"No, which country are you REALLY from?" The Western man Raised in Japan

[@ek3202]

As a Japanese person who was born and raised in Brazil, then moved to the USA, earned a USA citizenship through the military, then moved to Japan, I can say it firsthand that this is common around the world. In Brazil, I was never referred to as "Brasileiro" was "Japonês". In the USA, I was never Brazilian, I was Japanese. I finally gave up on trying to convince people that I was Brazilian and moved to Japan (Joking about this, but I did move to Japan). Regardless, in Japan, they don't refer to me as Brazilian or American, they just assume I am Japanese. I guess I ended up just coming full circle in the circle of ethnicity/nationality.

[@reijimusic5621]

Main character

[@musicfan300]

@@Rwissam1987 No, where you're born and grow up matters a lot...The culture of where you grew up is reflected in you...Where you were born was decided by God, the One who made the entire universe.

[@michaelf7093]

@@Rwissam1987 I know a (white) English gal, born and raised in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe, but has lived in the US, (and gotten citizenship) for more than 20 years. She definitely calls herself "African". In fact, when asked if she is an "African-American", she responds with "No, I'm an American African".

[@guydemullet303]

My wife was Asian, adopted as a baby by US/Irish couple. Raised in Europe and the US and absolutely avoided people from her native land. She was once harangued by a local Asian market owner who insisted on speaking to her in HIS native language. He simply could not comprehend that someone born in his country could NOT speak his language. We had to stop shopping there, it became so annoying. Frankly, despite being imperfect in its race relations, the US is still the LEAST racially sensitive country in the world. Everyone here has at least MET a fair number of people who appear Asian but SPEAK only English. Not so in Asia.

[@lillyv9430]

@@guydemullet303 australia has many 1st and 2nd generation older asians. They understand there are plenty of asian ethnic people who are australian.

[@markcroydon3195]

The funny thing is for me as an Australian, I can easily see and hear that this man is Japanese, even though I don't speak Japanese. His posture, hand gestures, mannerisms are all very much the same as Japanese tourists/students I have met here in Australia or seen on t.v/movies. His English also has a slight Japanese accent to it.

[@Zanajk]

well I've read your coment look again at his body language is so every anime character I have ever seen :)

[@beakittelscherz5419]

I am from Germany. And you are right. I def. get this vibe too😁 I really like the guy.

[@Sabin41]

Knowing he's Japanese I can definitely see that now but my initial thought was that he might be gay. The mannerisms and way he speaks remind me a little bit of some gay men that I know.

[@ALFRABEIRA]

@@Sabin41 I agree with you. I would portrait him more like gay than Japanese. Maybe I'm wrong.

[@alistelum404]

@@Sabin41 me. a straight japanese guy. also behave like him with gestures.

[@ELAinTaipei]

I am an American living in Taipei and my son deals with this and gets really frustrated about it. He is in junior high now and was born and raised in Taipei. He speaks fluent Chinese without a foreign accent. His preferences and behaviors are mostly Taiwanese, not much American influence. He goes to local school and is always the only "foreigner" in the whole school. He hates getting called "foreigner" and new people he meets acting so shocked and amazed when he speaks Chinese. He has gotten to the point where he won't talk at all unless required to and he wears black hoodies to school to try to hide his pale skin and blonde hair. 😢 The only reason he doesn't have a Taiwanese passport is because they don't allow kids born here to get one unless they have a Taiwanese parent. When we visit America, he feels awkward and more like a tourist. I wish people could be more open and accepting. It is a rough road sometimes for children born and raised outside their parents' home country.

[@MoreiraSavio]

american spies on china?

[@vvp_rus]

Такого нет в России. В России ты русский как только ты говоришь по-русски.

[@Ivan-fy3pr]

@@vvp_rus Yeah, but Russian people just look caucasian. There isn't that insurmountable "race barrier" to being accepted.

[@w0000ticus]

Not shocked, asian countries are racist as fuckkkk

[@j.jabara]

I'm Croatian, born and raised...have an Arabian First and Last Name, and I'm Muslim in a country that has mostly Christians, I and don't look at all like most Croatians do because I have darker skin, but I never felt like I don't belong here, and I always get asked where I'm from, and I speak perfectly my native language hahaha so yeah there is a lot of this all around the world that's just how the world functions sadly. My mother is Croatian, but my father was born in Kuwait and moved here to study abroad almost 50 years ago, and he got married to her and lives here more than 90% of his life and he will forever be a foreigner in most peoples eyes even though he lives here his whole life practically...my point is, there is also a lot of racism in Croatia based on nationality, religion and how you look but there are also good and normal people, and I was lucky enough to live in a normal city and place, so I didn't have almost any unpleasant experiences, but people always ask me where I'm from and was I born here is the 2nd question hahahaha because they want to know probably how I can speak Croatian so perfectly hahaha I mean I live here more than 30 years, went to collage here, so I should probably know how to speak and write I would hope. The thing is in most countries people won't accept you at first if you don't look identically to them, that's just a fact...I mean I don't want to sound rude, but you have a lot of examples in the US and I saw a lot of it in Germany...people like to form communities where people share the same beliefs and look alike, for example in Germany you have parts of towns that have mostly certain people living there(because of the prices of rent or who know why). My Uncle lives in Köln and I lived there also, you have parts of town where mostly Turkish people live, and parts of the town where mostly Arabs live and Muslims, and so on...I mean my Uncle lives in a nice neighborhood he is in a better part of the town, but you get my point...like in the US they have China town and such stuff that's the same thing...people like to associate with people that look like them, it's human psychology, and we won't change that in the near future, because people are primarily divided by nationality, religion and skin color and that is how they form relationships mostly based on that...if there was nor racism and no bullying for being different the world would be a better place, but that will never be possible if we are being honest...you can't force people to be nice or have manners...that's what you learn based on where you were raised and by whom, not by the way you look or were born...and kids in some countries are dumber than the adults, so it's no wonder they find it amusing calling someone a foreigner hahaha I mean in Croatia that isn't even an insult hahaha there are way more cruel things said in Croatian when you want to bully or offend someone(nothing to brag about, but it's true...being called a foreigner would be actually the nicest thing someone could say to you in that case hahahaha).

[@Emirichan317]

"I have to explain my life story to every single person I interact with." MAN did that resonate. I love Japan, but it gets tiring to do every time.

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@mzple]

@@thetruetreasure1Your an Italian-Tunisian. Italian is your nationality, Tunisian is your ethnicity.

[@christophercrawford2736]

@@thetruetreasure1my step dad is Tunisian. My brother and sisters are half Tunisian. Greetings from Los Angeles, California!

[@jackrowe5571]

My parents are deaf. I was raised in a "silent" household. My spouse gets upset because l never speak or seldom do. I get the question of how do you learn sign or how did you learn English? I don't know... it was always there. I get by in both worlds and even became a teacher for the hearing impaired.

[@joebabbles3818]

Very interesting. So the silence from your household carried over to all other areas of your life? I grew up in a single family household with a deaf mother but she only speaks English.

[@jackrowe5571]

@Joe Babbles my dad used American Sign Language, but did well vocalizing with others. Mom used ASL, but her schooling had emphasized finger spelling. Her English skills were better, but she couldn't vocalize well at all. She would pronounce my brother's name and mine exactly the same: Jackie and Gregory!

[@RoroRoro-zc5on]

​@Tomas Gonzales siii...el mundo con más silencio

[@ak5659]

Your spouse should learn to sign.

[@boodledemic6430]

Lol “how do you learn to sign” it’s called language acquisition 😅 the way people still to this day treat deaf people and CODAs like they’re a special breed astounds me

[@shiracordero]

He needs a shirt that says: "I look like a foreigner but I am Japanese" writen in both languages Japanese and English. I have a Mexican friend living in America who did this but he wrote in his shirt: "I look illegal but I am not" 😅🤣 and it works, people giggled and stopped judging or asking him things.

[@JV-eh3lh]

Yeah while living in Japan I thought so many times I should wear a cap or a face mask saying "I speak Japanese"

[@evelynn08]

When in Rome...

[@_aiko020]

LOLL

[@dawnchesbro4189]

But the sad thing is, your friend shouldn't need a shirt proclaiming his status. We as a society shouldn't discriminate based on race, gender, age, etc. Yet it happens way too often. I'm sorry your friend had to make a shirt to explain his life situation to ignorant judgemental people.

[@revelationscoronation8916]

I never understand people sneak others in like ye trying to piss people off he's not japanese now is he? Or he has full reason, pass, love their culture, know history, respect stuff, etc??

[@HYTELES]

I lived in Korea. A Taiwanese friend came to visit. We went out shopping and eating all around Busan. I would speak Korean to Koreans and they would ignore me as they kept speaking to her in Korean. I tried to explain to them that she doesn't speak Korean and they refused to accept it. She didn't want them to lose face, so she just didn't respond and she looked to me for a translation. It blew the Koreans' mind.

[@Haywood-Jablomie]

They probably thought she was mentally handicapped or something ! lololol 😅😂🤣

[@ballistic2527]

But they make you lose face by outright ignoring you? I'd absolutely let them lose face

[@thiabroido]

That's so rude

[@Haywood-Jablomie]

@@thiabroido That's most East Asian countries. lol

[@michaeltaylor8835]

Its a weird world

[@evalacha3644]

I'm German living in Japan. When I lived in a bigger city, people also asked me everywhere where I'm from etc. but after I moved to the country side, I had to tell everybody only ONCE, and now I'm part of the community and feel accepted! I was worried before moving to the countryside that the opposite will happen, but no, I feel free-er here than in the big city! Maybe moving to a small town would make Joshua feel more at home???

[@LyraYT]

Warum schreibst du dann auf Englisch

[@evalacha3644]

@@LyraYT Weil das Video auf Englisch ist und somit Englisch sprechende Menschen hier lesen...

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@iain-duncan]

​@@LyraYTEnglish is lingua franca it's hardly uncommon to speak it on public multinational forums

[@rachelolanoff9323]

100% agree - when I lived in the countryside people just treated me as a human being and member of the community

[@lindamiae]

As an adoptee from Korea growing up in Sweden I can totally relate to his experiences. Story of my life and many other adoptees.

[@heckincat1406]

I'm Swedish, and I can wholeheartidly say that at least I accept you👍. So sorry you went through that.

[@livedandletdie]

I had the opposite problem, I'm native born Swedish, but I speak one of the 3 unrecognized languages natively, so I feel like a stranger in Sweden... I think that Swedes in general however have very low expectations of foreigners, be them first, second, even third generation, which is sad, foreigners are viewed as 2nd class citizens, even successful foreigners. Then when a Stockholmer comes to speak to me, and then berates me for not speaking Swedish, despite being native... this nation is fucked up.

