Several years ago, as I waited impatiently to clear immigration at Kansai Airport clearly marked for Japanese and foreign residents of Japan, a woman tapped my shoulder. With a sense of trepidation, she told me in English that I was standing in the wrong line and should move immediately to the queue marked “For Foreigners.” I explained that I was a resident of Japan and I was permitted to use this line as well. Our conversation ended abruptly but I was puzzled. The only way the woman knew that I was not Japanese was because I did not look “Japanese”. I proudly call Japan my home and I am pondering whether to become a Japanese citizen, but is Japan ready to include foreign-born immigrants in its society or does xenophobia run so deep that acceptance is impossible?
　 My love affair with Japan began in the early 1990s. Fresh out of an American college my wanderlust brought me to Japan. What better place than an island nation which provided an ideal location for bi-annual trips to Mainland Asia and beyond, an easy English teaching job coupled with the benefits of the rising yen? When I first came to Japan, I lived in a small city in Mie Prefecture, surrounded by mountains and close to the sea; it gave me a real sense of belonging. I had the luxury of time to meet my neighbors and cultivate friendships with people from Japan and overseas. Even with my nonexistent Japanese at first, I felt people were always willing to help and go out of their way to make me comfortable.
　 Fifteen years ago, foreigners in the Japanese countryside were few and far between. The ubiquitous greetings of “Hello” or “Gaijin san” by school children and the elderly always made me feel welcomed like a distinguished traveler or guest. As I learned Japanese much to my surprise a simple “arigato” brought a barrage of praises. I studied Japanese history and visited many historical sites. The temples of Kyoto and Nara made me aware that throughout history Japan has not existed in isolation. A lot of its history and culture has been influenced by the rich civilizations of China, Korea and even India. Yet, as Japan on the one hand took its script and religion from overseas, it tried to keep foreigners out. During sakoku Japan even forbad people from leaving the country. However, it got information and much needed products like guns through the small Dutch outlet off Nagasaki. Japan, throughout history seemed to have taken what it has needed and kept out anything that could possibly disrupt the social order.
　 After a three -year sojourn I left this country to pursue a master’s degree in the US but returned back to Japan within seven months. Japan was seductive, charming and I could not stay apart. I went back to teaching at the same school, later got a master’s degree in Japan and returned to teaching in a junior high school.
　 In total I have lived in Japan for over 15 years and I speak Japanese well. Most of those years were spent in Mie, except for two years in Niigata for graduate school. Last year I moved to Hiroshima to teach at a private junior high school. My duties require me to attend teachers’ meetings, take students on trips and teach English by myself not as an assistant language teacher. At school I am just a teacher and I get the same benefit and respect that other Japanese teachers receive. But outside the school is a different story. Hiroshima is a big city compared to the village I lived in Mie. There are many foreign residents and hundreds of tourists pass through the city daily. Even though I am a long-term resident of Japan and do not consider myself different or require special assistance in day to day life, I am constantly offered help. Most people in the city want to answer in English even when I ask a question in Japanese. Often I am commended on what a good Japanese speaker I am or my neighbors praise me for putting out the garbage in the correct manner.
　 Often the comment is an ice-breaker, a way to start a conversation but at times it seems patronizing. Many tend to slow down or use simple words just like they would when they speak to young children. The topic of conversation with a person on the street or with a teacher from another school varies but usually boils down to why I live in Japan and when I plan to leave. There was a time when I would avoid the question and not answer when asked about my date of departure. But, one of the proudest days for me was the day I got my permanent resident permit from the Ministry of Justice. I needed that piece of paper because I could proclaim that I belong here and am going to live here forever. Many Japanese are surprised when I say that I plan to live here for good.
　 Japan has allowed foreigners to come and live in the country, albeit hesitantly, but has so far done little to institute long-term policies which can help foreigners make Japan their home. Compared with most developed countries and some developing countries as well, Japanese immigration policies seem archaic and out of tune with its global position as the world’s second largest economy. As the population ages and there are fewer people to pay taxes the government will either have to increase taxes or increase immigrants into the country. In 2006, a government report recommended that more foreigners be permitted into the country but required that foreign population not be more than 3 percent. As the foreign population in Japan is already 2 percent, an increase of 1 percent is not a huge leap.
