Hello everyone

I have a rather special topic I'm searching for and I'm well aware that the chances that a manga like that exist are very slim, but well.
As you surely already could assume I trying to find a manga which deals with the topic of "Foreigner coming / living in Japan".
If someone knows about a manga or a well written book or somtehing similar to that, I would be very pleased if you could share this with me.
The only thing I don't want to read are travelling diaries and the like, I want to read from someone who has been longer in Japan than 2 weeks and not only in the tourist spots.
Thanks in advance.

Eikaiwa School Wars is basically about gaijin in Japan! They're English teachers for the protagonist, and the manga goes into some of their practical issues like where to buy food, how to communicate with local Japanese people, etc.

The protagonist is Japanese, though.

Wuhu at least one unexpected recommendation.
I thank you very much my friend!

You're very welcome, amigo!

By the way, here's two more:

That Summer is about an American army brat in Japan.

Longer and Slower Than A River contains quite a few American army people in Japan, as well - albeit in a mostly comedic way. And, um. There are mentions of gay prostitution. 'Nuff said.

Greatly appreciated.
Hopefully someone in the future will create a true gaijin manga about the problems / occurences / happy moments he or she encountered while living there. Something like Gaijin smash for people who know about it.

Mariko Parade and several of the other works of Frédéric Boilet fit what you're looking for just right.

I'm glad to bump this thread, because having been in this position for a while I'm also interested in this subject.

Last edited by Revi_Malsaneta at 12:41 pm, Mar 16 2010

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I never knew such a premise existed. I will also be sure to check out these titles, thanks people!

I second That Summer. It's great.

BB Project

Haito Diamond first i thought this was in america...
but it turned out to be a american base in japan.
it's a yaoi though. one of them is japanses and the other is half.

never read it, but Tokyo is my Garden seems to fit what you're looking for...

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I'm also very interested in this subject but haven't had much luck finding many interesting titles.

Two that I've read are tiny little oneshots which were both quite enjoyable but didn't offer much insight in the phenomenon like you ask. I'm gonna mention them anyway cause it's nice to know for people that are completist and are looking for this type of story.

No Title is one and Story 3 of Honnou Motto Midaretai is the other. I guess it's better to start with the other suggestions given as I don't think these delve into the subject enough. My other suggestion is to use the category search and look for 'foreigner'. Then do another search for 'language barrier'. Both will give you results. Unfortunately I noticed some of the ones mentioned here have no tags at all... So it's good people keep suggesting.

As for books... UUUGGGH.. I have a book like that, only now I can't find it! Which is bad cause I've forgotten the title. I was SO SURE the book was called "My own private Tokyo" but searched on Amazon and it doesn't come up. Google doesn't give any immediate results on it either. Geeez..... It was a non-fiction account of a guy who goes to Tokyo on business and takes his teenage son with him. The son can't get used to the food, the customs etc... He does manage to make friends with a japanese highschool student though. One of the highlights is probably the father-son visit to studio Ghibli...... The boy is an ungrateful brat btw. Errr does anyone know which book I'm talking about? Arrgh, why can't I find it, sounds right up your street. I'll let you know if I find it after rummaging some more tomorrow, but maybe this description will ring a bell for someone.

"Darling wa gaikokujin" (My Darling is a Foreigner) just had a movie come out about it. It's more of a comic diary than a manga, but it's based on real people, written by an American expat's Japanese wife. There are several volumes in Japanese, but the first one is also published in Japanese with English side by side (translated by the husband, in fact!)
Very funny and accurate. Especially the language jokes.
Not sure if it's out overseas though, I bought it here- on that note if you have questions about being a long-term foreign resident in Japan please feel free to PM me
If you have a bookshop with a Japanese section, like Kinokuniya, they should have it. It's been very popular here!

mahou sensei negima!,,, i think

oh and genshiken

I know of this youtube video: 日本人は辛いよ It Ain't Easy Being Japanese shoot in 2010ish by a then 20 years long Gaijin.