I am going to fit in in japan?

Question:

I'm going to japan in the spring as a exchange student and am very worried that i'm not going to fit in.To give you a idea am very pail and have blonde hair and blue eyes. Are my looks going to make me stick out?basically what should i do to stick out less ,i think is the best way to say it.
~thanks

Answer:

Your question can be answered in a few ways.

Firstly, just to give you some background, I have lived/studied in Japan. My place of residence was in Shikoku which has far less foreign residents than other areas of Japan. I did attract some attention, whilst my blonde friend attracted a lot of attention. However, it was not negative and the response to us as foreigners was very welcoming and pleasant.

In areas such as Tokyo, you will find that you are virtually unnnoticed most of the time. Tokyo-ites are used to seeing foreigners. Those who you make friends with might be more intrigued by your foreign looks, but random strangers probably couldn't care less.

You do have to be realistic in that you will attract some attention due to not being Japanese. Despite the large population of foreigners, Japan is still largely a homogenic nation and you will be an object of curiosity in many situations.

This does not need to concern you. Once you've been there for a while, you'll stop noticing any stares that are cast your way. Additionally, you will rarely find that Japanese people will go out of their way to point out your foreign-ness. The best thing you can do is be prepared for Japanese culture - if you haven't studied the language before, get some polite phrases down quickly. If you have, you should cope okay in situations such as restaurants and shops. Make sure that you understand common customs and social rules. If you don't draw attention to yourself by making big cultural faux pas's, you'll draw less curiosity. You'll find that you'll be respected a lot if you can handle certain things the same way the Japanese do.

Attracting attention is not necessarily a bad thing. I received a lot of admiration for my blue eyes, and I'm sure you'll receive a lot of compliments on your hair. Sometimes it made me feel a bit shy, but it's not bad to have someone complimenting you! Additionally, having pale skin is something a lot of Japanese women strive for through countless beauty products - so you'll definitely get a few admiring looks for that too.

Try to relax and stop focusing on what's different about you. You're there to learn, so don't let it distract you! I promise you that it won't be a big issue unless you make it one :)