EPISODE · May 8, 2026 · 1H 13M
The reality of being a black woman in Japan
from Unpacking Japan · host Produced by ZenStudio
Meet Avril Haye-Matsui, a professor at Aichi Prefectural University in Nagoya. She sits down to talk to us about the reality of being black in Japan, raising mixed black children here, how people treat black people can vary depending on what country you're from, and --0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Avril3:36 Arriving on the JET Program9:16 Staying and moving to academia14:57 Research on identity in Japan18:54 PhD studies24:33 Study into being black in Japan28:33 Students' perception of identity37:47 Changing perception of blackness today39:55 Personal experience of blackness in Japan44:01 Avril's children's experiences51:03 Being black as children vs. teenagers53:53 Interactions with Japanese schools57:35 Women's empowerment circle1:06:56 Advice for black people coming to Japan--Follow Avril:https://womenempowermentcirclegroup.net/https://www.instagram.com/bwijgroup/Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
What this episode covers
Meet Avril Haye-Matsui, a professor at Aichi Prefectural University in Nagoya. She sits down to talk to us about the reality of being black in Japan, raising mixed black children here, how people treat black people can vary depending on what country you're from, and --0:00 Intro0:45 Meet Avril3:36 Arriving on the JET Program9:16 Staying and moving to academia14:57 Research on identity in Japan18:54 PhD studies24:33 Study into being black in Japan28:33 Students' perception of identity37:47 Changing perception of blackness today39:55 Personal experience of blackness in Japan44:01 Avril's children's experiences51:03 Being black as children vs. teenagers53:53 Interactions with Japanese schools57:35 Women's empowerment circle1:06:56 Advice for black people coming to Japan--Follow Avril:https://womenempowermentcirclegroup.net/https://www.instagram.com/bwijgroup/Follow us:https://unpacking.jp/https://www.instagram.com/unpacking_japanhttps://www.tiktok.com/@unpackingjapanhttps://www.facebook.com/unpackingjapanhttps://www.youtube.com/@unpackingjapanshortshttps://www.x.com/unpacking_japanhttps://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/unpackingjapanSubscribe for more in-depth discussions about life in Japan! Interested in working at a global e-commerce company in Osaka? Our parent company ZenGroup is hiring! To learn more, check out https://careers.zen.group/en/
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The reality of being a black woman in Japan
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