Robert Gumley, general manager of Elanex Japan KK, a translation service, has learned that Japan is an easy country for foreigners to live in — if they choose to be bicultural.
"I would say, 'Don't try to become Japanese.' One good thing about Japan is that you do not have to be Japanese. You are allowed to be a hybrid," said the 57-year-old Australian, who has lived in Japan for more than 25 years.
"In Australia, I am pressured to be an Aussie. Even my family say I speak with a strange accent. There is pressure to conform to being an Australian. Here, you can take what you like from Japan, and they love you for being Japanese, but you can also retain the best of your own culture. I call this being a hybrid or bicultural."