Strangers Taking Pictures Randomly Of Me?
Hello! I just got back from my trip in Tokyo—overall, it was really fun and went better than I expected! It was my first time travelling to Japan, so I was a little nervous, but all went well :) I have nothing but good things to say about my short time there!
But I just had one *slight* issue, and I’m not sure how to phrase this properly as I’m not thoroughly well versed in Japanese culture besides surface level knowledge, so I apologize if I come off ignorant, but I noticed throughout my time there I had a lot of Japanese locals take pictures of me? Barely any foreigners, but mainly locals, mainly older crowds, but sometimes younger Japanese locals will just stop and stare me down 😅 I do know that Japan has an over tourism problem within the past decade, and a lot of locals don’t like it, especially towards more rowdier foreigners. I totally get that, so I made sure to have kept to myself as much as possible and followed all the common public etiquette.
First time this has happened was in Senso-ji Temple, when an elderly woman had come up next to me and snuck in a few photos. I didn’t even notice her because I was in the middle of conversing with a friend, and it wasn’t until minute or two when that friend had also realized she was there and pointed her way. The woman had just smiled and walked away. I was a bit frazzled, as it was only ME she took a picture of, and not my friend who was also obviously a foreigner as well. Just me. No one else.
I told another friend about this who’s been to Japan more than once and for even a longer time, and they ended up telling me it most likely has something to do with the fact I’m obviously not white. I’m brown, obviously a darker shade than your average East Asian, and the majority of Japanese society. And it explains why my other friend who travelled with me, who has a paler complexion, barely gained any looks or uncomfortable attention.
While a handful of people who’d come up to me randomly did give me compliments, it didn’t make me feel good—I don’t know how to take it? Does that make sense? Like, it felt like they were more wowed that there was a person of color that was a darker shade, than anything else like to say my hair looked nice or my clothes were cute.
Is this normal in Japan? Again, I liked my time there and the people I’ve met were so kind, I learned so much about the culture, as well as visited so many places besides Tokyo. But for such a modern country with millions of people in and out every day, it was surprising to be treated like this. I also had another incident by Shinjuku station—infamous, I am aware—around a later time where I was hounded relentlessly by those men loitering around the place. Mind you, I was just trying to walk out the station and immediately go to a restaurant to meet a friend. At some point, one of them had touched my arm and said something about my skin…I was thoroughly shaken up, to say the least, especially when I was even followed and berated to the point I had to run off.
Also, I’m not blissfully unaware that colorism and racism is an obsolete concept in our world anyway. It’s unfortunately bound to happen, but still, I can’t help but have felt very uncomfortable with the way I was looked at and treated, both by a good sum of woman and men. I’m a traveller myself and have been to multiple countries, the most I’ve experienced was a staring problem (specially in Germany and China 🙃) and, sure, I’d preferred not to be stared at, but I can learn to ignore it. Japan had been the first country to make me so unfathomably and uncomfortably aware that I am of darker skin and I stand out from everyone else.
Then again, I’m a foreigner, so everything I’ve said thus far doesn’t even matter anyway because I’m not meant to belong in Japan, besides the passing foreigner who’s there to just sightsee.