If you’ve ever lived in a foreign country, you most probably have gone through the following phases: feeling like an alien, constantly being surprised of the differences in culture, acceptance and assimilation…
I’ve lived in South East Asia and North America, and I’m going to share my personal experiences as a Japanese in other countries.
1. Cultural Difference
Being raised by Japanese parents, I was pretty much raised up as a stereotypical Japanese – well-reserved, polite, punctual, you name it. However, I only realized that this was a very Japanese characteristic when I was living overseas. Being punctual or being reserved was not even required in many of the countries I lived in. If you wanted to get your point across, you don’t have time to be reserved, you needed to voice your opinions – however this was something challenging for a Japanese like myself. I feel like this experience opened me up to so many different opportunities.
2. Multicultural
Japan is a very single-raced country, and, let’s face it, it’s not the most multicultural country. It’s hard to be multicultural in a country that is not. However, living abroad gave me the opportunity to meet people from literally all over the world. It also opened me up to different cultures, and people from different backgrounds, which made me more open-minded to diversity. Also, being able to try different cuisines all the time is always a plus too.
3. Language Barriers and Stereotypes
The Japanese language is already hard enough, and on top of it, English is a tough language for most Japanese people. Of course, there are many Japanese people like myself who are blessed with the opportunity to learn English, however many are not. With that comes the stereotype that all Japanese people can’t speak English. I can’t count the number of times a foreigner came up to me and complimented my English. Although I was happy, I felt sad that people had an image that all Japanese people can’t speak English. I’m sure that this is not completely true; it’s just that people are shy in speaking another foreign language. However, I’ve also learned to ignore these stereotypes and let people know, that stereotypes are not always true.
Being a foreigner to a country is always a strange but an exciting experience, especially if your own customs are different to others. As the saying goes ‘When in Rome, do as the Romans do’. You should try to understand the culture, however, be sure to not lose your true self when doing so. I was ‘Made in Japan’ and I’ve never let myself forget it.