[@ontoverse]

@@livedandletdie I haven't heard the term unrecognized language in Sweden before, but Spanish, Persian, (East) Arabic, Turkish and South Slavic (fmr Yugoslav regions) come to mind. All useful in Sweden on a daily basis, both in business and in private, but not available to study as electives until senior high / gymnasiet-- except Spanish. Which are the three in your take? Personally, I have Slavic heritage on one side of the family from two centuries ago, but still got placed "with the other immigrants" in school due to retaining the family name (Czech). So even if you pass as a Swede, that only lasts until you prove to be the "wrong kind of white" in their mind. It's about a fifth of the population who feel like that, according to the polls, so I guess that's something? As in, most people aren't like that-- at least in the lower classes.

[@goyam2981]

If you say you're from Sweden but of Korean descent, people would understand right away. If your goal is effective communication, you should anticipate what people would assume and take initiative to explain it right away.

[@pentasigil]

hard to believe

[@RespectOthers1]

Joshua is one of those people who’s life is already guaranteed to be interesting even from the moment he was born! :D

[@OrientalPearl]

I know right. One in a million.

[@MirmaAmanda]

Yes yes yes ... Joshua you are Special 💝

[@Rov-Nihil]

He's the shining example as to how insanely shallow people are. I come from Curacao with Latino parents and most people ask me more about Latino things than anything else. Even if I'm living in the Netherlands where people know more about Curacao they still ask me about a country I've only visited twice (Costa Rica). I swear if I was black I wouldn't be getting these questions! I've even been asked why I wasn't black, like bruh it's 2020, hodemi!!

[@ryankramer]

@@Rov-Nihil That’s not what shallow is. When you encounter something different, your curiosity goes up. This is a universal thing, regardless of race, background, ethnicity, etc. I’m an identical twin, and people would naturally react with a little curiosity to that. It doesn’t make them shallow to be curious. It just sucks for those who have an annoying social burden as a result.

[@rabbit251]

I hope Joshua figures out his identity and who he is. I've lived in Japan for 21 years but speak only basic Japanese (and no, I've never had Japanese been surprised that I could ask simple things in Japanese). I married a Chinese woman who changed her citizenship to Japanese. She doesn't speak English (I previously had lived in Taiwan and China and learned to speak Chinese). Around we go all over Japan speaking Chinese, or she translates everything from Japanese to Chinese for me. Our daughter is technically both Japanese and American. She is trilingual although English is her strongest language since she attended international schools all her life. Sometimes it does get difficult for her when we keep switching languages. I know it really riles some Japanese that she is "Japanese" but has no Japanese blood. But so far none of the Japanese have been rude to her, although they do exclude from everything at school. I recently found my own identity. I met a friend from NZ who has been here as long as me, although his Japanese is much better than mine as he has a Japanese wife. I asked him about NZ and what was going on there and he couldn't answer that but instead said that he feels disconnected from his home country. It dawned on me that I feel the same about the US. I really don't know the people there anymore. I am often shocked or amazed at comments the leave here on youtube, petty disputes about usually irrelevant things. Basically my friend and I are just foreigners living in Japan. One of the nice things about Japan is that they value privacy and almost always, from my experience, will leave you alone. I know Japanese are amazed if a foreigner learns their language. That is Japan. In China it's different, they accept that foreigners will learn to speak their language. (Although back in 1988 I did have one peasant I was trying to buy something from kept saying "He sounds like he's speaking Chinese but I can't understand him." The crowd corrected that I was speaking Chinese but he just couldn't get over it. That is the only incident I have ever had. Most Chinese compliment me on my Chinese telling it is very "standard," a compliment in Chinese. Different country, different culture. Every country has good things and bad things about it. I try to focus on the good. Good luck to Joshua.

[@laughing-knees]

I wasn’t born in Japan, but grew up here and lived most of my life here, since I was nine. I know exactly how this feels. Exactly my experience.

[@lunasol8306]

that’s so cool !!!

[@AnbuReckz]

@@lunasol8306 Yhh except the part of being marginalised by your own countrymen

[@jonconnor0729]

@@AnbuReckz marginalised v. treat (a person, group, or concept) as insignificant or peripheral.

[@AnbuReckz]

thanks for googling the definition @@jonconnor0729

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@donnaharris4420]

My buddy Dave's parents are Chinese, he was born in Jamaica. They moved to Canada and he worked in a restaurant to put himself through school . Many of the cooks were Jamaican and would talk about him in patois....until one day he casually started a conversation with one of the cooks who had made derogatory comments....turns out they were born in the same place and grew up not far from each other in Jamaica. Hilarious to see the expressions of the rest of the staff!

[@kumasan1969]

I spent my teenage days in Kagoshima, but I grew up in Osaka and I had strong Osakan accent. My classmates made fun of how I speak really hard. I had my own identity problem for years after spending years in Kagoshima because native Osakan see me as fake because I have too much Kagoshima influence. I cannot imagine how terrible his experience have been in this closed society sometimes even hostile to a Japanese native of a misfit kind like myself.

[@TheodourusRex]

:(

[@loveudon6972]

That's terrible to hear. I am a gaijin who lived in Kagoshima for a year or two. It's the best place in Japan. Imo shochu , chashu-men and sakurajima diakon. Be proud to be a Kasogshiman 👍🙏♥️

[@kumasan1969]

@@loveudon6972 I am a proud Kansainese.

[@modelinglinkcraft9925]

何故なら大阪は韓国人の天国だからね

[@modelinglinkcraft9925]

普通に日本の歴史を韓国人に歪められて知らな過ぎな日本人はお花畑と呼ばれるさ。 大阪京都辺りは韓国人の天国で特区明治維新後や大戦ごは韓国人の日本議員政府が戦勝国のイギリスの日本人奴隷計画ね ハプスブルクウィンザー家の計画で協力者は日本内の半島と中国の潜航移民末裔を利用したクーデターで其れが関西圏の 韓国人達の事だからね。

[@elizaonthemountain3464]

I can relate. I lived in Mexico as a child. My mom, who is half native American, would take me shopping because she spoke zero Spanish. I look like my dad, Irish/Danish. We were accused of trying to scam them because "obviously" my mom was Mexican and I spoke perfect Spanish to the shopkeepers but perfect English to her when translating. 😖 It was worse in school.

[@replayreplay1829]

Det gør mig ked at høre 😢

[@sophiaisabelle027]

Pearl's overall content are unqiue. They showcase different sides of every Asian country she would travel to. Her humbleness and and passion for making these types of videos is definitely something everyone should look up to.

[@OrientalPearl]

Awww, thank you so much Sophia!

[@brianneslamin554]

💯 agree!! I’ve felt that way since her early content. So thankful she stuck to her guns!

[@AnsenHelm]

Could not have said it better myself. So well said. 🙏🏼

[@purplesky110]

There’s plenty content like hers but from black, brown, indigenous Japanese, indigenous Korean people. Maybe check them out.

[@-farang-la-fan]

100% agree, love watching the videos! Also, love her language breadth too!

[@cleonawallace376]

I watched this because my kids are born and raised in Italy, although because I'm British and my husband's Irish they are a linguistic and cultural mix. I think this is going to become more and more common and it's good to hear people discussing their experiences. Listening to you speak English, you do have a Japanese accent, but not very much at all.

[@Lurklen]

It's interesting, I've seen a few videos with people in similar circumstances to Joshua, but he's one of the first that speaks English, like someone who's dominant language is Japanese. Like when he's talking about school, he says "Maybe, first few years of elementary school..." dropping the "the", and when he says "Why doesn't that itself tells you..." adding the "s" to "tell", these are all the ways my friends who are Japanese speak English, it's a lot of the same patterns, same added or dropped sounds/words. Really neat! (Also, he speaks English very well, totally understandable, and he should in no way feel self conscious about his English.)

[@Owari-No-Kami]

As a Japanese-Brazilian I can totally relate, my family has been in Brazil for 4 generations, and yet, I'm still seen as a foreigner in my Own Country as well, one of my Wife's relatives even asked "jokingly" in a family reunion, if I knew how to speak portuguese.

[@SamySamy-db8uu]

Vc é de onde???? Pq dependendo da cidade/estado, não é tão incomum ter a presença de descentes de asiáticos, não é? Creio que em regiões como o Nordeste (que é onde eu moro) e no Norte há um estranhamento maior já que não tem uma pluralidade muito grande no que se trata de imigrantes/pessoas descentes de imigrantes.

[@Owari-No-Kami]

@@SamySamy-db8uu Sou da região onde a imigração japonesa para o Brasil começou, no oeste paulista, ou seja, não é tão incomum encontrar nikkeis por aqui, mesmo assim de vez em quando ouço umas coisas não tão legais sobre meu pertencimento ao Brasil kkk

[@renatobabka263]

@@Owari-No-Kami acho que já virou algo automático 😂 fiz faculdade na liberdade em SP, mas mesmo assim chamavam de japa os descendentes de japoneses 😂 mas, ao meu ver, é só pela aparência mesmo, não que não considerem vocês brasileiros.

[@Owari-No-Kami]

@@renatobabka263 Assim, alguns eu argumentaria que é por hábito mesmo, mas em alguns casos eu argumentaria que há malícia, o caso que eu citei eu diria que é um deles, também já tive um colega de serviço "zuando", que eu "não era Brasileiro de verdade" por ter sobrenome japonês, eu não vejo nada de errado em ser chamado de "japonês" ou "japa"( acho irritante, mas nada que não de pra relevar), agora, o caso que eu citei ali em cima ou o caso do meu colega de serviço, acho que vai um pouco mais além de "tolerável".

[@renatobabka263]

@@Owari-No-Kami ahh com certeza! Sempre tem esse tipo de gente. Sou descendente de Tcheco e já aconteceu isso comigo, imagina com descendente de japonês.

[@sksunshine4860]

He has the Japanese intonation with the musicality when speaking English despite looking British. I can understand why they are taken aback but the inflection when he speaks Japanese shows he is much more comfortable speaking it than English.

[@miamuze]

Looking British?

[@aizac91]

@@miamuze yeah, you’ve a problem with that? He is an ethnic British man. If you’ve a problem with that then guess what buddy; you’ve a problem with Japanese man in the video, with me (I’m a southeast Asian guy), and most of the rest of the non-Western world. We do not try to ignore people’s ethnic or cultural background to make them “fit in”.

[@aizac91]

@@miamuze funny how you say you’re a Japanese looking person in rural Australia to established that there is such a thing as Japanese looking but you try to discredit British looking people as if there is no native ethnic British people who are the European people. Racist double standard that’s for sure you are. The hatred for anything European people belonging of ethnic/culture/identity/history is strong in you. Tsk, tsk.

[@cg558]

​@@aizac91he looks white. He doesn't particularly look British.

[@natsinthebelfry]

@@aizac91 What you're saying is that you're the actual problem. Got it.

[@jiujitsujim]

Just wanted to say, huge respect to you for promoting language education instead of just modeling yourself for clicks. From Michigan but retiring at 45 to Belize at 45. Learning German & Spanish now, Chinese next! Keep up the great work 😊

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@justbreathe4442]

I feel you're pain, born and raised in Australia, but not considered by some as Australian because I'm not white. It was until I was overseas speaking English in my Aussie accent until another Aussie asked where I was from, so I answered as if it was asked whilst in Australia, they looked at me confused, but you have an Aussie accent, then I realised she was asking where I'm from in Australia. Didn't feel Australian until that point.

