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“My father is Mexican and my mother is Japanese. Growing up in Mexico, some people would call me ‘Chinita’, which actually means Chinese. Aside from that, I never really experienced any discrimination because of my heritage. Although my whole life, there was this nagging feeling that I wasn’t completely Mexican. As a kid, my grandmother would record TV shows in Japan then send video tapes to us because there was no internet back then. So when I got older, I decided to live in Japan to find and develop this side of myself. Tokyo is great because I can find people who are half-Japanese and half something else, just like me. My research on ‘Nikkei’ communities or Japanese descendants in Latin America has helped me connect with fellow bilingual Japanese and Spanish speakers, which defines my identity. One of my mentors is Argentinian but has Japanese roots. He’s lived here for 25 years and is an expert on second or third generation Japanese communities. We switch back and forth to Japanese and Spanish. I guess I’m trying to focus on the relationship between language and identity. It’s interesting to see people who move a lot learn how to adapt to their surroundings. You open your mind to everything that’s there because it’s part of your survival. And that means your identity changes, depending on the context of where you are. What you say changes, too, depending on who you’re talking to. It’s really interesting to be part of this multicultural world.” #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #gaijinlife #gaijin #japanlife #humansofjapan #メキシコ #メキシコ人 #japanlover #lifeinjapan #ilovejapan #artofvisuals #東京カメラ部 #tokyolife #urbanromantix #japan_of_insta #diversity #街撮り #tokyocameraclub #agameofportraits #chasingemotions #streetphotography #ハーフ #日系 #rawurbanshots #portraitstream #good_portraits_world #ポートレート

“Elderly Japanese women seem to have taken a liking to me. One dark and rainy day, a sweet old lady waved to me and said, ‘Come inside the umbrella or you’ll catch a cold.’ Then another time, while I was staring at the moon by myself to wait for the lunar eclipse, some middle-aged woman approached me and said, ‘Tsuki ga kirei desu ne’ (the moon is beautiful). We ended up watching the eclipse together and chatting about life. Those tiny thoughtful things touch my heart. The second lady even invited me to her house. When they feel like they can trust you, they really welcome you. I love their hospitality. Maybe it’s because I speak Japanese so I don’t really feel any boundaries or wall with them. They respect that you can understand their language and culture. Being Indonesian in Japan, I feel lucky but it’s also challenging at the same time. Good thing I don’t feel any discrimination at the Japanese company I work for. The only downside is I get passed over for assignments overseas or business trips because of visa requirements, whereas a Japanese colleague can go on the fly. Fortunately, Japan makes huge investments in Indonesia, which is my territory. It’s always my time to shine whenever there’s an Indonesia-related project. I get to meet government officials and even the Japanese ambassador. It’s a rare experience and privilege to be working here. As a foreigner in Japan, you have a lot of skills that people value--language, your open mind, etc. I think it’s a plus if you live in Japan.” #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #peopleoftokyo #外国人 #gaijinlife #Indonesia #gaijin #japanlife #humansofjapan #instajapan #インドネシア #インドネシア人 #japanfocus #japanlover #lifeinjapan #ilovejapan #ig_japan #bestjapanpics #artofvisuals #exploringjapan #tokyolife #urbanromantix #japan_of_insta #公園 #diversity #街撮り #東京カメラ部 #agameofportraits #chasingemotions

“I’m originally from Korea but moved to Canada and lived there for about 15 years, so I consider myself more Canadian than Korean now. I work in the legal industry and I practice law. I think I blend into Japanese society to a certain extent, which is why I like confusing people. Even though I really don’t speak Japanese that well, I can still sort of communicate. It also helps that I kind of look Japanese. Sometimes cab drivers would be surprised to find out towards the end that I wasn’t Japanese in the first place. I can do that using bits of the language that I’ve been rehearsing for a year and a half. While Japan is great and all, there’s a need to fit in. I get along with the foreigner crowd, no problem. But people in Tokyo, while seemingly friendly, they have boundaries. Unless you’ve known them since high school or through work or they’re a family friend, it’s not easy breaking that barrier. I have friends who say it took them eight or nine years to finally penetrate those barriers and become friends with Japanese people. In a way, that forces some of us, foreigners, into a close-knit community. One time, I tried to talk to someone at the airport who was reading a Stephen King novel. I remember thinking, here’s someone who speaks English. But the reaction I got was, ‘Sorry, no English.’ Even when I switched to Japanese, they still brushed me off. Maybe that person was tired or not sociable. But it’s just completely different how people interact in Japan. I would have the same conversation in Canada and people would be a lot more receptive. I could just randomly walk up to someone or hold the door for someone and randomly start a conversation. I guess people have and cultivate different expectations, growing up. We just have to respect their culture. To be crass a bit, you wouldn’t talk to strangers in public restrooms. You wouldn’t talk to the person next to you while taking a piss. It’s an unwritten rule of etiquette. And you need to observe Japan’s customs while you’re here.” #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #peopleoftokyo #外国人 #gaijinlife #韓国 #gaijin #Tokyophotography #japanlife #everydayjapan #peopleofjapan #humansofjapan #instajapan #カナダ #カナダ人

