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“Four years ago, when I decided to divorce my husband, he abducted my children. One minute I was in the bathroom, the next they were all gone. And it’s legal in Japan. So I called the police but they told me I was crazy and that I should go to a mental hospital. They must have thought I was crying wolf since I reported my kids missing before when my husband took them out for shopping and didn’t come back on time. I called his mobile many times but couldn’t reach him. But then after the police asked for their description and went looking for them, my husband finally returned home with the kids. But this time, it was real. He really took them away from me. So what I did was hire a lawyer and take my case to court with the local government. After seven months, I could finally see my kids and the police were cooperating. . “That experience made me realize I could help others in need. So many women, especially those dealing with domestic violence, feel trapped in their marriage because they have nowhere to go. That’s why my friends and I created an NPO to provide educational support for children from socially disadvantaged families—households with single moms, after the father disappeared. These children have no access to proper education. They cannot graduate from university and would be trapped into poverty. Some of them even experience depression and attempted suicide. Also, with domestic abuse, it’s not always just someone beating you up. There’s also financial and psychological abuse. So I’m helping women escape from such toxic environments, too.”. . (Viktoriya was teaching English to kids when she noticed her class turning into a shelter, a refuge, for kids who have troubles at home and at school. Today, through her NPO’s recreation and special activities, they help children with special needs so they can learn how to communicate and adjust to society.) . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #ロシア人 #gaijin #humansofjapan #tokyo #東京 #Japanlife #lifeinjapan #ロシア #agameofportraits #chasingemotions #japan #Russia #Russian #entrepreneur #womenstories #diversitymatters #empoweringwomen #tokyolife #gaijinlife #diversityandinclusion #diversity #saturdayinthepark

"My happiest memories from childhood are my friends and I playing football in our neighborhood with our bicycles lying around. I feel that we grow these virtual or mental walls around us as we get older. As an adult, though we have a lot of friends, they are not as close as our childhood friends. I think it is because we resist friends from entering too deep into our lives as we age, we don't want them knowing our deepest feelings, fears and emotions. Even now, when I go back home to Cyprus, I know that if I call my childhood friends, they'd find a way to make time for me and meet me, no matter what." By @arpitjain099 . . . . . . . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #people #gaijin #humansofjapan #tokyo #東京 #Japanlife #lifeinjapan #Cypriot #agameofportraits #chasingemotions #japan #Cyprus #キプロス #キプロス人 #tokyocameraclub #diversitymatters #expatlife #tokyolife #gaijinlife #diversityandinclusion #diversity #gaijinpower #attacktheshot #everydayjapan #mystory #hsdailyfeature

“I came to Japan from Russia when I married my Japanese husband 17 years ago. I was just 21 then. Now we have two kids, but we’re divorced. Back then, I had no chance to be employed in a good company because I lived very far from the city. The only work available was being a cashier or a sales clerk, which I did while raising the children and studying Japanese. But I felt like I could be doing more so I attended university through the British Council in Tokyo and earned a degree with honors. After that, I got hired by a trading company. They wanted some Russian staff since they were selling cars and equipment to Russia. They paid me a low wage because I was a housewife with kids and dependent on my husband to pay medical insurance and pension. They said I didn’t need a full-time job and career. I was cleaning toilets, making tea for men, and no one asked for my opinion during meetings, even though I spoke three languages and negotiated with the clients. I was underpaid just because I’m a woman with kids and a foreigner, too. So one day, I decided to leave after the president and vice president of a Russian trading company came to visit and told me I could be working for myself, instead. When I left, I didn’t cause any problems for my company, no scandal, no conflicts. I just packed my bags and started my own consultancy, which I have been doing for 11 years now.” . . . . . . . . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #ロシア人 #gaijin #humansofjapan #tokyo #東京 #Japanlife #lifeinjapan #ロシア #agameofportraits #chasingemotions #japan #Russia #Russian #entrepreneur #womenstories #diversitymatters #empoweringwomen #tokyolife #gaijinlife #diversityandinclusion #diversity #igersjp #attacktheshot #everydayjapan #mystory #hsdailyfeature

