<p>I'm an African American studying in an US university who has never really left the country. I am minoring in Japanese and I recently got accepted to study abroad in Osaka, Japan in the fall. Should I be scared? Will I be safe as an African American?</p>
<p>First of all, congratulations on your acceptance! </p>
<p>As for your questions, define “safe” for me and I’d be more than happy to answer. In terms of crimes such as thefts and murders, any area of Japan is safer than the U.S. </p>
<p>It’s not that big of a deal being African American in a city such as Osaka because they get so many tourists a year. That being said, there will be times that children and other Japanese stare at you for a while. </p>
<p>What’s specifically holding you back? Financial reasons? Living in another country alone for at least a semester? I can help you much better if you describe your feelings.</p>
<p>Thank you so much bud!! My main concerns aren’t financial and I don’t get homesick at all really. My real concerns is that I know that the Japanese are a very homogeneous people, and I’m worried about how they will perceive me and if I can make friends. There is only one other person studying abroad from my home university, so I’ll dependent on how many friends I make at the Japanese University I study abroad at. I guess how accepting they tend to be is what I meant by how “safe” it is in Japan. Thank you so much. Again I really appreciate it!!</p>
<p>Racism exists to some extent everywhere in the world, including the US, so I’ll guarantee that there will be at least some Japanese racists out there - though we should distinguish people who are simply curious about this African American gaijin before them from those who are genuinely racist. The Deep South at the time of Jim Crow this is not! </p>
<p>I’ve experienced this curious staring before in a non-touristy area of S Korea (I’m white) and I didn’t find it threatening - when I tried to communicate with people (I had one word of Korean - thank you - which I deployed liberally. Unfortunately, this sometimes led people to think I could speak fluent Korean, and so I found myself on the receiving end of some very rapid Korean :D). Korea is substantially more ethnically homogenous than Japan, and I always found them to be friendly, if curious. </p>
<p>People have been studying abroad in Japan for years, and other universities will have students there. I’m not aware of any significant problems with racism towards Westerners. There would definitely be the potential for issues if you were Chinese, given the history between the countries, but you’re not and I doubt that any risks will outweigh the benefits to you.</p>