TA

Hi all, maybe this is a delicate question but I trust you all to provide helpful advice on a sensitive topic.

I am thinking to go travel in Japan with a friend who is a US citizen, but a tall clearly Indian guy.

This is purely for leisure, going to scenic places, eating, sleeping, hot springs, spas, train trips -- you know an enjoyable guys' trip for fun.

How are foreign Indian-looking guys treated in this context by the average Japanese person/shopkeeper/tourist operator?

I ask not for the purpose of deciding whether to go, which I have already enthusiastically decided, but rather to know in advance of any issues or how to make the trip good for my buddy. As in, are there any prejudices or explanations that I can keep in mind to make the trip better if he encounters this? Unfortunately, I have heard that Japanese are not the most charitable when it comes to brown folks...

Or please correct me if I myself have a misperception.

Thank you, all.

railroadtycoon

Generally speaking, if you act with respect, you'll be treated with respect. If you act like a fool then people will think of you as a fool, but probably still treat you nicely regardless of your skin color.

Gradfly

This might not totally apply to your situation. I had similar type of trip to Japan with one of my good friends. He's a tall, white American guy while I can pass off as Japanese. I think the only situation where his appearance came into play was when we were stopped by the local police for an ID check. In my perspective, it may be because he was definitely a foreigner and the Japanese are pretty strict with immigration. Other than that, we had no problems in our trip. I would just be prepared and make sure both of you have your passports handy. They asked for mine when they realized I could not understand a word of Japanese.

slawecki

if you will be staying in a better hotel, have the concierge book meals for you one day in advancee.

have the concierge write down the restaurant location for the taxi driver.

buy a phrase book. point at the phrase for the person to whom it is directed.

TA

Thanks for the advice, all. Your continued replies are welcomed too.

On a related topic, by the way, how do you go about wandering in various restaurant/bar districts and finding interesting and affordable izakaya to visit and eat in, for example?

When I traveled to Japan last time alone, I found it kind of intimidating/unfamiliar to wander in a random place and figure out what they serve, what kind of atmosphere it would be, how expensive, etc. when you can't read or speak Japanese. Aside from just looking for red lanterns... As a result, I would go to chain places or where things were clearly marked, which led to my eating adventures being not so adventurous.

evergrn

You see quite a lot of Indians / South Asians in cities like Tokyo and Kobe. Elsewhere in Jpn... not so much. However, interestingly there're Indian-run Indian restaurants all over Jpn, even in cities on the countryside. Jpn's becoming increasingly multicultural. For what it's worth, one of my best friends is Indian-American, and he had a great time in Jpn. Of course, there're stupid ignorant people everywhere. Unfortunately, Jpn's got some of that, too. But odds are, your friend will be just fine and I'm sure he'll enjoy Jpn.

I often look at Tabelog, which is a restaurant review/ranking site. So with independent places, it's either word of mouth or do research beforehand. Without that, I too would probably gravitate towards chain izakaya places (I'm Japanese). Chains like Watami are pretty reliable and always enjoyable. I've been burned before by independent izakaya places that looked good from outside... mediocre food, otoshi that you can't even turn down.

shinjukuflyer

I'm not Indian but brown. In five years of living in Tokyo, the worst I've experienced is:

Twice being stopped by cops near Shibuya Station and asked to show ID. Once I was coming back from a run and had a hoodie on. The other time it was really late at night, I may have been walking home a little tipsy lol.

On a couple of occasions people randomly assuming I work for an IT company. Though in both instances it was a non-Japanese person. And well, it has to do with the fact that there *are* a ton of Indian IT professionals in the Tokyo area.

In the grand scheme of things these are quite mild. And some of the stories I hear from guys who've been living here 25-30 years from when they first got here, things are a whole lot better. For example, I've never been turned away from a restaurant. Never entered a real estate office and been immediately asked to leave. Though landlord discrimination against non-Japanese is still pretty common. But that's for any foreigner period, not specifically brown people.

In the hospitality/tourism area, people have always without exception been extremely polite, helpful, and cordial.

slawecki

we use the michelin guide. prices are not that high in tokyo(compared to dc). spend the time to pick out half a dozen restaurants in the area, then have the concierge call and reserve for tomorrow. have concierge write down restaurant name and address. take it out, and give it to a cab driver.

in most of the restaurants, we were the only americans/eastern europeans.

