Hi, I am a Japanese woman who is currently working as a researcher and freelance writer. I enjoyed talking with foreigners- lately some foreign couples moved to the apartment where my boyfriend lives. We had many chances to talk to them during the apartment’s community events. I really enjoyed talking to them and I hope there are more chances to talk to foreigners in our daily life- such as in our apartment complex and community events.
I think Japanese cities are trying to become friendlier for diversities- Obviously, this is because of the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games. However, in my opinion the efforts are still inadequate. Now, we can see how Japan is changing but I am quite worried that this kind of movements will stop after 2020.
Well, up to now… I feel that the increase of foreign workers is not really significant. Maybe this is related to the issue of language barrier. When I was working in the previous company, there were some foreign interns- After finishing their internships, they went back to their home country or moved to another country. Although they could communicate with the other co-workers but it was difficult for them to communicate with people from other companies. So I think it is somehow still difficult for foreigners to work in Japan.
I personally think that Japan should be more global- because it will be difficult to keep the current economic situation on our own. Japan should mingle with global community- there are some friends of mine who have stayed abroad, and I feel that they have the abilities to consider some issues more comprehensively. I think these kinds of people are needed in Japan. I also think that foreigners should try to enter Japanese community- because I believe there are many Japanese who want to communicate with foreigners.