On Sept. 8, Tokyo Interlopers had the great pleasure of exhibiting our photos under the auspices of Nippon Foundation’s symposium, Social Innovation Forum 2018. Panelists touched on relevant topics, such as physical and intellectual disability, LGBTQ+, unconscious bias, paralympics, and what it means to welcome people from diverse backgrounds and cultivate an inclusive society so that no one is left behind or at a disadvantage. We, at Tokyo Interlopers, believe that together we thrive, and that our common interests far outweigh our differences. So let’s build more bridges, rather than walls. - Tac 📸 @tim_franklin_photography . . . . . . . . . . #timfranklinphotography #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #東京 #外人 #外国人 #foreigner #ハーフ #gaijinlife #日本 #gaijin #Tokyophotography #japanlife #everydayjapan #peopleofjapan #humansofjapan #instajapan #lifeinjapan #ilovejapan #ig_japan #bestjapanpics #siw2018 #nipponfoundation #日本財団 #socialinnovationforum #diversity #diversitymatters #diversityandinclusion #共生社会

“The job-hunting process in Japan is so outdated. It’s especially hard for foreigners. There’s only a small window of time to do it, which usually starts in the second semester of your junior year. You have to follow a schedule, otherwise you fall off the radar of prospective employers. In my case, I was in Canada, doing a student exchange program. I wasn’t physically in Japan so only a few companies accepted my application. Some didn’t even bother looking at my resume because I couldn’t make it to their orientation (where job applicants listen to HR talk about the company). They’re effectively closing their doors to more talent this way. It’s like a penalty for people who go abroad, which is a shame since I think they’re usually more forward-thinking. . “Universities also make it compulsory to register on these online recruitment sites, which is silly because what if we don’t want to go down the normal path and approach companies directly ourselves, instead? But we were told something like, ‘If you want to graduate, then you have to.’ Then there’s the endless personality tests. You get 300 questions that look alike, just written differently, and you have to answer them quickly, so they can infer your personality. Apparently, they’ll know if you’re not honest and try to make yourself look better. After taking one, I told myself never again. . "I conformed a bit and joined the system when I got back from Canada. Some companies were still recruiting, some of my friends didn’t have a job yet. Around July and August, I started panicking. I thought I wouldn’t be able to get a visa and stay. So I went to a couple of company orientations. However, the companies that wanted to meet me just wanted foreigners for the sake of having foreigners, and not because they wanted to. It’s for them to show an image of a global company. I have friends working for Japanese firms who don’t have a degree and don’t actually do anything related to their field, except some translation. That’s when I knew it wasn’t for me and that I would be better off doing something on my own. So that’s what I did.” . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #フランス人 #gaijin #humansofjapan #tokyo #東京

“Whenever people ask me if my life in Japan is tough, I tell them it is when you don’t have money. But compared to when I was growing up in Nepal, life here is cushy. We didn’t have water, electricity or gas on the mountain where we lived, and I used to walk for two hours just to get to school (sometimes with no food). I came to Japan 20 years ago to study Japanese. I opened a curry restaurant after working for a company for 10 years. Unfortunately, my mother got sick and I had to give up the business to someone else to go back home and take care of her. But she passed away after three months. So I came back to Japan, started afresh, and today, by some twist of fate, I work as a journalist, an actor, a TV personality, and a translator. My wife and I just had a baby five months ago so I’m finally a dad now. I’m on a mission to tell the world about my culture. Nepal is such a small country but has many good things to offer, like the food and beautiful scenery like the Himalayas, where Mount Everest is. People have the impression that Nepalese food is only curry. Not entirely true. Just like how Japanese food consists mainly of mirin (sweet cooking rice wine), sugar, and soy sauce, we have various kinds of curry-flavored dishes. That’s why I write articles online and appear on Japanese TV, to show the world how rich our culture is. Someday I’m going to open a restaurant again. And hopefully, I can also help my fellow Nepalese here. There are about 90,000 of us in Japan.”. . #humansoftokyo #tokyointerlopers #外人 #外国人 #ネパール人 #gaijin #humansofjapan #tokyo #東京 #Japanlife #lifeinjapan #ネパール #agameofportraits #chasingemotions #japan #Nepal #Nepalese #タレント #外人タレント #diversitymatters #多文化 #tokyolife #gaijinlife #diversityandinclusion #diversity #Japanese #attacktheshot #curry #ig_japan #hsdailyfeature

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