Interview with Ms. L
"From my experience, the main reason Japanese people dislike Chinese isn’t anything abstract — it’s about behavior, about not following rules. They see foreigners as too casual, too free-spirited. For example, around where I live, sometimes a group of foreign students shows up — often with darker skin — and they’ll throw garbage everywhere. The Japanese immediately respond by posting signs in those languages, almost as if to say: “This is for you, since you clearly don’t understand.”
When we first moved into our neighborhood, old ladies came knocking on my door, checking whether we knew how to separate trash properly. That moment I realized it wasn’t that they hated us outright, but that they really resented anyone who ignored their rules.
It’s the same in work. They don’t like how Chinese people “over-compete” — how we 卷 everything. Whatever the field, whether it’s chartered buses for tourism or running a business, if Chinese are involved, it quickly becomes hyper-competitive. Japanese society is built differently. Take real estate: here there’s a seller, a buyer, and layers of brokers in between. Everyone accepts that each link in the chain should take a share. But Chinese buyers often try to cut out the middlemen and deal directly, erasing the broker’s role and profit. For us, that feels smart, but for Japanese it’s a violation of principle. They see it as breaking the system they rely on, and they really dislike it.
When Chinese keep “rolling” competition like this, we often end up dominating, and in the end even Japanese admit the market turns unhealthy. That’s another reason they don’t welcome us.
As for other foreigners — I’ve noticed Japanese are far more tolerant of Westerners. Even Black people, though I don’t see many living in my area, are quite welcome in schools; my kids’ school has plenty of Black classmates and they seem well-accepted. But when it comes to Southeast Asians, you can feel the distance. Japanese instinctively want to keep them at arm’s length.
Why? Again, it comes back to rules. They think Southeast Asians, like Chinese, don’t follow them closely enough. And beneath it all, there’s a subtle sense of superiority: Japan sees itself as the “top” of Asia. That same attitude applies to us Chinese too.
As for China’s rise — I don’t think Japanese have truly accepted that China is now stronger. Yes, they’ve seen headlines, and yes, there are Instagram and TikTok videos about China’s modern cities. But deep down, they still don’t “look up” to us the way they instinctively admire America or Europe.
Sometimes incidents reinforce their suspicion. Not long ago, news spread in Japan that a Chinese person in China killed a Japanese elementary school student. Parents in my child’s school whispered things like, “Do Chinese hate Japanese?” They don’t really understand what China is like, so stories like this just feed their fears.
Still, their impression of China is shifting. They now see us as wealthy. I hear it all the time — from the way Chinese kids dress, or how we invest heavily in after-school classes, Japanese parents conclude, “Chinese families must be rich.” They also see Chinese tourists buying luxury goods, or families buying property, and that image sticks.
But does this new image make them appreciate us more? Honestly, not much. When they see us buy everything off the shelves — whether it’s baby formula before the pandemic or products during a sale — they feel their resources are being taken. Leaders and businesses may welcome the economic boost, but ordinary Japanese only think: “Now there’s nothing left for me.”
And they rarely say this out loud. Japanese prejudice is mostly hidden. They’ll stay polite, avoid direct confrontation. Unless you’ve built a personal connection — like through your kids’ schools or some close interaction — they won’t open up. Otherwise, they keep their distance, watch cautiously, and maintain a layer of quiet mistrust."
