Chihito Imamura - 1(NIT (KOSEN), Tokyo College)

I am Just What I am:
Things Learned from Being “Half” in Japan
Chihito Imamura (NIT (KOSEN), Tokyo College)
I was born and raised in Tokyo as a mixed boy. My mother is Japanese, and myfather is Argentine. Now, I have a short question. What was on your mind when you
saw me as a speaker? Did you think “Oh, he looks like ‘Half’ so he would speak Englishwell” or, did you think “It’s not fair that he is in this contest”? I do not blame you if you
feel this way, but let me ask you another question. Have you ever imagined what it islike to be a mixed person, or a “Half” in Japan?
What I find the most difficult about being a “Half” in Japan is the fact that people do
not accept me easily when I enter a new environment. Whenever I move into new
surroundings, I tend to feel uneasy because I feel like I am being judged by myappearance. I feel like I am simply categorized as a “mixed” person, and other factorsthat compose important parts of me are ignored. People often tell me that they are
jealous of me because I am “Half”. Sometimes, I feel like those people think that a mixed
person lives with many advantages. That is not true, however. People with mixed race
live with a lot of struggles.
In my research on mixed people’s experiences, I came across a website called “HalfTalk.” Reading life experiences of mixed people on the website, I found that a lot of themshared the hard feelings that I experienced, and often escaped Japan seeking a better
environment. Learning this, I was reminded of my experience in Argentina.
When I was a fourth-year elementary student, I moved to Argentina with my family
and stayed there for one year. On my first day at a local school, soon after I wasintroduced to a class, many students rushed to talk with me even though I could hardly
communicate with them. Unlike people in Japan, my Argentine classmates did not seemto care how I looked. At that moment, I felt like I was accepted. During my time inArgentina, I was never treated as an “outsider.” It was one of the rare times in my lifethat I was free from worries related to my mixed race.
While there is an increased calls for diversity and globalization, it appears thatJapan is not the ideal environment for mixed people to live in. They often feel thatpeople treat them as if they do not belong to Japanese communities.
What could we do to better the environment for mixed people then? While it isunderstandable that you have certain images towards mixed people, I believe it isimportant for you to treat them as individuals before categorizing them as “Half.” Doing
this could be a first step for Japanese society to be a more comfortable environment for
mixed people. This could also eventually turn Japan into a “global” society.
Here are some facts about me that the label, “Half” does not describe. These are theparts of me that you might have overlooked when you simply saw me as a “Half” person.
I was born and raised in Tokyo. I speak Japanese as my mother language. I’m practicing
Krump dance, which is one of the street dances. One of my favorite things is eating
Yakiniku with my friends after exams and dance recitals.
This is me. This is what I am. Don’t label me as “Half”. We humans are a complexexistence, composed of many aspects that can be seen and cannot be seen. Our one andonly existence cannot be described with any labels.