Living While Black, In Japan | All Things Considered | NPR

In the wake of the 2020 killing of George Floyd, African-Americans and others mounted ongoing street protests.

But African-Americans living abroad felt the anguish as profoundly as their families and friends back "home."

Some have chosen to live in Japan, one of the most homogeneous nations in the world. Despite being in a smaller minority in Japan than in their home country, they express feelings of safety and freedom. 
 
Yet, racism in the U.S. still plays a role in their lives. In this short film, several African-Americans living in Japan discuss how their encounters with police and racism in the U.S. played into their decision to live abroad and how leaving the U.S. changed their perceptions of who they are and their connection to the country of their birth.

FEATURING
Rivonne Moore; Henry Moreland Seals; Tamru Grant; Ebony Bowens; LaTanya Whitaker; Tyrone Jones II

CREDITS
Director/Producer/Cinematographer: Shiho Fukada, Keith Bedford; Editor: Shiho Fukada; Consulting Editor: Marlo Poras; Supervising Producer: Nicole Werbeck; Video Producer: Nikki Birch; Executive Producer: Keith Jenkins; Audio Engineer: James Willetts; Subtitles by Renee Klahr; James Baldwin footage (1963) provided by CriticalPast; Data on shooting deaths as of August 8, 2021, provided by Mapping Police Violence

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Japanese and English subtitles are now available.

[FHK_]

Many Japanese are scared of having interactions with foreigners because of the language barrier, not because they see them as a threat.
The stares and the intention behind it are different, those are harmless stares.

[thebestisyettocome]

I visited Japan for 2 weeks in 2019 after living in the US for 16 years. My experience was so pleasant that I did "NOT" want to return to the US. The only thing that is holding me back from moving to Japan permanently is the language. The food is great, the air is clean, the people are respectful and the country overall is beautiful. As a black man, I did not feel threatened in any way. You may get stares when you go outside of Tokyo which is understandable. This is because many Japanese in rural Japan have never seen a person of color, so they will naturally stare out of curiosity rather than xenophobia.

[EduardoPereira-iyjs]

These stories are exactly like mine. As a black man who lived in Japan for 2 years, I have never ever felt so free in my life. It is not that Japan is perfect, it is just that USA is completly blind when it comes to good race relations.

[山田貴音-dw]

I'm Japanese and I think why Japanese stares at you when you walk down the street in Tokyo, is that we are curious about different people. Why Japanese tend to avoid sitting next to you on the train, is that we are afraid to be asked something in English, because most of us don't have much confidence in speaking English.
We don't change our behavior only because they have black or white skin.
We also feel jealous when someone have foreign friends. We actually want to be friends and know more about you and your culture.

[池田若葉-un]

I’m Japanese. When I went to America as studying abroad program, I sometimes feel hierarchy or something like discrimination (not so hard one, it’s like ignoring or not sociable for me) from some people. But then African American girl talked to me, which makes me delighted and happy. At that time I was unable to say enough thanks to her due to my poor English. I would like to appreciate it someday when I meet her again. (My Apologies for long sentences and my broken English)

[JermaineAndrews-so]

I first visited Japan in August 2015, upon arriving, I was greeted by the airport staff, shown where to exchange currency, and guided to the JR station. While standing there, looking visibly confused and overwhelmed, a young Japanese businessman approached ME, and used a translator to ask if I was okay or needed help. He was so polite, he not only showed me where to find my hotel, he actually walked me to the front door despite his stop passing. Every person I encountered during that trip was no different, they really are the friendliest, most organized, well mannered people on earth, I enjoyed it so much I visit every year and hope to move there within the next year. As an African American, I was completely taken by the hospitable nature of Japanese people, the world could learn a lot from them.

[Ghost-eojb]

This is why America can't reach its full potential. It's sad when Americans can travel 6000 miles away from their country and feel more respected than when they are at home. If all Americans truly felt welcomed in this country, we would be an unstoppable force. Instead, America is imploding from the inside because we treat each other as enemies instead of countrymen.

[KalimahWilliams]

My Grandson wants to live in Japan. I can't wait until we can make our first trip there. He's going to begin learning Japanese in a few weeks.

[メザントーレ]

As a Filipino in living in Japan, what I felt about Japanese is that, they are scared of different things.
Because in schools they are teaching being fair and equal is important so when they saw something new or something different, it’s just they are scared of it.

But I think that they are open-minded so if you explain things and show it to actions is that they listen to you and look at your attitude and they understand it.

And also, i think the people in cities are so busy and stressed that they tend to think “mind your own business”.
It’s like “i never minded what ever you are doing and I didn’t bothered you so don’t bother me and you don’t have to mind as well”.

[rockylopez]

I'm a latino man living in Japan. Watching this video made me incredibly thankful to live in such a good place. I'm happy these wonderful people get to share their stories and may they prosper in this country!

[loribrock]

It's just heartbreaking that you can't feel safe at home.

[guywhosellsvapes]

In the U.S.
It's definitely all about race and "teams" on all sides.

[おゆみ-je]

When I was a child, there was a black person in the same class at school, so I didn't have a sense of discrimination since I was a child.
Skin color is an identity, but it's not a reason to discriminate.

[hendriks]

Been in Japan before and I've got to say, the best thing about Japan is their culture/people

[comm]

I was very surprised at how bad the environment surrounding blacks in the U.S. is.

Japanese people sometimes stare at foreigners.
This is because they are rare.
Some people stay away from them because they are not confident in their English.
But I want you to know that this is not discrimination.
We Japanese have been learning about the history of foreign countries since we were children.
We are ashamed of discriminatory acts because we know sad stories of America, such as the slavery issue.
However, children may honestly point out that they look different, so please forgive them for that. Because they are still in the process of learning.
Japanese people dislike foreigners only when they do not accept Japanese culture and rules and act selfishly.
There is no discrimination based on race.
Some Japanese are terrible. That is a problem that Japanese people should think about.

[gregoryforte]

From 1994 to 2007, I would spent quite a bit of time in Japan. I was treated with warmth and respect. I was treated like a celebrity wherever I went. The Japanese people that I encountered were very kind to me.

[ムームーン]

とても悲しかったです。
どの人種が優れている、劣っているなんてバカげています。
世界中から人種差別がなくなればいいのにと切に願います。

[MykahCroom]

Amen! As a black person from living in Japan too, I agree. I really enjoy life living here. I feel less stressed here. My eyes have been opened too. I have come to realize America isn't number 1 like how we are taught in school.

[Dannosuke]

As a black man that used to live in Japan, I cannot agree more with everything espoused in this video. Living in Japan I felt like a huge weight was lifted off of my shoulders. And I felt truly free for the first time in my life. This was an amazing piece. I really appreciated it.