How are the Fourth-Generation Japansese (yonsei) seen in Japan?

Question:

My great-grandmother was Japanese, but it seems like that's completely irrelevant... We aren't allowed citizenship due to heritage, like the sansei... so I was thinking if we are seen as not Japanese at all by the Japanese people? When I go there, will they treat me badly for being 'mixed', like they do it in here sometimes? I don't look that Japanese at all, but not entirely white either. Kinda like that singer Rachel Yamagata, but with darker eyes, and not as fair skinned... So, what shall I expect?

Answer:

To be honest you are seen as gaijin. Your right, that it is completely irrelevant. For Japanese people, pure Japanese is the only Japanese. Half is halfu, and foreign is foreign.

I have a friend who is a sansei, and he found that it makes his life a lot easier if he just doesn't mention it to Japanese people (he doesn't look Japanese at all either.) When he used to tell people he was Japanese, he got a lot of very personal questions asked to him - like "Why don't you speak Japanese then?" or "so why don't you look Japanese?" and nasty comments like ... "Your grandparents are traitors for abandoning Japan in their time of need" and "your not Japanese just because your 3rd generation."

In the beginning he used to tell people about his heritage (because he thought it would give him an edge over regular gaijins, I guess) but the reaction he got was so negative that he eventually just stopped telling.

Also ( I don't know how long you are staying here, or how well you speak Japanese) but if you don't speak Japanese well, you are probably going to need foreigners for friends. But if you continually run around insisting "BUT I am Japanese, actually" your going to segregate yourself from the foreign community, you might want to bear this in mind.

In some ways the yonsei etc are treated worse than foreigners, because the foreigners are not trying to be Japanese, but the yonsei are. But I guess Its the same as when Scottish people get pissed that Americans who have not lived there for hundreds of years come back for a visit and tell people "Im Scottish" or "Im home." Identity is about more than genetics.

Anyways .. .to answer your question - If they ask you, tell them by all means. If It comes up in regular conversation, sure. But if you run around telling anyone who will listen how you are different from regular gaijins because you have Japanese roots, you are going to isolate yourself from Japanese AND foreigners. Hope you have a great time in Japan :D