　 June 20th is recognized as World Refugee Day by the United Nations. Sudanese, Iraqi, and Afghan refugees are combing the globe for a safe place to call home. Developing countries like Pakistan, Iran and Kenya are taking hundreds of thousands of refugees. I was amazed to hear that Sweden took over 9000 refugees last year and over a hundred thousand refugees in the past 20 years from Iraq alone. In a news piece on CNN, the Swedish Immigration Minister lamented that they should do more for the refugees and the world needs to act sooner rather than later. But alas, Japan accepted less than fifty refugees last year, a majority of them from Burma. Tokyo gives millions of dollars in aid to United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) but refuses to accept refugees perhaps believing that an influx will destroy the intricate fabric of Japanese society. Some claim that Japan would be too different for refugees to live in but I am sure that Sweden is equally alien to most Iraqis. Japan should permit as many refugees it can, solely for humanitarian reasons.
　 I am afraid to even consider what Japan would do if a large number of North Koreans or Chinese reached Japanese shores. Would Japan be willing to give them asylum? I am not sure how the bureaucrats in Tokyo would react but I can say with confidence that there would be an outpour of support from ordinary Japanese people. We who live in Japan need to imagine the unimaginable as well. Japan constantly has earthquakes and faces threats from volcanoes. If a great natural calamity were to happen in this country, wouldn’t we hope that the international community would assist and take us in, if necessary?
　 For the longest time Japan gave out thousands of visas each year for entertainers and stopped the practice only after many nations condemned the policy. Many believed that an entertainment visa was just a front for young Asian women to work in Japanese bars and brothels. Even now Japan is contemplating whether to let nurses in from certain Asian countries but for only a limited period of time. If they are needed in this country, shouldn’t Japan entice them with full pension benefits and permanent resident visas after a few years? It is incomprehensible that Japan can bring in foreigners when it suits its national interest and simply ask them to leave when they are no longer useful.
　 Japanese laws and rules still do not treat foreign residents and Japanese alike. As a tax payer and an educator I was horrified to learn that if a child of a non-Japanese citizen refuses to go to elementary or junior high school, the school or the homeroom teacher does not need to visit the child’s home whereas a home-visit would be required if the child were Japanese. Many foreigners pay into the pension fund through work but can receive compensation only if they work in Japan for at least 25 years. Otherwise when they leave the country, they are given a lump sum of a measly two hundred thousand yen. Unless government policies are broadly changed Japan will find it difficult to attract the best minds from around the world and it will only get low-skilled workers who will do the dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs which most Japanese are unwilling to do.
　 Japan and Japanese culture is already influenced by foreign products, foods, lifestyles, and languages. Even tiny towns and cities have Indian, Italian and Chinese restaurants. Shops sell a variety of foods from many countries and there is bound to be an English language school in even the smallest of towns. Japanese language is changing thanks to newspapers and TV journalists. More foreign words are added daily and some worry that Japanese language is being adulterated. How can so many Japanese want to learn foreign languages yet not want more people from those countries to live among them?
　 My concern and sometimes complaints of being treated in a “special” way do not fall on deaf ears and are keenly observed by my Japanese friends. Often when I go to a restaurant with them, the waiter immediately looks at my companions to receive my order even though I am speaking in Japanese with my friends. Most Japanese do not understand the plight of foreigners in this country. The media usually focuses on sensational stories which either portray foreigners as illegal aliens, drug dealers, celebrities or rude, childish individuals not in touch with Japanese manners. When I discuss such matters with friends, they often sympathize with me or apologize to me. Good friends often tell me that I need to be patient and that Japan is changing. They believe that I must take the initiative to bring about change in Japan slowly ? even if the process changes one person at a time.
　 Though I do not have any blood ties to this country, I have bonded with people who are just like my family. I lived in Mie for over a decade and even though now I live in Hiroshima, I have a sense of community and a sense that I belong to a place in Japan. To belong to a place means to have strong ties with people and I am glad that I have been able to develop long-lasting friendships. To assimilate and integrate in a society, to be accepted by a group is everyone’s dream and hope, native or foreign.
