Sep 14, 2021
Only in Japan: Getting Complimented by Strangers
Living in Japan as a foreigner will surely make you stand out, especially when you aren’t from an East Asian country. For a Filipina like me though, I don’t stand out that much. Some Japanese think I’m HAFU ( ハーフ) --- a person who is born to Japanese and non-Japanese parents. That’s why I didn’t experience being stared at that much in Japan compared to my foreign friends that are from Canada, Europe, etc.
However, there are times that I look Arabian, Brazilian, and some people have even thought I was African- American.
Both my parents are Filipino, but like many of my countrymen (due to colonialism), my ancestors are Filipino, Spanish, Chinese, and my grandpa was part French too.
I had an acquaintance who once told me that I looked very different from each of the pictures I posted online. I guess it depends on how I put my make-up on or the angle of how I take my photos. Sometimes my Asian features are prominent, and sometimes the “foreign” ones are.
I guess when that happens, that’s the time that I get approached by Japanese on the streets who want to talk to me.
The first compliment by a stranger
Before, a stranger has never started a conversation with me until I moved to Yamagata, Japan. Because it's the countryside and there aren’t that many foreigners living or even traveling there, I stood out.
The people that mostly talked to me were old people or those who wanted to talk in English.
The first compliment I got from a stranger in Japan was at a train station. I was heading to work, as I was buying my ticket, an old lady struck up a conversation with me. She asked where I’m from and said that I looked pretty.
That moment surprised me because it had never happened before. In the Philippines I look pretty average. The people that usually compliment me are my friends. So, a stranger saying that to me was quite something. It warmed my heart.
An odd conversation starter
From time to time, I do get some weird openers. Like, one time I was riding on a train while listening to music. There was a woman sitting across from me and I noticed that she had been looking at me. I just ignored this and thought that maybe it was just my imagination.
However, after 20 minutes she started to talk to me. I was listening to music so I didn’t look at her immediately, but I noticed her mouth was moving and she was looking straight at me. I removed my headset and heard her say to me, “Hafu (Half)?”
I was quite shocked by this question, but I politely told her, “No, I’m not. I’m Filipino.” She then smiled and said. “You’re pretty.”
It was surprising but simple moments like this boost your confidence, especially when you don’t feel good about yourself. In the Philippines girls with fair skin and straight hair are popular. And since I have curly hair and brown skin, I’m just average.
But moving to Japan makes me realize that there’s someone that could appreciate the way you look, you just need to find the right place.
1 Comment
NOTONTHELAM
on Feb 2
Every place on Earth has its good and bad points. Our task is to seek out the good and avoid the bad. Enjoy yourself!