Finding diversity and inclusion

Breaking down barriers one post at a time

Stories of People

Tokyo as seen through the lens of foreigners. Snapshots of individuals who make up the gaijin community. Immigrant workers, trainees, expats, international students, visitors, Japanophiles and others.

Visual Stories

Watch our interviews in a new video series.
Continue reading “Visual Stories” →

Humans of Tokyo

Dubbed as the Tokyo version of “Humans of New York”
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Watch the Interview

The story behind Tokyo Interlopers. Continue reading “Watch the Interview” →

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Pay it Forward

August 16, 2018

“My first time abroad, I got robbed. I was doing an internship in France when I decided to go to Pamplona to see Spain’s bull run. Coming from India, I’m always careful with my wallet, but just not that day. I instantly regretted it after a thief used a blade to slash open my pocketContinue reading Pay it Forward →

Cacophony of Chatter

August 6, 2018

“It’s kind of strange that a Greek guy came to Japan thanks to Japan-Sweden relations. I was studying in a Swedish university and somehow by stroke of luck, we got a chance to visit Japan and we liked the place. We applied for a job here, and to be honest, the company had never interviewedContinue reading Cacophony of Chatter →

Same Love

August 3, 2018August 3, 2018

“I was heartbroken and a bit bored of my finance job in London so I decided to do some soul-searching while exploring the world for a couple of months. I found myself in South East Asia then Japan. A week before leaving, I met an Indonesian girl at a bar after she noticed I hadContinue reading Same Love →

Staying True to Yourself

August 2, 2018

“When my husband got a job offer in Japan, I was working in advertising as a designer and account manager in Mexico. It was super cool that he found a great job at good company, doing what he loves. But while I supported the decision to move here, what about me? What am I supposedContinue reading Staying True to Yourself →

Muay Thai

July 28, 2018August 11, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “I’m a very shy person. I’m so self-conscious. In my head I always think, `Oh I shouldn’t have said that,’ or `what if this person doesn’t like me?’ But now with Muay Thai, I feel like I can accomplish anything. I have focus when I step into the ring. I stop worrying about whoContinue reading Muay Thai →

Great Expectations

July 26, 2018July 30, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** Being pregnant three times in Japan, I felt a lot of societal pressure. It’s not unusual to have to quit your job and take time to prepare to become a mother, so that your central focus can be your child. In New Zealand, where I’m from, you can be pregnant, give birth, have yourContinue reading Great Expectations →

Disability in Japan

July 25, 2018July 25, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “My daughter has a physical and intellectual disability. She looked fine when I gave birth to her, but her development was really delayed. The doctors said her head’s really small, but we couldn’t really tell during the first 10 months so we had to wait. Later on we found out she had microcephaly, whichContinue reading Disability in Japan →

Homogeneous Culture

July 12, 2018July 13, 2018

“I’m half-Japanese, half-American and I still get frustrated by the same questions from people, who may have intended it in a nice way, but is touching upon this microaggression. Just the other day, my Japanese grandmother’s sisters and their friend who’s literally known me since the day I was born, said, ‘Oh you’re so gaijinContinue reading Homogeneous Culture →

I Got Your Back

July 4, 2018July 4, 2018

“I want to help my own people because I’m noticing there’s two systems at play in America, where I’m from. It’s set up to reward those who have connections. It’s not what you know, but who you know. So, you can be the best of whatever field but they’re always going to go with someoneContinue reading I Got Your Back →

Stay Grounded

June 29, 2018July 3, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “Living abroad got me thinking about what it means to be Tunisian. Am I African, a Middle Easterner, or part of the Mediterranean Sea countries? I often have to explain where Tunisia is because not many people know, and so being in Japan has made me reflect on my roots. It’s also made meContinue reading Stay Grounded →

Drive to Strive

June 23, 2018June 23, 2018

“When I was 11 years old, my high school in Haiti got attacked. People literally came with guns and started shooting. My mom got scared and sent me to America. I thought I was on vacation, so on my return date, I was packing my bags but then my uncle told me I’m not goingContinue reading Drive to Strive →

LGBT Ally

June 22, 2018

“Before coming out to my friends, I was very confused. Not knowing what to expect, especially how my friends would react, held me back. With my family, it’s different because it may hurt them, upset them, or make them worry about my future. Fortunately, a friend of mine in Hong Kong came out to meContinue reading LGBT Ally →

Happy to Help

June 18, 2018July 10, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “My dad is Venezuelan; my mother is French, and they met in the U.S. while they were exchange students in Philadelphia. They got married and moved to Venezuela together, where they had my big brother. Now things aren’t going so well there in Venezuela. Prices are skyrocketing. You must wait a long line toContinue reading Happy to Help →

Growing Pains

June 18, 2018June 18, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “I come from Ecuador. I’ve been living in Japan for the last 15 years of my life. I met my Japanese wife at a salsa club, where I was taking dance lessons. That’s where I pursued her relentlessly for half a year before she finally fell for me. Now we have kids. The olderContinue reading Growing Pains →

Making an Impact

June 8, 2018June 15, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “I came to Japan to get a chance to be together with my dad. He was always away since I was two years old. He would only come home to Romania for a maximum of six months a year, then he’d be off again to play jazz and classical music in Japan. He’s aContinue reading Making an Impact →

Lovesick

June 7, 2018July 1, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “My grandparents were taken from California and put in various internment camps, then they moved to Chicago. My Great Granddad actually came to the United States from Japan, my family stayed there and everyone married into the Japanese community that was already there. There was a lot of difficult history in that period withContinue reading Lovesick →

Feminism in Japan

May 24, 2018May 26, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “I like telling women’s stories and I think Japan is a very interesting place for that because the feminist movement is not as progressive as other countries. I come from a fairly liberal country in terms of women’s rights (although we’ve got issues as well, like all countries do). In New Zealand, we’ve justContinue reading Feminism in Japan →

A Life of Learning

May 22, 2018May 22, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “I like being an African woman so much, I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I like being in Japan but for the first year I had culture shock. My first year, I couldn’t eat Japanese food, but after all that, my life in Japan began to have meaning. Being an African woman, sometimesContinue reading A Life of Learning →

Pape San

May 21, 2018May 27, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “Before coming to Japan and Korea for an internship, I wasn’t sure how people would see a black guy like me in public places, like onsen (hot spring or public bath), or in the streets. That stressed me out a bit. Also, I noticed a lack of information on the web about life hereContinue reading Pape San →

Passion and Patience

May 16, 2018May 17, 2018

**日本語訳は下をご覧ください** “I grew up in post-communist Romania, which is so different from when my parents were growing up in the 80s. It was a tough time. They’d get about two hours of television per day, with one hour dedicated to propaganda. Even though people had money, they couldn’t buy anything because there was literally nothingContinue reading Passion and Patience →