[@SauronsEye]

That's a rule of mine. You speak with an Aussie accent.....you're Australian.....simple rule.

[@aizac91]

@@SauronsEye Australia is a different story as it is not a European native nation; so anyone can be Australian in technical speaking. But Japan/Europe/Africa Saharan/China ; those are all ethnic region nations and the ethnic phenotype of people has been there thousands and thousands of years already. So of course it’ll be weird.

[@hojdog]

Well, it’s not really the case in the UK either. It’s incredibly normal to be a different ethnicity from white in the uk. If someone speaks with an English accent but they are Asian, Black, middle eastern etc, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid. That said, everyone from racial minority definitely experiences racism at some point in their life in the UK, but it’s the exception not the rule

[@mikeymoose7253]

@@aizac91 if you are born in the uk you are British that’s it

[@aizac91]

@@mikeymoose7253 and I don’t understand which part of my comment stating otherwise??

[@pinkymoon5039]

Happened to my asian looking husband who was born and raised in Switzerland. Quite a few people assume he is a asian tourist or expat and speak English when meeting him for the first time. Their jaws drop in shock when he speaks fluent Swiss German.

[@OrientalPearl]

I could imagine that.

[@Allmight_Kitty]

My mother was filipino and my father croatian raised in germany. I was born in the 80's and kids in germany let me tell you were always little shits about it because I had asian features and the teachers treated me like I couldn't speak german. It got better with age but there are still times when people think I'm a tourist.

[@lilpinoydemon]

I feel that! I am also Filipino ethnically but i was born and raised in Switzerland too. Now i work with a lot of international students where they are frequently from Switzerland and it never gets old when i have a conversation with them in Swiss german.

[@chrispekel5709]

No one's jaws drop in shock, people never behave that way. They might think it's a surprise but they won't say anything or show expression - only kids would

[@pinkymoon5039]

@@chrispekel5709 speak for yourself buddy. Your experiences don't speak for everyone else. Like I said, it's happened a FEW Times. I didn't say it happens constantly. I saw it with my own damn eyes when the Emirates driver came to pick us up at the airport. He was speaking English first assuming my husband is a foreign tourist and when my husband replied back in Swiss German, the driver was visibly shocked and leaned back and was covering his mouth in shock. I've also seen it happen atlesst a 2 or 3 more times.

[@LemmingAttack]

One of my very first encounters in Japan when I first landed in Nagoya was with a white dude, son of missionaries, who spoke with a super thick Japanese accent. It was definitely a great first experience. He was very friendly. For the record, he said he was Canadian.

[@alanlight7740]

I visited Nagoya at Christmas 1989 and some of the first people I met were second generation American missionaries with third generation children who had grown up in Japan speaking Japanese.

[@danksim]

I went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic. Met the 2nd gen Korean Dominican children of the Korean missionaries. It was very cool to hear their native Spanish.

[@lydiat.721]

He is a british Guy, born and raised in Japan, with an american accent. He is a unicorn.

[@BU532]

He isn't British. Not with the way he speaks English. No chance

[@silverbackag9790]

He’s a citizen of the UK.

[@angryroy6277]

American accent is a broad stroke. English definitely sounds like his second language.

[@Monika-qr5rd]

This is heartbreaking. He literally has a Japanese accent when he speaks English. I hate that so many people don't understand the concept of nationality vs. ethnicity.

[@jackroro7381]

I think it is normal that poeple treat you different when you look different and when they don't know you. It is normal, it is the same in within Japanese people themselves. I guess that some people are treated different depending on the part of Japan you come from. people from Sapporo treat people from Nagasaki differently or vice versa. or People from Kyoto vs Tokyo. so it is a normal behavior. the problem comes when you are mistreated or favored just because of the way you look.

[@terrykim2748]

@@jackroro7381 Yup. This is the distinction that more people need to understand. Humans, like most social animals, are tribal by nature, meaning they instinctively pick up on features that are different from their group’s norm. This is especially true in a homogeneous country such as Korea and Japan. And this doesn’t necessarily equate to racism, so it doesn’t necessarily have to be heartbreaking. Context is crucial. Ofc if this gentleman was mistreated or some form of unfair injustice was done to him, that’d be a different story.

[@dmar4194]

For many cultures, they are the same. The idea that ethnicity and nationality are separate things is a modern/western idea

[@jackdaniel8973]

now he know what asian born in the WEST have to deal with

[@benas_st]

@@dmar4194western, sure. but it's been around for over a hundred years at this point...

[@rodrigofernandesgoncalves9564]

I'll give you an idea for your next videos: get in touch with the Nipo Brazilian community in Japan. They are hundreds of thousands and have a unique perspective of the cultural X language X race integration in Japan. They have Japanese blood but speak Portuguese originally and have a Brazilian culture mixed with their ancestor's. And they're called gaijins (foreigners) by the Japanese locals. And, while in Brazil, they are called "japanese" sometimes (most of them speak only Portuguese). It's mind blowing!!!!!

[@yujidomae9179]

ÀQqq

[@umiluv]

I feel this dude. My parents are Korean but I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I get the “where are you REALLY from?” sometimes and that gets annoying. Just ask me my ethnicity if that’s what you’re asking.

[@skyborne6393]

Me too. I'm born and raised in CA, USA an Asian descent. I was asked once where are you from and did you get off the boat? I didn't know what that meant. Lol. This was me at my very first job full of Asian workers. It made sense later I realized these Asian people came to America. I have to tell people I'm born here. I don't speak the language. I only know English. 😂

[@LaidbakZak]

I worked at Lowe’s in Southern California and my friend who worked there was a 3rd generation English-speaking mexican descendant, and people would be physically angry toward him because he couldn’t speak spanish.

[@kaskaskas]

@@LaidbakZak yeah that makes no sense and I doubt that ever happened.

[@limegreenpatato]

I get this in Toronto.... And I'm white. Everyone in Toronto is stupid tho and pretending to be something they aren't. Just accept you're Canadian dummies.

[@AllyMonsters]

@@kaskaskas That's a rather common thing actuality. Even in America. You hear people complaining about others not being able to speak good English (in a manner of being stupid rather then foreign or with an accent btw), do you not? Like stereotypical redneck as an example.

[@lishpn2vu]

My family are immigrants but originally from a small country that is 99% Black. One day I was out at a restaurant with my dad, and a woman who looked Asian picked up her cell phone and started speaking our language flawlessly. We were a bit surprised, but it was so obvious by her accent and what she was saying that we immediately understood she shared our culture. I guess I'm just surprised this isn't the typical reaction.

[@emilykoi3111]

I can definitely see he has some Japanese mannerisms. I would believe him if I ever met him that he's from Japan. It seems he's trying to live his best life 😊

[@AfroGelXT]

Can you tell us some Japanese mannerisms please?

[@OrientalPearl]

Yeah, I caught on to the mannerisms as well. All subconscious probably.

[@emilykoi3111]

@@AfroGelXT His accent, hand gestures, very polite, etc. He seems like a very genuinely kind person.

[@joshuasjapanchannel]

@@emilykoi3111 thank you Emily 😊

[@WassupWassup123]

Haha true, all the un un

[@Cecibug1]

As an American I personally don't wonder if people are American or not. There's so much diversity here. I'm Caucasian, And my husband is bi racial but looks white aswell. So its funny when our last name gets called out or I get a phone call in Spanish. Everyone assumes we speak Spanish but sadly don't. My sister inlaw is Korean, my Aunt is Maori, my other Aunt is African American. My adopted brother is Ute (Native American tribal person) I love the diversity in my family ❤️

[@Itsgonnabeok1325]

I’m born and raised American, some of my ancestors came over on the mayflower… I’m THAT “American”! (please don’t @ me. I know those people were not very nice to the native populations that were already here. I’m not proud of it.) I assume everyone’s American, no matter their ethnicity, until I hear, perhaps an accent of some sort that is not native to the US, but even then, they could be American citizens, so that makes them American. I find it interesting that countries that have much less diversity than we have in the US/North America are so unwilling to accept someone as being a citizen, just because they don’t look the same as everyone else. But maybe that is the distinction. Citizen versus native. Most Americans are not natives of America, but we’re considered Americans because we were born and raised here. White supremacists who want to keep “America pure” are so clueless, because Native Americans are the only true native Americans.

[@cupuacu4life13]

if he looks white he is white, thats why we call white people white, because they look white, except the US, im a white brazillian, but in the US i get thrown into this magical non existant race that is defined by my language? it took me a while to then noticed that yall used to not even consider italians and irish as white, so now i kinda get it, whites are only a VIP rich part of pristine golden haired aryans, and if some white european dude happens to be from portugal, he is from the spicy caliente off brand ppl

[@rubeniscool]

Same over here in Britain. We've had ethnic minorities in Britain for *at least* 500+ years. London, Plymouth, Southampton etc have always been massive trading hubs.. plus we kind of ruled 1/6th of the globe at one point. Like.. it really shouldn't be surprising that you get people from all walks of life here and who've been in the country for 100+ years already. But naaaaah apparently if someone isn't white they're *cleaaarly* not British./s

[@markjosephbacho5652]

Yes. Cuz USA is a melting pot of cultures. Very different from very culturally homogeneous East Asia.

[@opart]

exactly, he should come to New York, and feel at home after few days being here. (Thats my experience at least, accent, or not accent, you are local on arrival (or maybe after a few weeks at most))

[@thegretnaexperiment2.021]

This was so interesting. My husband’s family left Spain 3 generations ago and ended up in Puerto Rico. Since his family line is Caucasian, he is tall with pale skin, dark hair and blue/green eyes. He was raised in US and Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, he is considered Spanish, since he doesn’t have African or Taino blood. In the US he is Hispanic/Puerto Rican, even though he is Caucasian. If he ever went to Spain, he would probably be American Puerto Rican, as his accent and mannerisms are not Spanish. The blurring of race/ethnicity/and homeland to form identity makes everything confusing.

[@marieubiles1377]

This is weird. There's plenty of Caucasian Puertoricans and no one here questions their nationality. Heck, we even had as one of the biggest defenders of our culture an Italian-Argentinian. His name was Tony Croatto and is considered as Puertorican as the rest of us. A third generation Spaniard in PR would be considered a Puertorican by their peers.

[@kakishisfriend1126]

If he is whote in PR he is white in the US too. I believe it's like the Argentinians, they are considered white (now if they WANT to say white-hispanic that's up to them)

[@BaldEagle1400]

Since when Spaniards are caucasian? They belong to the Latin ethnic group, go back to school ASAP

[@ramblingimbecile2295]

@@kakishisfriend1126 correct. I think the problem is with the Americanised post war understanding of white. Most Americans seem to assume white as being white skinned and fair haired but the Spanish, Italians and Greeks are all considered white. You can subcategorise them as white/Hispanic or Hispanic but all that's really doing is saying they have Spanish heritage rather than Anglo-Germanic. You have to understand that the rest of the world all considers them white.

