by axxxm
7/February/2023 in Kyoto
Over the past several years, foreigners in Japan always catch my eye
in a cafe, train, bus, shop, street.....wherever
Here I'm using this term, "foreigners", to mean "racial minorities"
People who "physically" don't look like Japanese, more specifically White and Black person
They catch my attention, simply because they make me think about myself in a foreign land
When I was abroad, particularly in Eastern Europe or Balkans, I always felt a strong sense of an outsider
Apparently because I looked different
I want to emphasise here, "I LOOKed different"
Differences in appearance.....physical differences.....are very powerful & very immediate
that instantly makes him/herself understand he/she is an outsider
also, that instantly makes people around understand this man/woman is an outsider
But it didn't bother me that much
I went abroad on my own will. I became racial minority on my own will. Not like, I was forced to move there by work or a partnership with someone or some unprecedented causes
If it was too uncomfortable, then I didn't need to stay there
Having said that, everyday I was forced to be aware of my own nationality & my own race
due to an attention & treatments I got
Again, it wasn't too annoying or bothering
But surely, it was mentally energy-consuming
In this sense, staying in my home country feels very nice
Because I can be "one of them"
I can be assimilated into mass
I can avoid to think about my own nationality & my own race
And nobody pays attention to me
Then, look around & see "foreigners" & wonder their everyday life here in Japan
.....if what they think & feel is somewhat similar to me in a foreign land?
.....if they're more excited here than in their home country like me in a foreign land?
.....or, if they feel loneliness like me in a foreign land?
This loneliness is not that loneliness we usually feel in everyday life
This loneliness is, let's say, a type of loneliness coming from being racial minority in a foreign land
It can be tough, painful, acute, but also can be fun, exciting & very addictive
.....So, probably what catches my attention is this loneliness that a racial minority foreign person in Japan must be feeling