GUWonder

My Indian acquaintances (inclusive of close friends and family) who've lived or visited Japan have been generally as positive about the place as my European-American acquaintances have been. I'm talking about the experiences of people who went to school in Japan, went their for work as C-level execs or entry-level professionals for US MNCs's Japanese subsidiaries, were sent there on military orders, tourists, etc. The Japan of the 2010s is a more open place than it was in say the 1980s and 1990s.

Tourists of ethnic Indian origins doing tourist things there will more or less encounter the exact same thing other foreign tourists experience there. I wish the same thing could be said for other parts of the world.

F 1

You will be treated fine. Japanese people are still human, if you are nice to people, generally they will be nice to you in return. Making an effort to learn a few Japanese phrases goes a long way.

Regards,

Fellow Indian male

IMOA

Walking into random izakaya is my favourite part of japan but it did take me quite a few visits before I really did it regularly. I wish I had've started earlier.

My suggestions
Learn katakana, it's not too difficult, can be learned in a few days and will help a lot as its a case of sound the words out and you know what they mean. Things like salad, fried and dessert are often written in katakana so at least it gives you some concept of what you're looking at.

Learn some basic food related kanji. Beef, pork, vegetables etc. again, gives you some concept of what you might be looking at. Oh, and numbers, make sure you can read prices properly!

Understand your surroundings. Are lots of people eating nabe? Is there a yakitori grill? Having some idea of what they're serving helps you interpret what will be on the menu

Order draught/nama beer once you sit down. It's easy, it gives them something to do so they don't stand around looking uncomfortable and its normal behaviour. It also gives you a chance to sit back, take in the scene and figure out what's going on with the knowledge that your first order was delivered with confidence and understood

Have some go to dishes. For example If they have yakitori you should be able to rattle off 5-10 different types which you'd expect them to have without looking at a menu. Again, this gives you space to think and confidence.

Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations but they work best if you give them something to work with, eg today's sashimi recommendation, or fried food or vegetables. We often ask the table next to us for a sake or shochu recommendation.

I've never made anyone upset in ny izakaya I've walked into and many of my best experiences in Japan started with walking through a door when I had no idea what was on the other side. Don't sell your trip short, just do it.

Hubbabridge

It can be daunting the first few times you go into a restaurant/ izakaya but once you have done it a few times it becomes easier. Knowing a few phrases in Japanese make it easier and in my experience makes the staff more relaxed e.g. just being able to say how many people there are in the party: futari (2) Sannin (3) etc + onegai shimasu makes for an easy start. Katakana can help and is not difficult to learn though you may to repeat it a few times out loud to yourself before you get what it is. A few Kanji for the various food types also helps as IMOA has said. Tabelog is good I have found Bento.com to be great for making restaurant suggestions. I have also used Kyoto Machiya Restaurant Guide: Affordable Dining in Traditional Townhouse Spaces to be really useful in Kyoto. It is available for Kindle and is a guide to restaurants in old Tea Houses in Kyoto.

Practice makes perfect. Have a great trip

SeriouslyLost

One of the nice things about Japan IMO is that everyone (perceived as!) non-Japanese is pretty much lumped in together as simply "foreign". It's a very equal opportunity form of generalised & polite mild xenophobia for the most part.

jib71

I don't agree that all non-Japanese are perceived or treated equally. In particular, some people harbour prejudices against Koreans and Chinese people. It's not common, but I know from Korean friends that they can meet with some unpleasantness that a European would never encounter. (The same is true for Japanese people in Korea and China). And people from "developing" countries don't get the rock star treatment as much as people from "advanced" countries. These are not things that are easy to notice, but they are there.

I think the perception of Indian men in Japan may be rather positive compared with other "brown" people because a number of Indians in Japan are rather eliite technology sector workers. Japan's mass media also seems to be quite taken with a narrative about the high standard of Indian schools - both in India and in Japan. I think that many Japanese people have the impression that Indians tend to be well educated.

SeriouslyLost

gross generalizations are obviously gross generalizations. actual individual experience will depend on the individual and whom the encounter, but we can't answer that, can we?