“I’m from Turkey. Istanbul to be exact. My wife’s Japanese so that’s why I came to Japan. She loves taking pictures. Everywhere she goes, she’d bring her camera with her and take snaps.” . . . . . . . . . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #東京 #外人 #外国人 #foreigner #immigrant #attacktheshot #gaijinlife #日本 #gaijin #Tokyophotography #japanlife #everydayjapan #peopleofjapan #humansofjapan #instajapan #japanfocus #japanlover #lifeinjapan #ilovejapan #ig_japan #bestjapanpics #artofvisuals #exploringjapan #tokyolife #トルコ #トルコ人 #kebab #ケバブ #illgrammers

“I’m from Bangladesh. I quit working for my family business to come to Japan. I knew I could do so much more than just sell shoes. Someone once said, ‘You are the captain of your ship and master of your fate.’ That really struck a chord with me. So when I got a scholarship from a Japanese university, I left my stable life in Bangladesh, even though my parents were a bit disappointed. They said, ‘Why Japan? No one speaks English there.’ But I was determined to come here. If I was going to study abroad, it was going to be Japan. Our shoe factories would get a lot of orders from Japanese customers, so I’ve seen their discipline, the quality and their philosophy towards work, which motivated me. When I got to Japan, I wanted to do so many things. I wanted to be in the shoes and bags business. I wanted to be a filmmaker. Unfortunately, things didn’t pan out. Finally, I came up with an idea to develop an app that would connect people based on major interests. So someone interested in AI would find another person who’s into the same thing. Of course there were many hurdles to overcome. Finding people and money was the hardest part, especially since I was just a student and didn’t have enough money. But after much hustling and failing, pitching at business contests and launching crowdfunding campaigns, I was able to find an investor and engineers who helped make my ‘social consulting network’ app a reality. I think if you try something hard, eventually you get some kind of push or support from around you. That’s why I’m grateful to many Japanese people who’ve had my back. I probably couldn’t have done this back home, where imagination is limited.” 📸@tim_franklin_photography #timfranklinphotography #peopleoftokyo #外国人 #foreignersinjapan #gaijinlife #gaijinpower #streetphotography #everydayjapan #humansofjapan #バングラデシュ #bangladesh #attacktheshot #thecreatorclass #visualsoflife #traveldeeper #exploringtheglobe #illgrammers #travelwolf #artofvisuals #lonelyplanet #lifewelltravelled #urbanromantix #gramslayers #hsdailyfeature #外人 #バングラデシュ人 #bestjapanpics #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #japan

“The half-Japanese community in Japan is really strong. We seem to band together. Maybe because there was a film made in 2010 about half-Japanese people that brought everybody out of the shadows. Suddenly people who grew up in a bicultural, biracial household have other people to talk to about these things. That bonds you together, even if that’s the only thing you have in common. No matter what age or nationality, that one link ties you together. So when I came to Japan and started meeting people in the half-Japanese community, it was a really strong sense of home for me. It feels like a family.” Interview & photo by @thetacaquino #peopleoftokyo #外国人 #foreignersinjapan #gaijinlife #gaijinpower #gaijinsoftokyo #streetphotography #everydayjapan #humansofjapan #instajapan #attacktheshot #thecreatorclass #visualsoflife #traveldeeper #exploringtheglobe #illgrammers #travelwolf #artofvisuals #lonelyplanet #lifewelltravelled #urbanromantix #gramslayers #hsdailyfeature #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #ハーフ

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