[@Rov-Nihil]

Third culture kids are becoming more prominent and people NEED to accept us more especially with globalism and cross culture exposure through the internet being more important than ever! I hope we wouldn't have to be stereotyped for our looks within 30-50 years ffs

[@InsertNameHereBoi]

I'm from Azerbaijan, but my family moved to Turkey when I was really young. I've also attended international schools my entire life, so I've never fully assimilated into Turkish culture. Azeri and Turkish are very similar languages, but Azeris who move to Turkey as adults tend to have a distinct accent. So when I tell random people I was from Azerbaijan, they compliment my Turkish, assuming I moved here recently. But if I tell them I grew up here, their attitude changes, because it seems like it's not as good as it "should be".

[@Denois95]

I'm a doctor in Istanbul, we have lots of Azeri and Cypriot colleagues in Turkey. Most of them speak perfect Turkish even if they have a tinge of an accent. Azeris and Cypriots aren't really considered to be foreigners in Turkey I think.

[@InsertNameHereBoi]

@@Denois95 Well, my point is that there's no expectation for an Azeri visitor/tourist to be speaking Turkish well - it's just a pleasant surprise if they do. But the expectation changes if that person has spent a long time in Turkey (like me). In that case, you're "supposed" to be assimilated. Also, yes: Cypriots definitely aren't considered foreign - they also identify as Turks, so it's pretty clean-cut. With Azeris, it's more complicated: in my experience, Turks tend to overestimate the similarities, partly because of the linguistic closeness and partly because Turkish soft power (like TV dramas, for instance) has exposed Azeris to Turkish culture & linguistic habits. Azeris who come to Turkey will code-switch to speak in a more "Turkish-friendly" way to be better understood.

[@phoenix1391]

I also forgot to add that I was put in ESL for 4 years because I was just a quiet kid so they assumed I didn't know English because of how I looked and my last name. I actually took Spanish classes because I was tired of people assuming I knew Spanish, but I didn't. I had to take a Spanish test to prove that I didn't know any Spanish. 🙃

[@rake1087]

LOL I know what that's like. I was ESL for the entirety of middle school highschool even tho I am fluent in English and my Spanish is Broken af. And everyone else in ESL was in the same boat haha like just because we're brown with Spanish last names doesn't mean English is our second language. I even moved highschools in 2015 for my senior year and they had me take an English test, and even tho they didn't hear me speak Spanish at all, they checked a box on the page that said "Speaks just as much English as Spanish" and I was still placed in ESL. Like come on now, I'm from fucking Nevada lmao I was in AP English for ffs haha.

[@TheSpecialJ11]

You had to prove you didn't know a language? Man that's weird. That would be like me having to prove I don't know Romanian with my Romanian last name and eyebrows. My family has lived in America for four generations now. Only my grandpa still spoke Romanian, and it was his second language.

[@herlinahioe3171]

I can relate to your story. My daughter had to took an ESL test too when she was in high school in Arkansas, USA just because I filled on her school registration that she speak another language at home. She is born and raised in USA, went to school in USA since kindergarten and they didn't do this in Georgia,USA. I guess when the state or city is not really have diversity, ppl will just judge others by their looks only.

[@fromryuk7785]

Iunno why but as i was reading your comment i got an ad in spanish. I barely speak spanish, like 50 words or less. Even the bots are doing it to us! Lol

[@MisterMac4321]

A friend of my father was a professor of Japanese at Cornell University and, after WW2, was hired by the US Army to interview senior Japanese officers. He wasn't just fluent in the language, he was able to do different regional accents and dialects perfectly. One day the two of them were driving to a remote area for such an interview and got lost. They stopped at a crossroads to ask a couple of farmers for directions. No matter how many times he asked them which way they needed to go to get to the large town nearest their destination, the two men just looked completely confused and kept asking one another, "Do you know what this foreigner is saying?" Eventually, after about five minutes, my dad's buddy gave up and got back in the jeep - as they were driving off he was stunned to hear one of the farmers say to the other, "You know, I could have sworn that guy was speaking Japanese!"

[@betsunohito]

I remember watching True Blood as a teenager and one character suddenly switches language to something that I can't understand and it sounds so melodic and exotic - until I realize he's speaking my native language. The total unexpectedness made me unable to understand.. And it made me able to, for a short while, hear my own language "as a foreigner" which was amazing. I wish I could reproduce the situation. ^^;

[@VIKDR1]

If this was after WWII, they could have easily not wanted to help. They still saw Americans as the enemy, and still felt the loss of WWII.

[@sueyourself5413]

@@VIKDR1 Many of them see Americans as the enemy to this day and want the closure of military bases.

[@phil7825]

Hahaha, nice one, maybe that's it, still not forgiven the west for the war. Apparently the US had 13 more atomic weapons ready to drop and would have levelled the entire island till the Japanese surrendered.

[@sueyourself5413]

​@@DeborahE7 That's a lie. You can't speak French, that's why. I can, if I'm drunk I might not pay attention to what language I'm speaking but even then it'd only last for a sentence or two.

[@barmalini]

You both are great. Finishing my sixth language (French) on Duolingo, I'm not nearly as proficient in my foreign tongues, but the amount of joy I get from speaking with locals in their languages can't be compared to anything else and legal.

[@beckmanchilds756]

Think of it this way. Each person you meet and spend that time explaining you break down a small barrier that would never have been broken. It may be super annoying, but it makes a difference man. Keep on keepin on being japanese

[@rowenaanderson3739]

I went to school in Japan for two years. Don't miss looking different or being treated differently. I can't imagine what it's like for him, who feels japanese.

[@reggielacey2235]

Because he's not?

[@leanansidhe6332]

He is?

[@elteescat]

That's gotta be so tiring to ALWAYS have to deal with people assuming you're foreign. On the flip-side I have a friend who's Korean-American and English is his first language. However, his elementary forced him into ESL classes in kindergarten! So he knows the same feeling a little bit!

[@OrientalPearl]

Yeah, I can imagine it would get very old always answering the same questions.

[@percyfaith11]

It probably helped his English development. My son was referred to speech therapy classes in early grades due to speaking with my wife's Spanish accent. No harm, no foul. He developed normally/

[@elteescat]

@@percyfaith11 I don't know. He said it felt insulting the way they just assumed he couldn't speak English as well as the other kids. He probably had an accent from his mom actually being ESL and they assumed from hearing it that he was ESL as well. But at that age an accent will go away within a few months.

[@willvr4]

@@elteescat He was in kindergarten, I'm sure he was fine. It's not the worst thing in the world at that age since I guarantee you his parents only spoke Korean to him at home.

[@cgeorge3785]

welcome to the world of living as an Asian in any non-Asian country. One of the most common things Asian Americans hear from strangers is, "you speak English very well," or "what are you/where are you from."

[@TokyoTigger]

I identify so much with Joshua's experience. I'm a white American but moved to Tokyo at age 4 and grew up there, and went to Japanese schools. So I don't have any memories to speak of, of living in the US before then. Like, I remember playing in the neighbor's yard, drawing on the wall in my bedroom, and packing up our house to move and that's about it. I ate, slept, breathed, and dreamed in Japanese. My sister and I spoke Japanese together all the time, and I would get frustrated when I would come home from school, spilled out a whole story in Japanese, and my mom would ask me to repeat it in English because she couldn't catch half of what I was saying. One of my best sources of entertainment was walking to and from school, and the middle and high schoolers would come up to me (little kid with platinum blond hair and wearing a randoseru which they never seemed to notice) and try to practice their English on me. I would politely listen, try to figure out what in the world they were saying (usually I couldn't make heads or tails of it), smile sweetly and answer them in perfect Japanese. Usually something along the lines of ”あーごめん、よく分からなかった。もう一回言ってくれる？” ("Sorry, I couldn't really understand you. Could you say that again?") And their eyes would get as big as saucers and they would sputter about "bikkuri" and this "gaijin no ko" speaking flawless Japanese, and usually the phrase "Nihonjin mitai!!" would get thrown in there too. My sister and I got a lot of good chuckles out of those poor big kids lol. We also grew up together with kids from another American family that had lived in Japan for 3 generations, just like Joshua. Guess what language we spoke together- yep, Japanese. They were some of a very, very small handful of kids we knew who truly shared every aspect of our cultural experience. There were some hard times and I did get bullied in school, I hated being told "go back to your country" because my passport country was a foreign country to me. Japan was my home (and is still my heart home although I've lived in the States for over 20 years now) and it was all I knew, and I did build my own sense of belonging there. It was awful when my family moved to the Midwest when I was in high school. I looked like I belonged here, but my insides were anything but Midwestern American. There was so much I didn't understand culturally. I spoke English, but I was not as comfortable using it day to day as I was with Japanese. People around me had no way to understand my Third Culture Kid experience of being caught between worlds and not fully fitting in with either. It took a lot of years to finally feel comfortable. My baby brother (who was born in Tokyo but was only 5 when we moved here) just moved back there last year! I'm super proud of him and hoping he finds a nice Japanese girl to marry so I can have Japanese family members. :D

[@ZaZaZoooable]

I so identify with what you are saying about being a third culture kid. My father was in the the military and we moved around alot. I came to the U.S. at 21 yrs. old and felt so out of place even though I spoke english. I felt like I didn't fit in. I'm retired now and now I don't care if I fit in or not. Love me or leave me.

[@patriciasatterly]

Wow, great story. Thanks for sharing

[@elvishassassin1]

I think this is a common experience of all migrants who are a different ethnicity from the majority of the population. I am an Asian person who grew up in Australia and it took me a long time to understand that I will never fully belong to either world, I have one foot in each. If I have children I will have to teach them to embrace both parts of their identity.

[@TokyoTigger]

@@elvishassassin1 Absolutely! I have found that I relate most closely to other Third Culture Kids- people who grow up in a culture other than their passport country or the country of their parents, thus forming a "third culture" that is an amalgamation of both cultures. Even if their country of origin and the country they live in are different from mine, we all tend to relate very well to the common experience of adapting to multiple cultures, loving aspects of both cultures, yet not belonging fully to either. It's always fun on the relatively rare occasion that I run into another one "in the wild" :). Almost like we both relax realizing that we can authentically express all those parts of ourselves without having to downplay one and emphasize another in order to fit in and not make the other person uncomfortable.

[@usehername1]

Does your little brother speak Japanese after moving to the US at such a young age?

[@saturn_in_blue]

As an ethnically half Chinese person who was born in America, speaks English, Chinese and Georgian, but lives in Tbilisi, Georgia, I understand this man's struggle completely.

[@WastedBananas]

bros West Asian + East Asian, unique

[@tamaradovgan5318]

Hi, I am half-georgian, speak no Georgian, coming from Canada soon-would be delighted to meet!

