Hi June, I'm sorry for all the ijime that you experienced as a child growing up in Japan.

I am nisei, second-generation Japanese. Both my parents were Japanese who immigrated to Argentina and that's where I grew up.

As an adult, I went to Japan for work. One of my jobs included going to public schools to assist children of immigrants cope with their new environment. I often helped their parents too. Your experiences were still the experiences of these kids I met in the early 2000's.

Throughout my 12 years there, it was quite disheartening to see the attitude of Japanese people towards foreigners. I was discriminated too for having an "Alien card" (probably not to the same extent as you), even though I am the same race and can speak the language fluently. That's one reason I did not stay there. I keep fond memories of my experiences but I know it's very tough to be a foreigner in Japan.