Raising mixed children in Japan

“What do you think about sending my mixed child to a Japanese public school?”

My old student’s American parents asked me if it was a good idea to send their 6-year-old to stay with their Japanese grandparents in Japan.

Why? Because they wanted his mixed child to really immerse himself into the Japanese culture.

Of course, their six year-old child will be attending a Japanese elementary school.

I didn’t know what to say because I experienced what it was like to be the only Hafu child in my school.

It was in the countryside of Japan and things are probably different now. Japanese society is much more open minded today.

But I still vividly remember those days in middle school and will never put my own child in that kind of situation!!

But If I absolutely had to send my kid to go to Japanese school, this is what I am going to do.

I am going to have to go to the school first, check it out myself and talk to the teachers. They ain’t messing with my kid!

My parents thought it was a good experience for their children to struggle a little (yes, a little!) because it surely made us stronger.

But I strongly disagree with their view to this date.

The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. 

So just remember that..if you want to send your Hafu child to a Japanese public school. I think he/she would be ok with supportive parents and my experience was particularly bad as I literally killed my soul to blend in.

I was fortunate because I look Japanese because my mother is of Chinese decent.

Still, I was well aware that people were talking about my family. They were curious and teachers didn’t say anything to us directly but they treated us differently from other Japanese kids.

So if you have a Hafu child and are thinking about sending him/her to a Japanese school, I strongly encourage you to provide a lot of emotional support and also choose the school wisely.