[@sarahmatichuk4127]

When I was an international student in Kobe, I sometimes went to a Christian church whose pastor was born in Japan to American missionaries. He would make people laugh by speaking in local dialects. I liked this church because it was a very welcoming place. There were Japanese people who did not seem to fit in in regular Japanese society, Japanese people who were open about being recovering addicts, some internationals. I would say this man's experience is most like missionary kids I have met who are American, born and raised in Africa, or Canadian, born and raised in Micronesia, for instance.

[@joshuasjapanchannel]

Yes I’m from a missionary family :)

[@Sunbeargirl-]

I'm a missionary kid who was born and raised in Southeast Asia, and these feelings of belonging nowhere are very real. 🥲 I currently live in the United States (my passport country), and it's a very lonely feeling to be surrounded by people who have no idea you're not from there until they actually talk to you. But the longer I'm away from my home country, the more I can see that I wouldn't really fit in there either. 😞

[@marciahill4591]

@@Sunbeargirl- Hey, I’m an adult MK- have you read “Third-Culture Kids”? It really helped explain why we feel like we have no home culture. 💕

[@marciahill4591]

@@joshuasjapanchannel As an adult MK, I took one look at your family photo and guessed you were a fellow MK- heh-missionaries have a certain, shall we say, stylistic charm? 😁

[@joshuasjapanchannel]

@@marciahill4591 haha we sure do 🥰

[@whushaw]

It’s such a different feel than to Canada is. It’s so multi-cultural in many places you can never look at someone and assume they’re not a Canadian, because we all look so different. This is a really intriguing perspective to learn about. Thanks for bringing this topic up! 😀

[@lynda.grace.14]

Except that people in Canada do make such assumptions. Not all of them, and I agree that they are more accustomed to multiple cultures--provided they live in larger urban centers. In more rural areas the assumptions regarding ethnicity and origin are still strong.

[@whushaw]

@@lynda.grace.14 I understand that for sure. I’m not trying to say there aren’t bad apples and stereotypes that do exist. It’s never okay!

[@OrientalPearl]

Yeah, most countries in Asia are homogenous. Most aren’t immigration nations.

[@sayeedkizuk5822]

That's not true at all lol people of color have the exact same "foreigner in your own country" experience living in Canada, especially in more rural areas.

[@antonc81]

And yet most population groups for most of human history have probably been more like Japan.. highly homogenous, resistant to recognize those who appear different as members of the in-group. In that regard I guess Japan is like a glimpse of our own past.

[@OrientalPearl]

There will be a lot more videos once my mom gets here in 2 weeks. Recently I’ve been attending a Korean language school twice a week and it’s taken up a lot of time. I know not all of you live by a language school to study Japanese, but the pod101 series has great online classes here: www.japanesepod101.com/member/go.php?r=810124&l=%2F

[@Memedoggo04]

@ggh Hd I eat meat, and I'm healthy as a horse.

[@AlexNona80]

@ggh Hd people who eat plants die too you know?

[@AlexNona80]

wow I always wanted to learn asian languages

[@AlexNona80]

@ggh Hd maybe one day if I won't forget

[@AlexNona80]

@ggh Hd I see you're crazy plant lover. Would be funny if these deaths were caused by plants

[@jimpanse1638]

This is so cool. Such a unique kind of person he should be proud of who he is! Not just accept himself 😂 im literally crying, this is beautiful.

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@astralblue]

Grew up in okinawa on base because my dad was military. There were occasionally american families you'd see that lived off base and went to Japanese schools because their parents weren't government affiliated and basically were living the life of a Japanese family. Always tripped me out because I knew it must be hard, but it was always cool to see an American speak Japanese and have a bunch of Japanese friends.

[@tonyru62]

Thanks for posting this. I had a sense that this would happen to my children. I sometimes struggle if I made the right decision to return to the states after the birth of my son in Japan. I love Japan, married a Japanese woman and lived in Kitakyushu for 10 years, but knew I would "never fit in" in a society where there is a real demarcation between domestic and foreign. I didn't want to expose my children to that environment. Thanks for posting this video.

[@richardmorales8267]

Her vids are always awesome. Lot’s of culture being discussed. People think just because you can communicate in a foreign language that you will have no problem. But you gotta understand the culture, values & traditions of those people to really communicate well & be taken seriously.

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you Richard. Learning the language takes care of a lot of problems, but not everything.

[@nathancarr3916]

we are all human.. it doesnt take a degree in international relations to just say hi

[@therealzilch]

Wonderful. This reminds me of a story a musician collegue of mine related. She's American, lives here in Austria, but she lived in Japan for ten years and her two sons were born and grew up there. She told me that they were at a puppet show here in Vienna, and there were several Japanese families in the audience. Her sons were bored and telling one another dirty jokes in Japanese. The Japanese children understood and were surprised, but their parents didn't even get that they were speaking Japanese. Shows that we grownups are often blinded by prejudices that our kids don't yet have.

[@mariamucino3338]

This is not a unique situation in Japan. My daughter had a similar experience in HS when she was pulled out by the School Principal and asked her to take the ESL test, when she was born and raised in the US, but she is Hispanic. Sad that stereotypes and biases are hard to to get rid off. Great content by the way.

[@OrientalPearl]

That’s unfortunate to hear. It’s hard on kids that age to be singled out.

[@beakittelscherz5419]

What is also sad that this has to be done in such a humiliation! Why pull them out of class in front of everyone? Just talk normal to the kid and give them the benefit of a doubt before insult them. It's hard for kids. Idk why adults don't understand that... 😑😑😑

[@rockmcdwayne1710]

Do not confuse bias with national identity. Im sorry to say this but, i dont see any common ground on this understanding with someone who is from a place that dont have their nation based on ethnicity. Reality of the matter is that most nations in the world are based on the ethnic group of people that originally inhabited this area. Japan is also quite unique in that manner as it has been very isolated for a very long time, they have very complex language, culture and ''unique'' look to westerners. You can go on and blame them for being biased but try the same thing anywhere else in the world where your looks, culture and language are extremely different from eachother. Go to China, India, Korea or any african country and you find yourself in a similar situation, you will always remain as a foreigner. Here in the EU, lots of different people have been mixing over past few decades and even here we still have the same issue. People from one european country can potentially become people from another if they totally adept their cultural behaviour and language because they look almost or close to local people and can fool people but, if people pick up the deception they dont consider you to be one of ''their people''. Im from eastern block myself and within past 50+ years we still have this little problem with ethnic russians who still consider themselves as russians and so do local people yet they werent even born in Russia and many of them have never been there. Ethnic languages and cultures are VERY difficult to... ''delete''. If you want to achieve that, you need to use force and looking our bloody history then... thats called genocide, which is tried before and we shouldnt go down that road again. From the perspective of this guy, i understand if he gets frustrated but, from the perspective of Japanese people, he is 1 in the million sight to see. But, then again, i dont expect someone from the ''multi cultural melting pot'' to ever understand this, sadly im also afraid that im unable to ever understand your point of view either. For me, what is the basis of my nation is ethnic group of people in it, after who the nation was named. That is the glue that keeps it together. Lots and lots of old grudges and plenty of blood spilled over the patch of land will also make it very precious!

[@MisterDutch93]

Yeah, this shit happens everywhere. Same thing with many Moroccan, Turkish or Middle Eastern people living in Europe for 3-4 generations and still being treated differently and called ‘foreign’, even though they grew up there.

[@alexg7254]

@@rockmcdwayne1710 Japan is not entirely ethnically homogenous. There were multiple indigenous groups that have intermingled and become the predominant Yamato people of today -- to force homogeneity, the Yamato Japanese government essentially committed near genocide of Ryukyuan and Ainu people. There weren't really deliberate mass killings or sterilizations, but there are very few of them left, and the gene pool is heavily diluted. Ainu have only recently been recognized by the Japanese government as being a separate people -- this is even given facts like the fact that Ryukyu was a separate kingdom until 1879. I don't know much about indigenous Koreans, but there is at least the Jeju Island population that is distinct.

[@gregoryschmidt1233]

I find that as a person gets older, one worries much less about "where do I fit in?", "What is my 'identity'?" and is simply thankful for each additional day gifted to be on Earth.

[@lephilosopheinconnu3952]

I am turning 40 next month and I think you're right

[@delanyx2310]

It's very hard to not think about your identity when every interaction you have is reminding you of that. I don't think I could even handle this.

[@NarnianLady]

It's both.

[@anthonyrobertson2011]

Being FROM a country is a modern invention. I realized several years ago being an American citizen is just something on paper. I guess I feel some sense of "American Roots", but I don't take it too seriously anymore.

[@kaym.5058]

I hope so. I'm in my 30's and grew up in the US. I was never allowed to fit in while there (was always the foreigner). And now that I'm back in my home country I also don't fit in here because this isn't the culture I grew up in.

[@Ujuani68]

I am a Native Greenlander, who got adopted by a Danish couple, when they lived and worked in Greenland. They had one little boy already. So he began speaking Greenlandic, when he met me.🥰 Later on, I have met folks from Greenland, that also speak Danish as the only language because the Danish parent insisted, on Danish being spoken in the home! Greenland was Denmark's colony.

[@phoebecat6449]

Such difficult but interesting stories from everyone. I totally understand how he doesn’t quite feel like he belongs. My sisters and I were born in Chile but our parents are Chinese. We use to joke that we were the other Asian family in all of Chile (there were Japanese kids from another family in our school). Talk about getting bullied, and not just in school. After I turned eight we moved to the U.S. but I still feel like an outsider. It makes for some good stories and interesting conversations when people hear us speak Chinese, Spanish and English all in one sentence, but sometimes you just want to feel like you’re like everyone else and that you belong no matter where you go around the country.

[@koolaidblack7697]

Why did your parents decide to move to Chile? I always wondered about things like that, since there are loads of Chinese immigrants or temporary workers here in the US, and Chile seems like a not-so-great place to live, so why choose to go there?

[@phoebecat6449]

My grandfather moved there first for more opportunity than rural China at the time. Then my father joined him there years later as an adult.

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@joonatankahkonen1667]

I am from Finland and moved to Germany a little over a year ago and I've tried to learn the language and I actually can have a conversation in German these days. I can speak English almost fluently and always had the skill to learn a new language quite easily, but still I have met a few people who have said to me: You can not learn this language, it is too hard or whatnot..And that is why I love these videos about languages. I have surprised a few people, when they realize, that I have only been here a year, BUT can speak with them. I my friend said to me just the otherday; "Well, you are now trilingual.. you can speak Finnish, English AND German, so there you go." Ps. Sorry for the long msg..

[@sadi5713]

to be fair if you can speak finnish you can learn anything. Its no coincidece its called "finnish" becasue its the last language you learn, the finnish line.

