Gaijin

Gaijin (外人^?, [ɡuy-jean]) is a Japanese word meaning "non-Japanese", or "alien".^[1] The word is composed of two kanji: gai (外^?), meaning "outside"; and jin (人^?), meaning "person". Thus, the word literally means "outside person". The word can refer to nationality, race, or ethnicity.

If you are visiting Japan from another country, you can expect to hear this word. As noted in the above definition, it pretty-much means "outsider."

One thing that someone told me weeks before I boarded an airplane to go to Japan was that I will never fit in. They said you could learn the language, land a good job and even move up the corporate ladder but you can only get so far as a gaijin. "You will always be an outsider."

Now when this person "cracked that egg of knowledge on my head" (so to speak), I was not disappointed or offended. If anything, I thought it was fascinating (in my Spock voice). While I've always been interested in Japanese culture, my intention was never to become "Japanese" and I wouldn't think any less of myself if someone thought of me as an "outsider." For lack of a better term, I am an outsider.

But I guess this is a concept that can be a little hard for some folk (particularly Americans) to swallow. And when you look at a lot of our movies, it's easy to see why. As a TV/Film major, I have been forced to analyze the American mindset through the lens of a video camera and in so doing, I see that there is still a need to conquer be accepted into every country's culture. Not only to be accepted, but to be given the keys and permission to cross every boundary, gain access to their innermost circles, find out every secret and to be given a "pet name," which inevitably leads to becoming their leader and showing the culture how things should be done. Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but do any of these titles sound like something that I've just mentioned . . .

Dances With Wolves

The Last Samurai

Last of the Mohicans

A Man Called Horse

Avatar (a.k.a. Pocahantas)

I'm sure there are more that I can't think of right now. But you get my drift.

I guess that's why I can appreciate Japan's approach to "gaijin." Sometimes I wonder if other cultures like say, the Native Americans or Africans had taken that approach, maybe their countries would not have been dominated and taken over by "outsiders." But then again, it wasn't that simple. Either way, given history's many tragic examples, I can't blame the Japanese for putting a limit on how much a foreigner can do.

However, as with every country's mindset in this world, I do think that there are a few flaws with the logic. First of all, if someone does not look Japanese, that doesn't mean they aren't. In other words, there are people who were born and raised in Japan that are of mixed race. It's not uncommon for these people (mostly school age children) to be told to "go home" to their country. It is unfortunate and really unfair for these people to be denied the same acceptance as their fellow citizens just because they don't look the part. Also, the whole "outsiders" and "them/us" mentality not only works to shut others out, but it also keeps a lot of Japanese people closed in. This mindset has (in my opinion) stunted the cultural maturity of these people. On a daily basis I watch grown men and women staring at me with the same wonderment that I've seen my 2 year old niece stare at people of a different skin color. And honestly, I think it's a little sad.

But those are just my thoughts. What do you think?