I'm sure that many a well-intentioned individual out there has felt vaguely racist shame when mistaking various Asian nationalities for one another based on appearances.** However, I've realized that they do it too. One friend recently wrote me from Buenos Aires, saying, "All the Chinese people here think I´m Chinese [her mother is Korean]. Also, I have never been able to tell Asians apart. In a strange way it´s kind of a source of pride if you can tell your "kind" apart from the others...but so hard! Let´s all be racists together!"
Before westernization hit Asia full force, it must have been easier. According to some, you could spot a mainland Chinese haircut a mile away. However, the widespread imitation of a small pool of pop stars and actors has spawned a transcontinental uniform, especially among women. Without the old indicators inherent in a variety of hairstyles, orthodontia, the cut and tailor of clothing, fabric used, and colors favored, it's difficult to differentiate between nationalities, and can lead to perplexing situations. Take, for example, an instance in which I showed a couple of the teachers here a photo of some friends who were coming to visit. After a pause of several seconds, one teacher tentatively pointed and asked, "Is she Japanese?" "Actually, she's from Malaysia," I answered. "Oh. Oh. She looks very Japanese," came the response. That turned out to be the end of the conversation- no one seemed to know what to say afterwards.
First let me say that if you appear to be related to or friends with anyone who looks vaguely Asian in heritage, it is a huge surprise. Sometimes I wonder if the Japanese (at least the ones who have never been abroad) don't compartmentalize the different peoples that make up other countries and assume that we occupy different spheres. White Americans in one area, black Americans in another. Asian Americans separate from Latinos. We may all live in the same country, but the fact that we interact seems to be a shocker.
These days we're encouraged to be sensitive to the differences between people so that we don't make them feel different. Race, religion, sexual orientation, gender stereotypes, ethnicity- these are things we are taught not to make assumptions about, for fear of offending others. However, because the Japanese haven't been faced with the same history or dealt with the same social struggles as other countries, they can get away with all sorts of things that would be deemed politically incorrect elsewhere. Taken out of the loaded historical context of a country such as the United States, these things are more questionably funny than prejudiced. So when I see a sign advertising "Black Music and Bourbon" in Nara City, I have to chuckle, even though it makes me feel as though I'm standing outside a smoky speakeasy in prohibitionist America, where a flapper is dancing beside an out of tune piano played by a guy named Mac. Anywhere else, this sign would be offensive, but here it's meant as a huge selling point for the club it represents.
One of my students is a really wonderful dancer, and her preferred style is hip hop. On her first homework assignment, when asked what kind of music she likes, she wrote, "I like soul music because I like a husky voice of a black person."
Then, on her final exam, under "What do you think is the best place to study abroad?," she argued, "The USA sends a lot of new something to every country...Especially, a new music style born there is surely the vogue. And I love American style music. James Blown [sic] is so cool!"
Though it's been almost 160 years since Commodore Perry negotiated the opening of Japan to the west, there's still xenophobic chafing in some quarters. In December, a buddy asked me if Japan memorializes Pearl Harbor at all. They don't, which is probably for the best since they are one of our most important strategic partners in Asia, and it could be awkward to commemorate a point in time when we didn't get along as well as we do now. Our current relationship aside, there are a number of people here who are not too keen to have U.S. military bases in Japan (even though I would think they feel a lot better about it every time North Korea starts running its mouth about something). The angst over foreign influence in Japan is felt in other sectors as well. Many Japanese teachers of English are against initiatives to start immersing students in English classes at an earlier age. For some, the rationale is that students will lose interest in the language too early (English is boring), and won't continue their studies through university. More disturbing are the JTEs who think that English is an imperialistic and useless language, and that students should be studying only Japanese. [I work with a teacher who said this almost verbatim to one of my predecessors.]
If you're asking yourself why someone would choose to teach English if they feel such deep disdain for the language, your guess is as good as mine. Their resistance is particularly confounding given that Japan is competing with countries like India and China for salience in the world market, and being multilingual gives an edge. If the prospect of a dominant China isn't a motivator, I don't know what is.
Like it or not, English isn't going anywhere, and ergo, neither is America's presence in Japan. Which should be a positive for the Japanese, as they are the second largest foreign holder of U.S. treasury bonds. Keep your friends close, but your debtors closer.
**At least in northern Asia. It's pretty easy to identify people from southeast Asia when compared to northern Asians.
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