,” in a place with so much culture and beauty nonetheless, I would be accepted, and not just as a minority. I also remember my mom telling me that the local Japanese would certainly not mistake me for a native, even by the way I walked and the clothes I wore, let alone if I tried to speak Japanese with a mangled foreign accent. I felt sad hearing this, but it made sense, and coming into Japan this time I’m assuming I won’t be accepted.

Therefore, I was surprised to learn that atleast superficially, I don’t appear completely alien. I didn’t experience that “freezing effect” that my friend CJ described. She lived in Japan for several years, and explained that as soon as she approached someone and spoke Japanese, to her disappointment, they would freeze and respond in broken English. So far, when I’ve asked local Japanese people a question, they responded back in Japanese – also, speaking very, very quickly. For now, when I don’t understand, I sort of look back at them and smile and respond to what I thought the question was.