|
Beer Museum in Sapporo, Hokkaido |
There are numerous posts on how foreigners are treated in Japan. They're usually from the white people, you know the Americans and Europeans. The tall blue-eyed blondes with high noses. And yes, I'm stereotyping because really, that's the concept of ''gaijin'' in Japan. Actually, in this side of Asia, that's the perfect poster image of a ''gaijin.''
So anyway, I'll throw in my share on the blog-o-sphere on how foreigners are treated in Japan. Although I'm Asian and my features can pass as a Japanese, I am a foreigner. And not just a foreigner, but a FILIPINA. I can probably say that the experience of Filipinas in Japan is different from the white, yellow and black ladies outthere. (No racism intended just being literary.)
As a Filipina in Japan, here are the most common assumptions about me. Other Filipinas, I'm sure, can relate too.
1. I was an entertainer before being a teacher.
Before the bubble economy hit Japan, Filipinas came to Japan to work as entertainers. There was a massive industry for dancers and singers in Japan. In fact, one of my late uncles was a trainer for dancers who are bound to Japan. Then the economy slowed. Suddenly, the entertainers' wages got lower and so the women had to resort to other entertaining activities. Hence, the term ''entertainer'' got a different connotation.
Fast forward to now. Most Filipinas in Japan have been an entertainer but now doing other things including teaching English. I was very young when the entertainment industry boomed but some people think that I used the ''entertainer ticket'' before becoming an English teacher.