Join Our Newsletter
  • Visit Our Store
  • Come Write for J-List!
J-List Blog
Visit J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan
No Result
View All Result
J-List Blog
No Result
View All Result

The Only Gaijin in the Room

Peter Payne by Peter Payne
15 years ago
in Your Friend in Japan

Because I live in a smaller rural city in Japan, there are fewer foreigners around me, and it’s not uncommon for me to find myself the only non-Japanese person around. When I take my family to the Shinto shrine to pray for good luck in the new year on January 1st, for example, I’m likely to find myself in a huge crowd of Japanese faces with nary a Westerner in sight. This is less due to the paltry number of foreigners in our part of the country and more to cultural differences, e.g. most of the Brazilians or Peruvians or Canadians living in Japan are at home doing their own thing rather than standing in the freezing cold trying to experience Japanese New Year’s Day culture. Sometimes being the only foreigner around can take real courage. Once I went to a concert by a minor group called Personz, which wasn’t the sort of band to attract gaijin fans. Not only was I the only non-Japanese in the entire concert hall, but most of the other attendees were short Japanese females, which meant I stood a head or more above everyone, the better for every pair of eyes in the room to lock onto the strange barbarian in row 23.

Being the only gaijin can be a challenge.

Tags: culturefamilygaijin

More Posts Like This

I Raised That Boy
Your Friend in Japan

What Anime Raised You? J-List Customers of Culture Respond!

by Peter Payne
5 months ago

One reason I love social media like X, Bluesky, and Facebook is that I can post questions to my followers...

Is Japan Xenophobic
Your Friend in Japan

No, Japan Is Not Xenophobic. Here’s Why.

by Peter Payne
1 year ago

Last night I was finishing up my evening social media work when I noticed a phrase was trending on X....

You've Been In Japan Too Long When

The Ultimate ‘You’ve Been in Japan Too Long When…’ List!

4 years ago
Rugby Explosion In Japan

Rugby Explosion in Japan!

6 years ago
The three stages of gaijin eye aversion?

What Are The Three Stages of Gaijin Eye Aversion?

6 years ago
Why Are Some Anime Inaccessible To Foreigners

Why Are Some Anime Inaccessible to Foreigners?

6 years ago
Next Post
YYN482 W

Mid-Summer Greetings Cards

Trending Today

The Top 11 Anime Sex Scenes Blog
Your Friend in Japan

Happy Sex Day! Let’s Rank the 11 Most Surprising Ecchi Scenes in Anime

1 month ago
Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime Web Cover
News

Spring 2025 Ecchi Anime and Where to Watch Them

4 months ago
Yandere Dark Elf Episode 1 Featured Image
Featured

Yandere Dark Elf, Episode 1 — Love Heavier than Chocolate Melons!

3 months ago
Haite Kudasai, Takamine San Episode 9 Featured Image
Featured

Haite Kudasai, Takamine-san, Episode 9 — Slippery When Wet!

2 weeks ago
Dengeki Moeoh August 2025 Cover
Anime Magazine

What’s Inside Dengeki Moeoh August 2025? Ecchi Illustrations, Posters, Art, and More!

1 week ago
Get the Newest Figures from J-List - Your Favorite Online Shop and Friend in Japan
Screenshot
News

They’re Back: Announcing the Return of J-List Tissues!

by Peter Payne
July 19, 2025

They’re Back: Announcing the Return of J-List Tissues!

3 Horny and Hungry Reasons to Watch Clevatess

Dandadan S2 Pulls No Punches (and the Fight Scenes Hit Hard, Too)

Cultural Exchange with a Game Center Girl — A Kawaii Romance

Tojima Wants to Be a Kamen Rider and Fight Shocker

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Discord
  • YouTube

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured
  • News
  • Gallery
  • Product Reports
  • Your Friend in Japan

© J-LIST. All trademarks, characters and images are property of their respective owners.