[@enginerd80]

@@sadi5713 I wouldn't say it's just knowing Finnish that helps in learning other languages. More like, knowing two very different languages like Finnish and English gives a wide variety of "material" to later learn further languages, as you can base the new language on at least two others. Around 2014 or so I took some beginner's classes on Spanish, and it helped me a lot that I could see how something in Spanish was similar as in German, just with small modifications, and another thing seemed to have a counterpart in Swedish, and pronunciation is made up of pretty much the same sounds as Finnish, just with different rhythm.

[@sebumpostmortem]

An indoeuropean speaker telling a finnougric "you can' t speak german"?🤣🤣🤣🤣 As a joke, decent.

[@PeepersT]

Who is daring to tell a Finn a language is too hard 😂

[@Cuteemogirl94]

Wir freuen uns doch wenn sich Leute anpassen und unsere Sprache lernen. Es gibt leider einige Ausländer die das nicht für nötig halten. Wie soll man sich sonst mit den Menschen unterhalten?

[@raflyadelia7610]

I've experienced that I'm half Dutch and half Indonesiaan, born and raised in nagano prefecture, my nationality is japan. But everyone here still recognized me as foreigners. Even i frequently got checked by police when i walk outside at midnight, they don't believe me when i show my id card and passport as Japanese nationality, even I've got take to police office once because they suspected me use fake id card and japan passport

[@chrispekel5709]

Do you have a foreign accent?

[@raflyadelia7610]

@@chrispekel5709 i think my accent only when i speak English, i use brittish accent

[@SusanaXpeace2u]

Wow, shockingly xenophobic

[@miamuze]

Thank you for this video. I'm currently in rural Australia where I am the only Japanese looking person. I forget how I look sometimes. My housemate asks me about Japanese all the time, but I am Australian, so I cannot answer. Japanese was my 3rd language and I'm struggling to keep my kids level vocabulary. As a kid, I would call my friends on the phone and when I met their parents were told "oh, I didn't think you'd look that way. I thought you were Australian". I am more Australian than most. Born in Tokyo. Don't know Tokyo at all.

[@edgarkapitan7427]

🥰

[@ItzCoopzFtw]

You know, I've experienced this even as a White, Maori Aotearoa-New Zealander. I went to Aus, some Aussies and Americans thought I was a Brit, and asked where I was from, I said A-NZ and they replied "You don't look Maori" The thing is, I am from Iwi in the Waikato, I speak Te Reo, I know as much about the Brits as U.S. people do - only what history says. People need to just stop judging based on looks alone.

[@thewindowsmaaane]

Yeah I'm not saying it doesn't hurt. But I think it's often socially naive people attempting to connect

[@siobhanrose1680]

@@ItzCoopzFtw 🙄 settle down mate. As a Kiwi who has lived in Australia 18yrs, I can safely say you are full of it. I have 2 Maori sons both teens, both born in Aus, and my husband is Maori. One of my sons is very dark, and one is caramel. I am Croatian/Scottish descent and I grew up in a Maori household, with 12 (step) aunties and uncles, and about 300 cousins, all from the Waikato, so I know how it is pal, especially being a white kid, growing up as the only white kid in a Maori family. But you know, Aussies, def give NZers a little shit when they can, but it’s friendly banter. Sounds more like you want to be viewed a certain way and have issue when people don’t view you that way. Sounds a lot like your own insecurities.

[@Ken-gz5mo]

When he said he has to explain his life story to every person I felt that. I'm british but my parents are american so I happened to get their accent. People always assume I'm a tourist or ask why I'm in the UK and I always have to explain my entire life story to them. Also british people always say I'm just american despite living in the UK my entire life, but my american family say I act too british. It's frustrating when you never feel like you belong in the country you call home and relate the most to culturally.

[@WreckItRolfe]

Why would you have your parents' accent unless you lived in an American comune?

[@elvishassassin1]

Welcome to the life of an immigrant! Only other immigrants will understand.😊

[@irok1]

​@@WreckItRolfe because you get a majority of your accent from whom you talk the most with

[@Brad-ku9yu]

@@helenHTID I had 2 friends in high school in Southern California that were from Bulgaria, Todor and Todor. Both came to the US roughly around the same time in their life. One spoke with a heavy Slavic accent, the other with zero accent at all. In fact he had such a good grasp of the language and local terminology that it would completely throw people off when he'd answer his phone to speak to one of his parents. Side note: Now that I'm thinking back, I don't recall a single time in the many times we all carpooled home that they ever spoke Bulgarian to each other. Only ever to their parents.

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@littlebean8856]

With a foreigner’s face, it would be natural for people to make assumptions the first instance they meet you. As someone from Hong Kong, I remember staying at my friend’s place during Easter holiday in Northern Ireland over 30 years back. My friend’s parents asked me super slowly in English, “Doooo yooou eeeeeat choc-co-late?” I was a bit shocked but also found it funny. I think most people on Earth likes chocolate. 😂

[@aleide2980]

It depends on the culture I guess. Here in France, you could look Asian, African,or whatever, people would assume you speak french (unless you look like a tourist), because we have a good amount of diversity. I find it kinda sad that some Japanese people can't accept the fact you can be Japanese without looking Asian.

[@lolisastupidwordxD]

Their assumption should be that everyone speaks Japanese and then switch to English if need be, instead of racially profiling everyone.

[@aleide2980]

@@lolisastupidwordxD exactly

[@jackdaniel8973]

@@aleide2980 en tant que asiatique née en France , je peux t'assurer que TOUT LES JOURS je tombe sur des gens qui sont surpris que je puisse parler sans un accent de blédar fraîchement débarquer du bateau donc oui effectivement tu as raison mais niveaux cliché la France est au même niveaux que le Japon ( voir pire )

[@leanansidhe6332]

and if you don't understand them, you can just politely tell them.

[@mafurock33]

This reminds me - the more fluent I got, especially when I was working my job and I got really good at it - the less people would compliment me on my language skills. After enough years it was only when I messed up or said something that just sounded a touch unnatural that people would compliment me.

[@freyafrettchen3808]

Well that's understandable. Once you've reached a good enough level you don't need any praise. I've also never seen anyone completing people for speaking English very well. It's just default at that point.

[@XLightChanX]

well at that point ppl don't know if it's your native language or when you studied it. would be weird to compliment someone on speaking a language well that they've been using since kindergarten because that's when they moved to said country or whatever, otherwise when you hear them mess up you realise that it's not a language they are fluent in since childhood (probably) or even their native language? would be my guess at least

[@logansamo3011]

I love how this channel showcases many different stories in Japan of different people from different backgrounds, I’m excited to see what’s next!

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you Logan! The next big video will be my mom coming to Japan.

[@pseudopuppy160]

There's a HUGE difference between ethnicity (your bloodlines), your nationality (where you were born) and your cultural identity (where you were raised / the culture you feel most at home in). I speak multiple languages, as do all of my friends... and we all experience this, in some way, depending on what country/ countries we are in.

[@zzodysseuszz]

Yeah uh no. Ethnicity is nonexistent by your definition as all races are genetically identical. So there is no “bloodline” as you say. Ethnicity by its definition means a group or population belonging to a certain cultural background, so your cultural identity definition is completely wrong and useless as it’s literally the definition of ethnicity which you had separated by definition in your comment. Nationality means both the nation you belong to and also the nation a culture belongs to. So a Muslim may be born and raised in America, making them as a person American by nationality but their Muslim culture is Islamic by nationality as well. It just means the nation of origin or occupation. Trying to categorise people by race or ethnicity is impossible because humans are genetically identical. This whole subject is just a projection of casual racism humans display very frequently. The man in the video was raised in Japan, grew up in Japan, understands the culture and language. He’s nationally and culturally Japanese. He was just born in England to English parents. Making him racially European. Which is only on a very limited scale of differences due to his genetically identical the groups are.

[@voidbite]

@@zzodysseuszz You're saying all humans are genetically identical, which doesn't make much sense, if that was so, why do most people in Japan look so different from the people in the Netherlands, why do people look different from each other?

[@LeegallyBliindLOL]

​@@voidbiteThat is not what he said. You misunderstood. Scientifically there is no such thing as races in humans. Humans look vastly different due to being a hybrid species and some people have more neanderthal DNA, some have more denisovan DNA and some have more homo sapiens sapiens dna. That is the only reason. But there is no such thing as races or pure bloodlines, whatever the hell that is supposed to mean. Countries and identities have changed over many thousands of years. People have always and will always mix and move all over the world. Just in the last 2000 years, the crazy amount of massively historically documented migrations and invasions throughout the world. And if you go back far enough all "bloodlines", ethnicities, etc. cut off. What the person meant with genetically identical is that, yes, humans are nearly genetically identical. The seclusion of countries in the past few hundred years and mainly, and this is well documented, climate affects dna, have contributed to stereotypical looks. A population staying within a general area for a long enough time, starts to develop a stereotypical look for most of it's inhabitants. That is normal. But not infinitely transitive throughout the past not the future. You are just seeing a snapshot right now of the present and a bit of the past.

[@voidbite]

@@LeegallyBliindLOL The first part is of no use, I mean, it's interesting, but not of any use, as I only responded to the identical dna part, but you're basically just confirming what I said, "nearly identical", sure, but not identical. (I don't really know the definition of race, so I'm not too qualified to say much about that.) (The double repeating of the same point at the beginning does not have any reasoning behind it other than making the sentence flow better, normally when people repeat points it's because they want to emphasize it, this is not the case here.)

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@tbfromsd]

As a mixed person of multiple heritages, I had to get comfortable fast with being my own identity. My best advice when people ask what you are, or where you are from, is to say a human or earth respectfully. Once that is established all that's left is can we communicate effectively or not.

[@handyscenario178]

😂😂this is me

[@aizac91]

That is the most American way of answering the question.. people who aren’t American leaning would not answer that; but instead aren’t ashamed of telling them their heritage (as far as they know); you see the different is your try to hide it in the sense you don’t want to complicate things or you wanna feel “belong” quickly. While non-West not raised in the West will tell their story; and after explaining to them if they decide not to accept you; then move on. You’ll find someone or a group of people who will. Which you will know who are your true friends in foreign lands.

[@Jay-qt6xu]

Indian and Nepalese and HK born. British but spent a fair bit of my teens and 20s in the US. People make all kind of assumptions about me all the time. You just have to keep it moving. I remember hanging out with a Vietnamese friend here in HK and everyone talked to her in Cantonese (she doesn't speak it) and I responded instead. The reactions were 😂

[@pacmania1982]

My Dad was in the Royal Air Force and I've never had that feeling of belonging either. Although I'm British, we moved and lived all over the place, including Germany - and that's where I was born. When people ask where I'm from - it's complicated as you have to explain that you don't have a home town and you were born in Germany and yes you do speak German - then have to do the little 'Ich kann Deutsche sprechen'. I feel for you and how tiring it is.

[@VastOceanCommuter]

This is the content that’s sets your channel apart from others. Love and want more of this.

