Wherever you’re from in the world. there’s a good chance that your blood contains contributions from different national groups — maybe some German or Italian blood from this branch of the family, or perhaps a dash of Cherokee to keep things interesting. To people from the melting pot that is the United States, mixed ancestry is taken for granted, and it’s quite common to talk about about where your ancestors came from with others. This is one discussion you probably won’t hear in Japan, a very homogeneous country where virtually everyone considers themselves to be of identical stock, and discussions about why that guy from Kyushu looks several shades darker than everyone else are frowned upon. The exception to this rule are individuals who are haafu, or half Japanese and half-Western, who exist in the special place between futsu (normal) Japanese and the incredible varieties of face, hair and body types seen in Westerners. To many people, haafu seems to be the perfect blending of Japanese sensibilities and Western mystique, and there’s a large group of “talents” on TV whose mixed blood helps them appeal to fans. Currently the top haafu star in Japan is a model named Rola, who is part Japanese, Russian and Bangladeshi, and her elegant “otherness” is winning her many fans.
Rola has a blend of features that Japanese fans love.
