"People don't believe I am Japanese" says Miss Japan - BBC News

[yuiyoshida]

[Old Crow]

1. The video of her walking down the street completely ignored by passersby is sad.

I love Japan but the country is far from perfect and racism is one of its imperfections. A friend of mine married to a Japanese woman once told me about his attempts to get a haircut and trim in Tokyo in the early 1990s.. He has red hair and had a beard. He and his wife tried several barbershops and not one would cut his hair, seeming to think that his gaijin qualities would make their combs and trimmers dirty or smell bad. I'm sure he could've found some barbers near a U.S. military base that were more accepting of foreigners, but 20 years ago, among the more traditional shops in Tokyo? No way.

[mainer]

2. I once tried to get a haircut in an African American neighborhood

and no one wanted to cut my hair because they had no experience with my straight hair type and they were afraid they'd screw it up. So they called the manager from the back room (he'd once worked in a Chicago beauty salon with white customers) and he was willing to cut my hair. Funny story but true. And I got a great haircut.

[Old Crow]

3. I am so glad it turned out well!

I just returned to the site after the shutdown and read this post of mine again. (Hi, everyone! Hi, Yuisan! Great to be back!) I just hope my post doesn't seem like I'm trying to bad-mouth Japan or Japanese. That is absolutely not my intent or where my heart is at. The situation (as told to me) just really brought home how the culture of an island nation can be quite insular. This same friend of mine also remarked how Japanese children in smaller towns would often peer at him from behind their mothers, both curious about and afraid of this HUGE tall man with the red hair and pink skin. He'd stoop down and exchange a few words with the little ones, using the little Japanese he knew: "Watashi!" (pointing at himself), et cetera. The braver children, he said, would often want to touch his red beard.