[@cedricdeconcordia7862]

Joshua, nationality does not and should not define ever who you are as a person. You are unique in every sense of the word. That's all it matters. Really. Just be happy :)

[@yokoemy]

I can relate in a certain way. I am Brazilian with Japanese background. I was born and grew up in Brazil, BUT, there are a lot of Asians (Japanese ) in Brazil. Brazil has the larges Japanese population outside of Japan, so people are very used to people like me that look like Asian but speaks perfect Portuguese. There are a lot of Chinese and Koreans too. Now I live in Canada and I go through what Joshua goes through here. When people ask me where I'm from and I tell them I'm Brazilian, they all look surprised and I explain... ☺

[@citrinehills7131]

I hate Canada. Grew up and lived there. Lots of racism there. Serious racism. I would love to go to Brazil and connect with Japanese and Koreans. I find Brazilians so loving and amorous. I have a great Brazilian friend here and we hope to travel to Brazil one day.

[@neo7930]

~~😂

[@TheEpicWalrus1]

As a hapa myself make sure your kids have experience with both cultures Pearl. I see a lot of hapas is both japan and US with identity issues but I was always told I was both and I spent time in both countries. I think that helped me a lot and also growing up speaking both languages too is huge. Good luck Pearl!

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@xhm100]

@@thetruetreasure1 I thinks lot of the time when people ask “where are you from” what they really want to ask is “ if you were to do a DNA ancestry test what would it say?” Then I guess you can tell them you lived in Italy since you were young so you feel very Italian.

[@drunkencarpentry989]

He is not alone in the feeling. May not be as in depth as his, since it's 3 generations. But, I was born in Puerto Rico to puertorican parents. We speak Spanish w a puertorican accent. I'm fluent in it. However, moved to Australia when I was young and learned English there. I speak English w Australian with an accent (though it has its idiosyncrasies since there is a hidden PR accent in it) and many of the slang. I'm even a citizen of Australia. In my teens we move to Cleveland, Ohio. Lived there for 21 years, then back to PR for a year and now been in Pennsylvania for a year. When i speak, everyone assumes I'm Aussie. When my mother calls me and i switch over to Spanish everyone is absolutely confused and when i tell them I served the US Army and explain I'm from Ohio and lived their the longest, their heads explode. So I totally understand this fella. It can be very frustrating and lonely in the fitting in part.

[@bluetoad118]

Your meeting with the highschool staff reminded me of when I was younger. I am half Vietnamese and half caucasian born and raised in Canada. I switched schools in 3rd grade, they sat me down and asked me what my first language was and I said I only knew and spoke English. I took and passed the English test. They continued to ask what other languages I spoke and I said none then they literally told me I was confused and clearly didn't understand them because I couldn't answer what other language I spoke. I was then put in ESL for the next 6 years 🙃

[@alanlight7740]

I can half understand a mistake like this lasting 6 days, but 6 years? Didn't your parents ever talk to your teachers? and if they did, why didn't they pull you out of that school and put you somewhere where the teachers weren't imbeciles?

[@__-fu5se]

That's awful if true. How would your parents not notice this?

[@SantosoWijaya]

Terrible school. I had the opposite experience. I entered as an international student, got enrolled in ESL. After a couple of exams, they moved me to a regular English class with the other Australian natives.

[@MrHoochMeister]

My son had a similar experience who was born and raised in the US. He got a new teacher in 4th grade and since he was ESL in kindergarten she asked him very slowly "What COUNRTY?" He was so confused he couldn't answer but after the initial shock I intervened and explained that English is the only language he speaks. It took her months to accept it. His youngest brother wasn't that lucky he was treated as a foreign student up until high school where finally no one really cares anymore. Most inclusive/liberal school district in the Midwest...

[@vicmath1005]

@@SantosoWijaya Australian natives? That would be aborigines. Did you mean Anglo-Saxon Australians, Irish Australians, Greek Australians, Italian Australians, Chinese Australians, etc etc. The second generation of these groups might have accents distinct from 10th generation European Australians. There are 10th generation Chinese Australians living in Australia too. PS: I have heard that many people have asked the long-resident Chinese Australians (i.e. their forefathers arrived 150 years ago) "Where are you from", and then, "Where are you REALLY from? Which country?"

[@iHeartFerenc]

I lived in China for a year, and I had a good friend from Italy who'd been in China for a number of years who would wear a shirt that said on the front "老外来了" (the foreigner's here) and on the back it said "老外走了" (the foreigner's gone)

[@OrientalPearl]

I had that shirt too!

[@gyakuto7775]

My parents were from the India subcontinent, but I was born and raised in the U.K. I have brown skin and probably ‘Indian features’ and what you report is similar to the experiences of my parents here in the early 60s when the U.K. had to attract Indian doctors into the NHS. I felt very British, followed the local music, fashions and of course, language and outwardly was always treated as a British person. I have no idea what British people think about me when we meet, but they seem to behave toward me in just the same way as they do everyone else. It seems Japanese attitudes are simply 40yrs behind that of the UK’s and they will eventually catch up. Also I’m not hung up on personal identity as I’ve realised it’s an artificial, geopolitical construct that other’s like to apply to one another: it’s of no consequence as we’ll realise when we make ‘first contact’ - we are all Earthlings!

[@EternalQuestion]

Hey, White British guy here. I think at this point it's extremely normal to be British Asian. I had several British Asian friends at school, university and later as colleagues. Most of us have grown up with Asian people being an accepted part of our community. British Asians have also definitely had a lot of influence on our culture. There are loads of Asian celebrities, even the prime minister is British Asian. And let's be honest, the finest example of British cuisine is definitely chicken tikka masala. You can keep your bangers and mash... Lol. I guess one of the differences between the UK and Japan is that most of us understand that an Asian or Black person can be British too, and as soon as we hear that British accent, we know you're one of us. That said, you occasionally get some oblivious old person asking where someone is 'really from' even though they have a broad Yorkshire accent... IMO it's because they are old and they didn't grow up in the multicultural society that we have today. So they fixate on appearance. I think Japan is just behind the times, as you say. In Japan even young people are like that. They are so fixated on the fact that the person looks different that half the time they don't hear the words they are saying. Unfortunately the fact that Japanese culture is also extremely conformist also means foreigners stand out even more. Hopefully they will get there one day.

[@kupokupo5170]

Even in the UK, you can be made to feel like a foreigner when born and raised here. Most people I meet will ask where I’m from… ‘where i’m really from, no, not where you were born, where you really came from’ 🙄

[@Newspeak.]

Yeah I feel like someone that lives in any city in the US wouldn't be shocked in this situation since most of the country is such a big melting pot. We have our problems but I can't imagine anyone just not understanding perfectly spoken English because of the race of the person speaking it.

[@gigia95421]

@@Newspeak.it's the same un US. They may accept a Japanese-American but they won't accept a Japane-Swiddish or whatever. They think they are the only melting pot so they won't imagine an Italian-Chinese or an African-Russian

[@HunterShows]

Hopefully Japan does not follow the UK's lead in giving its country away to foreign migrants.

[@logview3072]

I’m Asian. When traveling to Japan, there are occasions where the Japanese are shocked that I don’t understand any Japanese. I still remember when the cashier asked me something and I replied “sorry I don’t speak Japanese.” She said “eh?” Then stood freeze for 3 seconds. It is very easy for people to make assumption just by looking at other people’s appearance.

[@supercal3944]

That’s because Japanese Korean and Chinese are all Chinese people

[@GaIIeon]

Unfortunately that is also the case in "western" countries. I was born in Germany but my father is half half Bulgarian, quarter Japanese and quarter German. While my mother is Turkish (Kurdish). Because I don’t want to tell everyone my whole family-tree, when they ask me where I'm from, I just tell them, that I'm German. But every time I tell them that, they ask me where I'm "really" from. It is really annoying, because when I do tell them the other countries, I also always get ask if I can speak turkish/japanese/bulgarian. Like, I just told you before that I'm German. I am learning Japanese in University right know though lol (3 Semester, A2)

[@ASFArtix]

After watching this video I found some similarities to my life story (obviously much less irritating than this person’s situation). This realization came couple of hours afterwards. I was born in Latvia. To parents who are half Latvian and half Russian, which is often the case in this country. The result of this was a lot of issues in school and sometimes even outside of school. Having gone to Latvian speaking kindergartens and schools I have always spoken the Latvian language quite well, however because of my Russian sounding surname most of the teacher were constantly asking if I understand everything etc. which was quite a wtf moment for me and made me feel embarrased in front of the class. Sometimes there was light bullying but it all stopped in roughly year 6 so it was fine. The other side was also quite weird. I used to go on a vacation in the summer to our apartment in Bulgaria, and in the apartment complex there were mostly Russians. Russian, on the other hand I spoke mostly in my family, but quite on a primitive level I would say. So when it came to communicating with Russian kids of my age it was honesly tough and also led to some problems- them pointing out my accent etc. Also in Latvia I took Karate lessons in a Russian Dojo, and there it was very weird- kids making fun of me for not being great in Russian, when the country has an official state language- Latvian. Anyways, what a great video, showing that prejudice and narrow-mindedness is prevalent across the globe :D

[@MoonlightDivinity]

d

[@danginat7172]

Great video! Very interesting. Also, where is the restaurant clip from 1:23 from? Thanks!

[@duomax100]

Hi Pearl, nice video. Love it. Your video is amazing. It is introducing different nationalities and unique cultures. For the guy, I give him a lot of respect. Same respect as yours. ☺️😊. His English accent is American,does not have a British one. A British guy speaking Japanese and American English. 😄😃👍👍👍... Keep up the good work...

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you Alvin! I really enjoy doing these interviews.

[@adavelaar]

People that say suck it up and move on have never been in a situation like this. He's right, it is so annoying to always have to explain while others just live their lives and just be. It is so nice to just be, go get coffee or do groceries and not have to explain yourself.

[@13FallenAngela]

As an American. If I just heard his voice, I might think he was Japanese or some eastern Asian country. I live in Seattle, Washington where there are a lot of people from that part of the world living here/visiting/staying and that is why I feel like I can say that.

[@stephaniemoore8639]

My friends who are MKs (missionary kids) have similar stories. They don’t feel at home in the USA but they don’t feel like they completely belong in the culture they were raised in. When we moved to NC there was an ethnically Asian nurse at our pediatrician’s office. My jaw almost hit the floor when she spoke with a strong Southern drawl. I just hadn’t heard it before. I grew up across from DC and when people looked foreign there, they usually were (diplomats).

[@alvinohata4223]

I can kinda relate to this. I am a third generation American of Japanese ancestory but when I moved to California for work some of my coworkers would ask me when did I move from Japan.

[@SpiffyPenguin]

This was so interesting to watch. I appreciate Joshua's openness about his experience. I lived in Japan for international school and a classmate said it the best- Being "American" (specifically United States), Canadian, or British/From portions of the UK are just passports. Even in our respective countries (USA, Canada, UK, etc) it doesn't really mean anything ethnically as we still acknowledge people's ethnicities within the country. Meanwhile in places like Japan where it's over 90% ethinically Japanese citizens, they don't casually do the passport thing the same way we do. My own Japanese teachers would ask where I was from- knowing I was from America but they didn't stop pressing until they got confirmation that I'm only 1st gen American and that my entire family is Jamaican lol.

