I'm sorry if this comes across as rude, but I've been curious for a while. My boyfriend and I want to visit Japan at some point in our lives, but I'm concerned about the above issues.
My boyfriend is visibly black, and I'm transgender. I'm worried about potential hostilities or behind-the-back badmouthing.
I wouldn't normally ask this, but knowing there are Japanese slurs for trans people, and hearing about overt racism (ie; "no foreigners" signs) has me very concerned. I feel like I need to know whether or not we should just cancel the plans altogether.
I haven't been to Japan, but I'm pretty sure it's not nearly as bad as you're thinking. Just because stuff like that exists somewhere doesn't mean it's the norm. Also the foreigner thing is usually to all foreigners no matter of race I'm pretty sure
You really can't generalize all of Japan as being hateful like that. Japanese people are all individuals with their own thoughts and opinions about things, the same as everywhere else; you will find kind people and you will find nasty people everywhere you go, and the kind people and the nasty people might be the same people on different days. I would say that your ability to recognize and respect that Japanese people are people just like you is far more the determining factor of whether you should visit Japan than whatever treatment you're afraid of receiving there. If you treat every Japanese person with suspicion that they will be bigotted towards you, you should not go, because you're going to feel unwelcome no matter what they do, and that's an awful attitude to have about the people around you, especially as a guest in their country.
Japan is a pretty ethnically homogeneous country, so yes, foreigners who are visibly not of Asian descent tend to stand out, and out of a lack of exposure (especially if you're outside of big cities and tourist centres), people may do rude things like stare or make off-colour comments. It is almost never out of malice, and it's extremely unlikely that you would be the target of open hostility or violence simply for looking foreign. "No foreigners" attitudes are rare to see (I've been across the country on 3 separate trips and don't recall ever seeing signs to that effect in person, only people freaking out about them online), and are inevitably the result of tourists who are badly-behaved and ignorant about Japanese cultural norms during their visit; Japan currently has an over-tourism issue and some locals may be burned out from dealing with rude tourists, but if you are considerate and make an obvious effort to be respectful to the people, cultural sites, and customs around you, people are usually very appreciative and forgiving of mistakes.
Japanese culture is also very big on minding your own business and not making other people uncomfortable, and foreigners also tend to get a pass for things like gender non-conformity that locals might otherwise be judgemental about (assuming your gender has any reason to come up at all, which it shouldn't if everyone's minding their own business). So if anyone happens to feel negatively about you being foreign or being transgender, it's almost a guarantee that you won't be confronted about it and it will ultimately have no effect on you. Again, the worst you would probably experience as a tourist might be some off-colour treatment out of ignorance from someone who is otherwise trying to be helpful or friendly, or someone being terse because they had a bad day -- in which case, if you're not able to be understanding and take it in stride, and would instead make a big deal about how Japanese people must all be bigotted against you, you are much more likely to have a bad time.
I never once intended to imply I have anything against the Japanese. I'm simply concerned for mine and my boyfriend's wellbeing, and wished to clarify what I'd heard. My hope was to dispell my suspicions and garner more information to guard against the rumours.
People show only the most extreme things on the internet for clickbait. Thousands of tourists of all kinds visit Japan and especially if you go somewhere big like Tokyo it's pretty unlikely you will face any issues
When I traveled there in April last year, I did not come across any racism or signs that said “no foreigners” or anything like that. Everybody there was extremely respectful. I did see a black man at one point who seemed to be getting some slightly odd looks from few people, but it was very subtle. I agree with Row, that if you go to a big city like Tokyo, or Kyoto, I think you are less likely to have problems.
I think you'll find that almost anywhere you go, most people are good people. The question is, how likely are you to encounter someone who isn't a good person, and what will happen if you do?
Realistically, I don't think you have much to worry about. The worst that could happen is that someone who doesn't want to deal with tourists will just ignore you.
You may hear stories of foreigners living in Japan feeling like they have a hard time fitting in, making friends, etc. Those problems do exist. But you won't hear stories of anyone going around harassing tourists. Especially in Japan, no one wants to cause a scene like that.
I think tourists having issues does happen, but it's rare. I think the big thing to keep in mind is this (and it's been hit upon by others in the thread): Japanese people are *people*. They are just as good and bad and helpful and selfish and everything else that other people are.
They big difference is that culturally, there is strong social pressure to not cause a scene, and to be much more reserved when it comes to your own opinions and ideas. So while I'd argue that Japanese (and anyone else) pull from the same pool of human thoughts and emotions, the chance of it being SHOWN to you is much lower than in some other cultures.
Like most people already said, you are not likely to find racism or discrimination in Japan as a visitor. There are some bigoted japanese people around, just like anywhere else, but it's really rare for someone to say or do something to you, specially if you will just come here for vacation.
About the signs prohibiting foreigners, I've never seen one in the 2 years I've lived here. They are way more rare than the internet leads you to believe.
