If there’s one thing English teachers are warned about when they come to Japan, it’s to be ready for some personal questions: Where do you live? Do you have a boyfriend? … The list goes on.
When you are a woman of color, however, these questions — no matter how innocent — can take on a racialist tone: Why is your skin so dark? Why do you have an accent, do you really know English?
Unable to view this article?
This could be due to a conflict with your ad-blocking or security software.
Please add japantimes.co.jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites.
If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see out this support page.
We humbly apologize for the inconvenience.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.