人種差別 － jinshu sabetsu; racial discrimation

I am feeling extremely chillaxed today. This is probably due to the fact that the last two days have been public holidays and I am writing this in a cafe in Odaiba (previously mentioned as being one of my favourite places in the city).

However, feeling good today was far from a foregone conclusion. In fact, I would go as far as to say that yesterday was pretty much a stinker. It was one of those days where one thing after another conspired against me, but it culminated in me getting racially profiled by the police.

This has not happened to me in years, yet it can be a fairly common occurrence on the streets of Tokyo. Long story short; I was riding my bicycle at night in my neighbourhood (heading out to the shop to get Apple Cider Vinegar to be precise - how very ghetto of me - practically a drug deal!!!) when a police car tailed me for two blocks and then pulled me over ａｔ the traffic lights to get my ID and bicycle registration . I'm used to the drill, so of course I had all the documents and was able to respond to his questions in perfect Japanese (they weren't difficult). But there was hate in my eyes and ice in my voice all through the exchange. More so because he didn't ask word one of the Japanese woman on the bike beside me. To be sure, she had never had such a thing happen to her because she even asked the cop what exactly he was checking for. His answer - right to my face, mind - was, "foreigners sometimes steal bicycles".

It was a crappy ending to a crappy day， and it was one of those times when I realise that, no matter how　well I speak the language， no matter how deeply I absorb the culture, no matter how much I contribute to ｔｈｅ economy and the social life of the place, the very fact of who I am and what I look like will single me out to be different, other, worthy of only suspicion.

I know that this is nothing compared to innocent Muslims not being allowed to board planes, or black male drivers being pulled over for driving nice cars on the streets of L.A., but when it happens to you, it still kinda sucks.

And with my day's perspective on the whole thing, I also recognise that it an entirely healthy thing for me as an educated, white, English-speaking male to get a taste of a little bit of discrimination...but I still ended the day hoping for the big one to come and flatten the city (preferably when I'm away on business)!