[@kyu4232]

Thanks for sharing your experience! There’s so much to unpack in a third-culture kid/adult experience. While there is so much that connect us as TCK/A, it’s always interesting to hear about the unique experiences each of us have.

[@charlottegroves6091]

This is so interesting. I can’t speak for everyone in the UK, but I live in Wales, and if anyone of any perceivable ethnicity speaks with a British accent from any UK region, I assume they’re British, not based on what they look like 😂 but similarly if they speak with a “foreign” accent I assume they’re from another country. But they could equally be born here and have their family’s accent or speak many languages. Either way, I never ask unless I’ve met them a few times!

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@phrayzar]

"Imagine feeling like a foreigner in the country you were born and raised in" That's pretty much the case for many people everywhere in that situation who look different. And definitely not just westerners.

[@cocacolafiesta]

I can relate being American-Mexican in that in school I felt very Mexican back in the 50s-60s and grew up losing the ability to speak spanish but going to Mexico I was asked what nationality I was and said "mexicana" and they asked where I was born "usa" and they said "no, you’re not mexican". I feel that I am part of both worlds too!🤔😵‍💫🤔

[@cstud3039]

We wouldn’t think much of seeing Japanese people speak perfect English, but America has been such a melting pot, it isn’t unusual. I’ve never thought of someone having to deal with this before. As always, a very interesting topic!❤

[@MrDominicMark]

A subtle thing came through in the way you said "told" at 2:32 with a distinctly Japanese pronunciation. That "wr" sound with the tapped "l", it's clear to me how rooted in Japan you are. Thanks for sharing your story

[@robertbailey4359]

Was in Japan back in the nineties. Started a family. While building my company. Building homes. I was always treated the same. How I looked. I spoke Japanese very well. It was very interesting. Being in the industry(construction) I was always having to overcome the distraction. And having to guard against being taking advantage of. We eventually, moved to the US. It did become too much to deal with. I was there in Kobe. When the quake hit. Many of my clients lost their homes. But I was able to help many more with the help of my employee's and famiily. I do miss the food. And culture. But, not the lifestyle

[@janicelaurin7263]

Great video! I hope you can do another video with him in the future. I know you have been very busy, but I always look forward to your videos. Hope all is going well with you and your husband!

[@OrientalPearl]

I would love to. Joshua has a lot of potential as a youtuber.

[@blueberryjuicebox7307]

In the same situation but in France, born here, have nationality, but my family is British so I’m treated like a foreigner, outcast at school because the kids don’t like English kids, get spoken too in broken English frequently and have to explain that I in fact speak fluent french, so totally understand how it feels, obviously it’s not quite as bad because I at least don’t look different from everyone else, I can only imagine how much worse that makes it.

[@Mattias_Stromberg]

Born Korean, adopted by Swedish people and raised most of my childhood and teenage years in Sweden, moved abroad to different countries, currently living in Ireland. Gave up years ago trying to explain to Western people that I'm Swedish, and for East-Asians that I'm not Korean or Chinese. So just labelling myself as Korean-Swede.

[@totorosghost]

That is a reasonable conclusion.

[@TrueNativeScot]

You need Swedish blood to be Swedish

[@juno3254]

WOW. I appreciate you sharing this a lot. As an East Asian guy who has also moved abroad I relate to Joshua's experiences a lot, but I can also see that he experiences relatively more struggles than me being born and raised in Japan. So I do feel bad for him for what he's been through. I've been realizing that East Asian countries truly have a lot of issues with xenophobia and not being accepting of people of other ethnicities who have been raised in the environment into the society. And another further issue is that East Asia is just so ethnically homogeneous to the point where it could really make you feel uncomfortable when you're not a part of the local ethnicity, as the vast majority of the people in the country all have the same background with each other. While I've heard that hate crimes towards people of other ethnicities is rare in East Asia, the low crime rate is due to how in the culture people are told to keep their opinions to themselves and not impose their views on others, however, at the same time, it also means that discrimination in East Asia is actually widespread but it takes place very covertly. In general, I think I acknowledge that East Asia unfortunately lacks behind Western countries in terms of tolerance and acceptance of immigrants from other countries. I'm sympathetic towards this guy's experience but I'm also glad that he's learned to embrace his background and life experiences more, and I wish him all the best with his life in Japan!

[@thetruetreasure1]

I was born in tunisia and grew up from when i was 1 year and 2-3 months old in italy and now that i have 26 years old i'm still living in italy so for you i'm tunisian or italian and why??

[@deviaugust9641]

As a Japanese/Indian/Brazilian/Native American I can relate big time born in America being American and going to Japan with my grandfather from my mother side and him looking fully Japanese except for his blue eyes I can relate immensely to this .

[@teodorholmstrom2791]

Love your videos Anming! Keep up the great work and hope your marriage is long and happy!

[@OrientalPearl]

Thank you for coming back to watch more!

[@smolboyi]

His experience is definitely special. What an awesome guy!

[@hirokiyokohama8838]

I have a similar situation but in reverse. I’m second-generation Japanese born in the UK, and I was brought up in Kent but now live in Tokyo. My Japanese is OK, having learnt it from my family but I don’t have any academic qualifications in Japanese. I went to university in Edinburgh, and I feel 100% English, and my Japanese background hasn’t made a dent in my identity. In England I’ve never had anyone doubting I’m British, so the situation with Joshua is obviously very different because Japan is a much less diverse country. Sometimes in Europe (especially Germany) I’ve had people questioning that I’m English and suggesting I may be from Hong Kong or something like that. In all fairness to the Japanese, sometimes they panic when they see a gaijin because they have the experience of gaijins ordering in Japanese first but then if they follow the conversation in Japanese it comes to an abrupt end. So the Japanese often think they’re on safe ground speaking in English, especially if they don’t know who you are. I recently met someone on Tinder here in Tokyo and this Greek-looking person showed up, so I asked him “where are you from?” And he got all offended saying he was born and raised in Saitama of German parents blah blah. Honestly I shouldn’t feel guilty for assuming a European-looking person is not Japanese!! That’s a bit too much to expect. My advice to Joshua is that he starts talking first, to make sure the person knows you’re fluent. If you let it get under your skin it starts to define you, and I think that’s not good. I would have an issue of course if people at the workplace treat you like your Japanese is not up to scratch or you’re an outsider. I’d have a quiet word with them and nip it in the bud.

[@OrientalPearl]

I think that is very sounds advice. Thank you for sharing your story!

[@Dr.lukwagoAsuman]

Very wonderful experience and advice. I think the Japanese people just get excited to see a non Japanese speaking their language. Joshua should fully mingle with them, get Japanese wife, put on kimonos and feel fully Japanese.

[@joshuasjapanchannel]

@@Dr.lukwagoAsuman I grew up fully mingling with them. I’m just now discovering the outside world.

[@Dr.lukwagoAsuman]

@@joshuasjapanchannel ohh, arigato gozayimasu . You very much correct, I think the Japanese are not so much exposed to the outside world, Whenever I am in Tokyo they touch my black skin, they admire my height, they become excited when I speak some Japanese.

[@avocado8952]

Maybe a 100 years ago but today many foreigners celebrities in tv speak excellent Japanese so everybody that watches tv is used to it. I think it is just discrimination towards people that is skilled in both English and Japanese. That is why Japanese usually say they don’t know English as they will consider not so Japanese and bullied because of that.

[@fraise1024]

I’m a Japanese American born and grew up in the States, and never lived out of my own country. But people pretty often think I’m a foreign exchange student or came here after growing up in Japan. Even people who I’ve known for years still think so 😂 I can speak Japanese and I probably do act more Japanese than most Japanese Americans, so I guess I can’t help it 😅 Being treated like you’re not from your own country sucks tho 😩

[@westhoodqualzini7884]

Japan is a racist ignorant country. I feel bad for the guy

[@nichtsistkostenlos6565]

"Pretty often" like how often? I would never assume anybody in the US that was ethnically East Asian was a "foreign exchange student" especially if they speak perfectly good English. Your situation is not rare at all in the US, so unless you live in a small town in the Midwest, I would be very surprised to hear this happened more than once ever.

[@fraise1024]

@@nichtsistkostenlos6565 I moved a lot around different states and I also was a pretty quiet kid and not that socially active, so that might also be the reason why. I heard teachers and fellow students tell me, “I thought you don’t talk because you just came from Japan and didn’t know how to speak English” From my experience meeting people, there are actually many Asian Americans who were born in the States and grew up in the States but can’t speak their Asian language, so that could be another reason. I heard people I knew for a long time tell me “I thought you were born and raised in Japan because you can speak Japanese” I also had people ask me “So when did you come here(U.S.)?” - a common question I get often from people I met for the first time. I also had “Where are you from?(outside of U.S.)” - but this one was more rare. I might also have some level of Asian accent in my English so that could be why too. But people in my social circle tell me that I’m very Japanese(opposed to American) so it’s just what it is I guess😂 I even had people tell me “You don’t look American(Asian American) - although they were international students😅 Some other things people told me before are “Can you speak English?🤨” and the most common one - “I thought you were born in/came from Japan😮” The list can go on and on, but this is something only certain people experience, so it may be hard to understand and it may be surprising to some people who never had these kinds of experiences 😅 But I appreciate you asking! And I’m glad you’re not one of the “assumers”!😆

[@JasonBarnhart]

I only lived in Aomori prefecture for about 5 years. After two years of university study and buying mostly Japanese clothes I grew out my beard a little and wore sunglasses most of the time to blend in better. Life was much easier when I could walk around and talk to people without having the first thing people thought was that I was a foreigner. No one was ever mean to me or at all unwelcoming but it was very nice to just be a person again. I moved like a local after a couple years and have a northern accent but I have very light colored eyes people would notice across the room. It’s been years since returning to the states but Japan will always feel like a second home.

[@belabotum876]

You must feel like an observer wherever you go. When my dad went to S Korea before I was born to live I never thought of my dad as being heavily influenced by Korean culture until he recently passed away at 80. Dad had impeccable gardening skills, clean life, very peaceful yet strict. He always talked with joy about living in a paper house with a family and learning martial arts. He could fly thru the air! So it does not take long to assimilate to any culture when you find joy from it. I miss my dad so much. So much. ❤

[@Enlightize]

Loved this! I think more of these conversations need to be had -- people who are multicultural or culturally something else and look differently. I've had this conversation with many Asian Americans as well. And, this is actually how I felt in the US being a Black person but since I was always around Koreans or Russians, it felt like I never really had anything to talk about with my other American counterparts who were always around culturally American people. Of course, it's not 100% the same though. I think I was just a weird teenager too though. 🤣

[@OrientalPearl]

Thanks for always supporting my videos Jasmine!