　 Teaching gives me the opportunity to influence young minds. My students are teenagers whose minds are not prejudiced. They have not been molded to feel and think in a certain way and do not have preconceived stereotypes. I try to spend as much time as I can with them. I want them to learn and recognize that foreigners are just like them. We might look different or have different skin color but at the end we all have the same hopes and dreams in life. A few months ago, my students asked me whether I will become a Japanese citizen. I did not answer clearly but I explained to them that if I decided to change my nationality, I would have to write my name in Chinese characters. Much to my amazement, many of them took it upon themselves to help me choose good Chinese characters for my name. Such interactions with young minds give me hope. It validates that my presence in Japan is not a waste; instead my presence in Japanese society is necessary and will bring about a change in the future generations.
　 What keeps me in Japan is a very difficult question to answer. Of course, teaching is truly fulfilling but I could teach in other countries as well. I could respond that I stay because I enjoy playing taiko drums, tea ceremony or hiking in the mountains. Also, as a practicing Buddhist, I have unlimited opportunities to visit temples and learn more about my faith. But, I guess the easiest answer and something which is closest to my heart is that Japan and the Japanese have changed me. In Japan I have always felt welcomed. People have been there to assist me even during difficult times. Not just my Japanese friends and neighbors but total strangers have gone out of their way to help me. Japan has taught me that each and every human life is precious and has given me a purpose in life. Simply put, the purpose of my life is to teach and at the same time learn about the rich culture of Japan.
　 For the longest time in response to why I live in Japan, I quoted the renowned writer, Mr. Donald Richie and a paragraph from his book, The Inland Sea.

“Japan ?allows me to like myself because it agrees with me and I with it. Moreover, it allows me to keep my freedom. It makes very few demands on me ? I am considered too much the outsider for that, a distinction I owe to the color of my skin, eyes and hair ? and consequently, I become free. I become a one-member society, consistent only to myself and forever different from those who surround me. Our basic agreement permits an amount of approval, some of it mutual; our basic differences allow me to comprehend finally that the only true responsibility a man has is toward himself”.

　Even though I understand Mr. Richie’s views, I do not anymore agree with his point of you. I am not considered an outsider in the circle of my Japanese friends. I am one of them and even if the color of my skin and eyes are different I am a part of them. They celebrate my “gaijin-ness”. I have been lucky. I know that Japan is my home but I am also sure that are many like me all over the world who would like to come and experience how truly blessed this country is and make Japan their home as well. Whenever I go overseas I feel like a quasi-ambassador of Japan. I always praise Japan and explain to people what a wonderful place I live in. Most people respond that they would really like to visit the land of the rising sun.
　 One of my favorite Japanese Haiku poets is the 17th century born, Matsuo Basho. He wrote:

An ancient pond
A frog jumps in
the sound of water.

　My interpretation of the Haiku is unique. More and more foreigners are calling Japan their home. Perhaps we foreigners are the frogs jumping into the old pond of Japan. We are making a lot of sound and splash. Japan is no longer an impregnable fortress which does not allow foreigners. Although the door to Japan has been opened how wide is yet to be answered. Foreigners like me, want to play an active role in Japan’s future development but whether we can become a part of the Japanese mosaic will depend on how open the government and the people of Japan are in accepting foreigners in their midst. In December 2002 Sadako Ogata, the former UNHCR commissioner said,” Japanese have been embracing an idea that Japan is a racially homogenous country, but it is just an illusion. It will not be possible to maintain such an idea in today’s globalized world where people, goods and information flows across national borders. We have to abandon our own insularism, discard prejudices and discrimination against foreigners, and recognize the world problems as our own.”
　 Japan is not xenophobic. It just lacks the experience of dealing with people who don’t look like the majority of its residents and have different customs. Various customs will only enrich Japan and the idea that more foreigners would lead to the loss of Japanese identity is misguided. Japan has always taken ideas from overseas and molded them so that they blend well with Japanese tastes and esthetics but now it is time to accept people as well. A multicultural Japan will be livelier and more vibrant and I want to be a national of that Japan.