Halfs (doubles!)

[r45 4]

Question to the people on here who are either "halfs" themselves or have children who are half Japanese and half something else....

 

A Japanese friend tried to tell me today that most "halfs" end up looking more Western than Japanese. Sounds rubbish to me, so whats the deal?

 

Lets telling the persons wrong!

 

[bobby12 0]

"Halfs" often say that in USA they get called Japanese, and in Japan they get called Gaijin. Obviously the more monoracial the neighborhood is, the more your differences would stand out.

 

Being "half" in Japan is received by the locals as a very positive thing (a disproportionate ratio of models/talento in japan are half), compared to the UK I feel.

[Ezorisu 0]

Yeah, it's more an issue of having some characteristic that looks different than the "typical" Asian than actually being more "Western". In a place like Japan with particularly low ethnic diversity, non-Asian features stand out, no matter how small they are.

 

I've been told by Japanese people things like, "he looks Korean," or, "she looks Chinese." This is somewhat ironic or funny, considering the Western adage about "all Asians looking the same" - apparently they can detect whatever difference it is even it Mr. Hakujin can't.

 

r45, I don't think your friend meant anything negative or derisive about "halfs," just that someone different in a vast sea of Asian faces would tend to be noticed for their non-Asian features.

[thursday 1]

I think it's true. I've seen a lot of halfs who have funny coloured hair and not so asian eyes and lips, nose etc.

 

I see a lot of halfs here. A LOT.

[Jynxx 4]

I heard the same as bobby12

except...depends what generation you are talking about.

It became trendy and cool to be "half" or have a western look in the '70s.

Thing you have to remember is before that time they were called " Ai-no-ko" (put together kid- implying not whole) and was frowned upon. Why? Generally they were seen as a product of the Combined servicemen and the "whores" in the Japanese eyes. As sexist as you may think, I think here lies the prejudice of Japanese nationality law that is only given to whom their father is Japanese.

 

Ezoritsu, it's quite similar as to say, She looks french, he looks saxson...

 

There is such a thing as a korean looking make up, or chinese looking make up though...

I heard expressions amongst Japanese, She looks like "Islander origin" "migrated origin" etc..

[HelperElfMissy 42]

I had a LOL the other day at friends of ours - she Japanese, him Aussie/caucasian, two kids both born in Japan, lived in Japan until a couple of years ago when they brought the kids to the less pressured educational environment in Oz.

 

We were in the Swine Flu queue waiting for our quarantine instructions and tamiflu, when they came out of the centre - adorned with masks. I asked "are they making everyone wear masks?", the hubby's response - no we re Japanese remember. He often describes himself as Japanese, talks in Japanese at home and with the kids - he identifys as Japanese - but he does not look Japanese at all.

 

Really - whatever you look like - it matters not in todays society - multiculturalism, immigration, world travel ... it is who & where you identify with that is important.

[stemik 14]

Originally Posted By: Jynxx

I think here lies the prejudice of Japanese nationality law that is only given to whom their father is Japanese.

Confused here Jynxx....can you explain this one?

[Jynxx 4]

Have the Japanese changed that... I'm a bit out of touch but it used to be when your Dad is a Japanese national, the kids get nationality but when your Mum is Japanese and married to a gaijin, they don't.

[stemik 14]

ok ....its changed

[Ezorisu 0]

Just remembered that I have a friend who is half Chinese and half German (with some miscellaneous stuff thrown in there for good measure), and everybody thinks he's pure Japanese - he looks like a younger version of that naked SMAP Kusanagi dude. When he tells people that he has 0% Japanese content, they think he's trying to pull a fast one on them and they don't believe him.

 

I guess this is the flip-side of the coin where a "half" pulls the Asian side of things and people don't recognize the caucasian side.

[Jynxx 4]

That's good to hear.

One less injustice

[snowdude 44]

Well my daughter is half Japanese half British, but looks more Japanese than Western, at least in my eyes anyway, but definately has mixed features obviously, she has my hair and her eyes are half way between mine and my wifes! She looked just like me for the first couple of years though. But depending on the children they can continue to change until they get much older so can go either way more than the other or be a medium mix of both!