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Comment by electriclove | Hacker News Reader

How did you make the move? Are you Japanese or Asian? I would love to move to Tokyo or similar but feel I would be discriminated against for being a dark skinned Indian male.

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I’m half southeast Asian, which is different enough people can tell if they get close, but close enough that I can blend in in a crowd. It depends where in Japan you’re moving to as well - but being in Tokyo it’s definitely global and people are generally used to foreigners. Your mileage may vary being more visibly “different”, as well as you motivation to learn Japanese/local customs (I’m pretty conversational, which took a lot of work), and your sensitivity to being treated differently - though for me I mostly don’t take it personally.

Thanks for the response. I think I wouldn't be too sensitive regarding being treated different but I would feel more sensitive to how my wife and kids experience it. It's the same issue keeping me away from places in the US like Idaho and Montana.

Oh, I didn't answer the how - I had been to Japan a lot, so I already had friends here. When I made the move permanent, I had cofounded a company with a few friends, piloted doing remote work from here a couple times before actually moving to convince the team that it can work. Once we were all onboard with it, I crashed at my friend's apartment while going apartment hunting with my Japanese then-girlfriend (now-wife). When I first arrived permanently I was on a tourist visa waiver, but then switched to a student visa studying Japanese (since I was planning to anyway). It was 6 months of full time school + full time job which was exhausting, but after we got married then I switched to a spouse visa and life calmed down since.

I don't know what your profession or situation is, but if you can line up a job you can pretty easily get a work visa (it's much less binding than US work visas). Japanese corporations are known to have pretty brutal work culture so that's something you ought to be aware of when searching, if you seriously pursue it. Hope it's interesting food for thought :)

You should probably consider if your own fears are biased. There seems to be a tendency to assume that racism is more prevalent than reality in many areas of the country, fueled by the internet and the media. I live in a suburban, Midwestern area that is absolutely more diverse and welcoming than those on the coasts seem to think. Of the 6 households nearest to mine, 3 are white. The other 3 are Indian (first generation immigrant), Chinese (second generation), and Eastern European (first generation). I work at a smaller startup now, but at my previous job, my team was white-minority. Most people on my team were East or South Asian, including my boss.

I have no doubt there are racists here, especially in the rural areas. But I also have no doubt that the same holds true for places like California and Washington. You may be keeping yourself from experiencing areas of the country that you may love and would love you back.

I appreciate your comment. I grew up in the Bay Area in the late 70s and 80s and even then there was plenty of diversity. But I was definitely treated differently/bullied due to my background. I don't think this will happen to my kids in the Bay nowadays (or at least not to that extent). But I guess I am a bit biased in thinking other parts of the country are not so progressive. I'll keep your perspective in mind and temper my assumptions. Thanks!

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