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How do you guys cope with the paranoia that everybody wants you to leave Japan?
For context, I'm an American who has lived in Japan for around 10 years. I speak good Japanese and would say that I have a good ability to read the air, and follow social cues etc. But, I can't help but feel that just by existing I'm giving some anxiety to the people around me, or that they're disappointed to see me. I probably shouldn't, but every once in a while I get recommended some YouTube or instagram video about foreigners moving to Japan, or some Hiroyuki thought piece on why foreigners moving to Japan is bad, etc lol. And I really shouldn't but I can't help myself but to check the comments. It's all things like 「外国人が入ったら日本が終わるよ」and 「はい、移民は望んでいません」 with like 500 upvotes and stuff like that. It just makes me sad, to be honest.
I didn't used to live in Tokyo, and for at least a few hundred people I'm probably the first foreign person they ever interacted with. I felt like I was doing some kind of good just by being around and showing people that "Hey, foreigners don't have to be so scary! We can learn Japanese too, and be polite, etc". But now I can't help but feel like this sentiment is only going to get worse, and that I'm only adding to the problem and the "death of Japan" by existing here. It's kind of surprising because my experience with Japanese people has been that, while ignorant about a ton of stuff, people seemed to be much more reasonable and in the middle about topics compared to Americans. But a lot of the sentiment I'm seeing post-covid as the tourists return is reminding me a bit of fox news... To clarify, I don't need to be the center of attention. I've actually enjoyed being treated a bit more like a fellow human in Tokyo, but I am feeling a bit of a different energy out here recently. It just seems like someone is always looking around, and counting how many of us gaijijn there are, and then saying it out loud lol.
I don't know. I probably shouldn't care, and I've dealt a fair amount of the kind of systemic racism you find in Japan, and it hasn't bothered me that much. But recently this has been getting into my head a bit. Anyone else? Thoughts?
I've been here about 12 years and went through a similar patch around year 8 or 9. What shifted for me was realizing that the people who mutter 外国人が多い are the same ones who mutter about kids on their phones or women with strollers on the train. It's not about you, it's about them needing something to be annoyed by that day.
The algorithm thing is real though. I deleted Instagram entirely and stopped reading Yahoo comment sections cold turkey. That alone cut about 80% of the noise. What's left is the actual interactions I have at the sento in Shimokitazawa or the yakitori place in Koenji where the obaachan still gives me extra skin because she remembers I like it.
You've been here long enough that you're probably underestimating how many Japanese people see you as just the guy from the neighborhood rather than "the foreigner." The ones who count gaijin on trains are tourists to Tokyo themselves half the time anyway.
honestly, i've been here about 8 years and i get what you mean about that post-covid shift. my theory is that a lot of japanese people forgot what tourists felt like, and now the sudden flood of loud groups in shibuya or asakusa is just triggering a defensive reflex that's more about "oh god, not this again" than about you personally. the people muttering 外国人が多い on the train are usually the same ones who'd complain about anything, but your average neighbor or convenience store clerk doesn't care as long as you're not blocking the sidewalk.
one thing that helped me was switching up my social circle a bit. i used to hang out mostly with other foreigners, which made the online stuff echo louder. started joining a local community garden in setagaya and doing volunteer cleanup days at the park, and the old ladies there are way too busy gossiping about the guy who doesn't sort his burnable trash to worry about where i'm from. also, i unfollowed every japan-related youtube channel that wasn't just cooking or craft stuff. that algorithm is poison for your headspace.
you've been here a decade, you know the real japan is the one where your neighbor waves at you when you take out the trash, not the one in comment sections. the online noise is real but it's also a tiny echo chamber compared to the millions of people who just want to get through their day without drama.
Yeah I get it, living here that long you start hearing the background noise more. What helped me was just remembering that online comments and random old dudes grumbling on the train don't speak for everyone you meet in real life.
Where can I find crispy, pan-fried bacon similar to a certain international style?
if u have a costco membership the kirkland thick cut is the move, 4 packs of 500g for around 2500 yen and it crisps up proper in a cold pan. for smaller runs, precce in azabudai hills & the basement at isetan shinjuku both carry imported US & danish brands in the chilled case, just read the label for "thick cut" or "smoked" and not "loin". also worth knowing japanese bacon is often wet-cured so pat it dry before frying or it steams instead of crisping
kaldi coffee farm is hit or miss but their smoked bacon from denmark shows up pretty regular, the 200g pack runs about 600 yen. what actually works better for me is asking the butcher counter at peacock or life to slice the block bacon thick, like 5mm, they do it for free and it crisps way better than the pre-packed stuff. also fwiw cheap bacon crisps faster, the fatty supermarket kind at 300 yen a pack works fine if u cook it from cold in a dry pan and pour off the fat as it renders.
tbh the gyomu super store brand bacon is surprisingly decent for crisping up, its not thick cut but if you cook it low and slow it gets pretty crunchy. the key is the dry cure vs wet cure thing, wet cure steams. also check hanamasa if you have one nearby, they sell big packs of american style bacon thats actually smoked and firm.
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