コラム

異文化の眼差しで見た日本
大学にいると、ほぼ毎日、海外から来た方々と話す機会がある。特に、長く日本に住む海外出身者に多く会えることは、大学にいることの特権でもある。
彼らのなかには、魅力的な人が多い。その理由の一つは、私たちがしばしば当たり前に思っている常識を考え直すきっかけを与えてくれること、そして、私たちが気づいていない日本の伝統や美について、時に私たち日本人以上に高い感度をもっていることである。日本在住歴の長い外国人は、改めて、「日本とは何か」「日本人とは何か」を問いかけてくれる。

Recently, I’ve found myself surrounded by more and more people from overseas. Especially with living on a university campus, it has become completely routine to encounter international visitors who are familiar with Japan. Foreign faculty members, international researchers staying in Japan, foreign diplomats visiting the university—there is hardly a day when I don’t meet someone from overseas. Universities offer far more opportunities to interact with foreigners who have lived in Japan for a long time and who can communicate comfortably in Japanese and also understand the country well.

In my younger days, a foreigner who spoke fluent Japanese, understood Japanese culture, and was widely loved would be someone like Edith Hanson. More recently, people like Dave Spector or Patrick Harlan come to mind, along with many other foreigners who are active mainly in the entertainment world. These foreigners who are knowledgeable about Japan are sometimes called “weird foreigners,” which is “Hen-na gaijin” in Japanese, and this phrase has often been used with a sense of affection toward them.

The reasons these long-term residents choose to live in Japan, and the paths that brought them here, vary widely. It wouldn’t be appropriate to compare the Japan-savvy foreign academics around me with such entertainers in the same way. Still, in any case, foreigners who live in Japan for many years and speak Japanese well tend to be, overall, quite charming.

There would be no end if I tried to list every example, but for instance, I know a British acquaintance who has lived for many years in rural Hokkaido. While contributing to local revitalization, he uses techniques of traditional Japanese painting to create new works and shed fresh light on the region’s antique art. Another example is an American I know, who sees new medical possibilities in traditional Japanese cuisine. Meeting people like them is always exciting.

It’s not that I have some sort of inferiority complex toward foreigners that makes them seem appealing. One reason they appear so attractive is that they view Japan and Japanese culture from perspectives slightly different from those who were raised in Japan. They prompt us to reconsider the “common sense” we often take for granted, and they possess a sharp sensitivity to Japanese traditions and aesthetics that sometimes surpasses our own. Foreigners who have lived in Japan for a long time—positioned somewhere between Japanese and non-Japanese—encourage us to reflect anew on questions like “What is Japan?” and “What does it mean to be Japanese?” That, I think, is why they are so compelling.

And this sense of fascination with outsiders is probably not unique to Japan. Japanese people who are highly regarded abroad likely appear just as captivating—understanding foreign cultures more deeply than the locals themselves, articulating that understanding, and expressing it in meaningful ways.

Right now, issues concerning foreigners in Japan have become a major topic in the political sphere. Beyond the increase in foreign tourists and the problem of overtourism, attention is now focused on the challenges related to foreign residents. There is no doubt that this is due to the rapid rise in the number of foreign residents and the lack of preparation—and the sense of confusion—on the part of Japanese society in accommodating them.

However, foreigners who have lived in Japan for many years view the country from a perspective different from that of long-term Japanese residents or families who have lived here for generations. It would be wrong to call their viewpoint “slanted”; rather, their perspectives represent global diversity. Their views of Japanese society, politics, and culture carry genuine significance.

There is no question that the number of foreigners will continue to grow—not only at our university but throughout Japanese society. The Japan they see, and the Japan they experience as their place of daily life, are also part of what “Japan” is. We cannot afford to ignore their perspectives.